Tuj learning Node.js: npm

Tuj is very concerned with downloading duplicate packages/modules by npm, especially when Tuj wants to use Dropbox to sync his stuff. By now he has installed express and its dependencies at least 3 times. Why cannot we have every needed package in one place (outside our project folder which is in the Dropbox folder)? What are we missing?

On Windows npm installs globally into the location app-something/roaming-whatever in the home directory by default. You no install in a hidden folder, understand? especially when we want to check the source code from time to time!!! BTW our home directory is already filled with files like .bash_history, .emacs, .gitconfig, .inputrc, .ssh (directory is also a file. :3 )... We are OK with an extra .npm folder. We promptly changed the location of global installs to a more readily reachable location. For now we will install needed packages that we want to require inside of our project folder, which is what installing locally means, and see what we should do when we start a second nodejs project. [Update: anyway, we now install nodejs in the Windows Subsystem for Linux.]

To address our concern of space, we have found the ultimate solution: Pay for the Premium plan of Dropbox. ?