# Adding npm module and using it
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/adding-npm-module-and-using-it/6655
**Category:** General
**Created:** [10 January 2019 10:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/adding-npm-module-and-using-it/6655 "2019-01-10T10:58:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@alanca](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/alanca)
#### Post date: [10 January 2019 10:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/adding-npm-module-and-using-it/6655/1 "2019-01-10T10:58:21Z")
I want to use the atob function to convert base64 to hex. After googling a little bit I found out that npm modules can be added manually.
I did `npm i atob` in the npm directory, as well as the node-red directory:
`usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/atob`
`usr/lib/node_modules/node-red/node_modules/atob`
Next, I added the following to settings.js:
```
functionGlobalContext: {
atob: require('atob)
}
```
In my function node, I added the first line
```
var atob = global.get('atob');
var raw = "oAAABTUAAg==";
var hex = atob(raw);
```
But I get the following error: _"TypeError: atob is not a function"_
What am I doing wrong and/or misinterpreting?
---
### Author:  [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)
#### Post date: [10 January 2019 11:01 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/adding-npm-module-and-using-it/6655/2 "2019-01-10T11:01:04Z")
You need to run the `npm install atob` command in the same directory as your settings file.
---
### Author:  [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)
#### Post date: [10 January 2019 11:27 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/adding-npm-module-and-using-it/6655/3 "2019-01-10T11:27:47Z")
though we do have a base64 node to do conversions already - node-red-node-base64
---
### Author:  [@alanca](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/alanca)
#### Post date: [10 January 2019 12:34 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/adding-npm-module-and-using-it/6655/4 "2019-01-10T12:34:44Z")
Thanks, that did the trick! (node-red-node-base64)
---
### Author:  [@shrickus](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/shrickus)
#### Post date: [11 January 2019 15:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/adding-npm-module-and-using-it/6655/5 "2019-01-11T15:58:49Z")
Another way to do this, say inside some existing function code, is with the built-in JS Buffer functions:
```auto
var encoded = Buffer.from(msg.payload).toString("base64");
var decoded = Buffer.from(encoded, "base64").toString();
```
---
### Author:  [@Andrei](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Andrei)
#### Post date: [11 January 2019 16:39 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/adding-npm-module-and-using-it/6655/6 "2019-01-11T16:39:42Z")
As a last resort if you want to install atob from npm then it should work (it did for me) if you correct the missing quote in the require line in `settings.js`:
```auto
functionGlobalContext: {
atob: require('atob')
}
```