I'm getting started with JS so I've reached the point where I have to install a live server with npm. VSCode has a popular extension that many know of called Live Server(Ritwick Dey), my question is what is the difference between using the extension and installing the package with node? Are there any standout features that could aid in my development or are they pretty much the same? Thanks
Both will work in a similar way if you do not plan to use custom configurations and work alone on a single computer.
If you are working in a large team and want to have the same setup available for everyone, you should install the node module for the project and go with the 'Usage from node' section of the documentation.
Both options have great documentation on how to customize them. They differ in naming but for the most part both projects offer similar options.
For live-server, the npm package, your can use the online documentation to see the available ones.
https://www.npmjs.com/package/live-server
For the VsCode extension, you have a list of available configuration here.
https://github.com/ritwickdey/vscode-live-server/blob/HEAD/docs/settings.md
Before selecting one for you project, you should look at the available options and see if there is a feature that might be helpful for your project.