When publishing a package to the NPM registry, what file is crucial to define the package properties and dependencies?

When publishing a package to the NPM registry, the package.json file is crucial. This file contains metadata about the package, including its name, version, description, entry points, and most importantly, its dependencies. The package-lock.json file is used to lock dependency versions but is not responsible for defining the package properties. Options 1 and 2 do not exist, and option 3, while related, is not used for defining package properties.