node install some times have @ and not always

Question

I am new to node, and am watching videos/instructions on installations. I see some installs have a @

npm install @babel/preset-env

while some don't,

npm install http-server

What is the difference?

Answer 1

This is a feature called "scopes".

When you sign up for an npm user account or create an Org, you are granted a scope that matches your user or Org name. You can use this scope as a namespace for related packages.

A scope allows you to create a package with the same name as a package created by another user or Org without conflict.

When listed as a dependent in a package.json file, scoped packages are preceded by their scope name. The scope name is everything between the @ and the slash:

Answer 2

http-server is not a scoped package whereas for example @sinonjs/text-encoding is.

All npm packages have a name. Some package names also have a scope. A scope follows the usual rules for package names (URL-safe characters, no leading dots or underscores). When used in package names, scopes are preceded by an @ symbol and followed by a slash, e.g.

It's especially useful for companies with private repos but has gained popularity with open source in recent years.