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Release: Australia · Updated: 2026-03-12 · Official documentation · View source

Install the ServiceNow SDK in an application

Install the ServiceNow software development kit (SDK) in a local application using Node Package Manager (npm).

Before you begin

Your system must meet the following minimum requirements to use the latest version of the ServiceNow SDK:

Node.jsv20.18.0
npm v8.19.3

To install or upgrade Node.js or npm, see the installation instructions on the npm website.

Role required: admin

About this task

The ServiceNow SDK is available as an npm package from the public npm registry. The ServiceNow SDK supports integrating with ServiceNow instances beginning with the Washington DC release.

In the following procedure, you install the ServiceNow SDK within a new application using npx rather than globally. To install the ServiceNow SDK globally, use the npm install --global @servicenow/sdk command.

Note: If you use npx to install the ServiceNow SDK in application rather than globally, you must use npx @servicenow/sdk [command] rather than now-sdk [command] with the ServiceNow SDK CLI.

Procedure

Open a command-line tool on your system.
Verify that your system meets the requirements.
1. Enter node -v to check if you have Node.js installed and which version.
2. Enter npm -v to check if you have npm installed and which version.
Create a local directory for your application.
Change directories into the directory for your application using the cd command.
```
cd <path/to/directory>
```
Create an application with the ServiceNow SDK.

State	Steps
Authentication hasn't been configured	If you haven't added authentication credentials and an alias on your system yet, install the ServiceNow SDK with the `auth` command before creating an application with the `init` command. For example: `npx @servicenow/sdk auth --add <instance>` For more information, see Authenticating to a ServiceNow instance with the ServiceNow SDK.
Authentication has been configured	If you have added authentication credentials, install the ServiceNow SDK in new applications with the `init` command. For example: `npx @servicenow/sdk init` For more information, see Create an application with the ServiceNow SDK or Convert an application with the ServiceNow SDK.

What to do next

Install the ServiceNow Fluent Language server to get language processing and validation for ServiceNow Fluent in Visual Studio Code. For more information, see Install the ServiceNow Fluent Language server in Visual Studio Code.

Parent Topic:Configuring the ServiceNow SDK

Related topics

Upgrade the ServiceNow SDK

Install the ServiceNow Fluent Language server in Visual Studio Code