Well but the docs you cited don't match what you stated. You can delete node_modules and reinstall, it will never update the package-lock.json, you will always end up with the exact same versions as before. The package-lock updating happens when you change version numbers in the package.json file, but that is very much expected! So no, running npm install will not pull in new versions randomly.

The internet disagrees. NPM will gladly ignore and update lock files. There may exist a way to actually respect lock files, but the default mode of operation does not work as you would naively expect.

- NPM Install without modifying the package-lock.json https://www.mikestreety.co.uk/blog/npm-install-without-modif...

- Why does "npm install" rewrite package-lock.json? https://stackoverflow.com/questions/45022048/why-does-npm-in...

- npm - How to actually use package-lock.json for installing based on locked versions? https://stackoverflow.com/questions/47480617/npm-how-to-actu...