Node startup Npm Inc. scores $8M, launches Private Modules for handling code

Npm Inc., a year-old startup that maintains an open-source registry and package manager for storing and sharing packages, or modules, of JavaScript code, is announcing today that it’s secured $8 million in funding.

Also today, the startup is launching Private Modules, a premium service for handling proprietary bits of code.

The startup first got going last year, following the rise of the Node.js server-side JavaScript framework. Before that, Npm Inc. cofounder and chief executive Isaac Schlueter had led the development of Node as an open-source project — and he also created the Npm technology.

The launch of Private Modules follows the release of the on-premises Npm Enterprise software last year. More than 2,000 developers have signed up to try out the new service, the startup said in a statement. Private Modules will cost $7 per person per month.

The funding comes as Node in particular continues to prove useful for companies that run data centers — and compelling to developers who want to write server-side code with good old JavaScript. Node continues to be a ripe area for acquisitions, the most recent being GoDaddy’s acquisition of Nodejitsu.

Bessemer Venture Partners led the new round. True Ventures also participated.

To date, the Oakland, California-based Npm Inc. has raised $10.6 million, including last year’s $2.6 million seed round. Eleven people work at the startup, a spokeswoman told VentureBeat in an email.

Companies that use the Npm technology include Amazon, Google, Microsoft, New Relic, and Twilio, according to today’s statement.