### [Read this on the main serverless docs site](https://serverless.com/framework/docs/guides/cicd/private-packages/) # Using private package managers If your Serverless Framework project has a dependency on a private package manager, like NPM, you will need the CI/CD service to authenticate with the private package manager service. For example, if you are using NPM follow the "[Using private packages in a CI/CD workflow](https://docs.npmjs.com/using-private-packages-in-a-ci-cd-workflow)" guide to create an authentication token. Following this process you will obtain a token to use as an environment variable. Other private package managers for NPM or other runtimes (e.g. Python) also typically provide a method for authentication using environment variables in a CI/CD environment. To set an environment variable use the [Parameters](/framework/docs/dashboard/parameters/) feature and create a variable called `NPM_TOKEN` containing your private registry token. Parameters defined in the deployment profiles associated with the application and stage are loaded in the Serverless CI/CD service as environment variables.