---
title: Add a dependency
sidebarTitle: Add a dependency
mode: center
---

To add an npm package as a dependency, use `bun add`.

```sh terminal icon="terminal"
bun add zod
```

---

This will add the package to `dependencies` in `package.json`. By default, the `^` range specifier will be used, to indicate that any future minor or patch versions are acceptable.

```json package.json icon="file-json"
{
  "dependencies": {
    "zod": "^3.0.0" // [!code ++]
  }
}
```

---

To "pin" to an exact version of the package, use `--exact`. This will add the package to `dependencies` without the `^`, pinning your project to the exact version you installed.

```sh terminal icon="terminal"
bun add zod --exact
```

---

To specify an exact version or a tag:

```sh terminal icon="terminal"
bun add zod@3.0.0
bun add zod@next
```

---

See [Docs > Package manager](/docs/pm/cli/install) for complete documentation of Bun's package manager.
