> I didn't understand why I had to use URLs instead of `npm i` (a) With npm, Microsoft is the gatekeeper of everything NodeJS. URLs are the most decentralized

> I didn't understand why I had to use URLs instead of `npm i` (a) With npm, Microsoft is the gatekeeper of everything NodeJS. URLs are the most decentralized way to do dependencies. (b) Self-hosting can help with some security issues with npm. Makes it easier for private projects to not have to trust npm hosted third party libraries, which is important in many corporate environments.