npm install doesn't create node_modules directory

Question

I am trying to do a homework for a mongodb uni course. They gave us some files, instructions are:

run npm install mongodb then node app.js<

Answer 1

I ran into this trying to integrate React Native into an existing swift project using cocoapods. The FB docs (at time of writing) did not specify that npm install react-native wouldn't work without first having a package.json file. Per the RN docs set your entry point: (index.js) as index.ios.js