Discussion on: Beginner's guide to npm

package-lock.json is a lot to take in for sure 😅

package-lock.json is like an "Approved versions" list of the files being used in package.json, as well as extending to any packages used by packages you've installed in package.json. Everything in package-lock.json will be an exact version number, which is helpful for deploying to production so that you know you won't get any bugs from a mismatched version being installed.

The answer on this stack overflow question goes into more detail about the role package-lock plays, but if you have further questions feel free to ask! Hopefully this helps clear things up at least a little bit more!