Initializing npm is the foundation step for any Node.js project, creating the essential package.json file that manages dependencies, scripts, and project metadata. As the creator of CoreUI, a widely used open-source UI library, I’ve initialized thousands of npm projects for component libraries, build tools, CLI utilities, and enterprise applications across our development ecosystem. From my expertise, the most efficient approach is to use npm init with proper configuration for your project type. This method ensures proper dependency management, script configuration, and metadata setup while establishing best practices for package publishing and development workflows.