JavaScript Package Manager: NPM vs PNPM vs Yarn

Introduction

In the world of JavaScript package managers, developers are spoiled for choice. NPM (Node Package Manager), PNPM, and Yarn are three popular options that streamline package management in JavaScript projects. Each of these package managers comes with its own set of features, advantages, and trade-offs. In this blog post, we will dive deep into a comparison of NPM, PNPM, and Yarn, exploring their key differences, benefits, and providing a handy comparison table. Additionally, we will include some basic commands to help you get started.

Overview

NPM (Node Package Manager): NPM is the default package manager for Node.js and is widely used in the JavaScript ecosystem. It provides a vast repository of open-source packages, making it easy for developers to discover and install dependencies. NPM is bundled with Node.js, which means it is automatically installed when you install Node.js on your system.
PNPM (Performant NPM): PNPM is a lightweight and efficient package manager that aims to optimize the installation and management of dependencies. Unlike NPM and Yarn, PNPM uses a unique approach called "linking," where it stores a single copy of each package on a disk and creates symbolic links to use them in different projects. This approach saves disk space and reduces installation time.
Yarn: Yarn is another popular package manager that was created by Facebook. It was introduced as an alternative to NPM, primarily to address performance issues. Yarn improves package installation speed by utilizing a global cache, parallel package downloads, and deterministic dependency resolution.

Comparison

Feature	NPM	PNPM	Yarn
Installation	Bundled with Node.js	Separate installation	Separate installation
Performance	Moderate	Fast	Fast
Disk Space	Uses more disk space	Efficient disk usage	Moderate disk usage
Package Locking	package-lock.json	pnpm-lock.yaml	yarn.lock
Concurrent Inst.	Not supported	Supported	Supported
Offline Mode	Not supported	Supported	Supported
Workspaces	Supported	Supported	Supported
Security Auditing	Supported	Not supported	Supported

Benefits and Trade-offs

NPM:
- Well-established and widely used.
- Supports a vast ecosystem of packages.
- Integrated with Node.js.
- Supports security auditing.
- Limited performance optimizations.
- Uses more disk space compared to PNPM and Yarn.
PNPM:
- Optimizes disk space usage.
- Faster installation due to linking mechanism.
- Supports concurrent installations, speeding up workflows.
- Suitable for monorepo projects with shared dependencies.
- Lacks built-in security auditing.
- Less popular, which may lead to compatibility issues with some packages.
Yarn:
- High installation performance.
- Deterministic dependency resolution.
- Supports parallel package downloads.
- Utilizes a global cache for efficient reusability.
- Built-in support for workspaces (managing multiple packages in a single repository).
- Reliable security auditing.
- Relatively larger lockfile (yarn.lock) compared to NPM's package-lock.json.

Basic Commands

Here are some of the basic commands used in NPM, PNPM, and Yarn:

Command	NPM	PNPM	Yarn
Package Installation	`npm install <package-name>`	`pnpm install <package-name>`	`yarn add <package-name>`
Global Installation	`npm install -g <package>`	`pnpm install -g <package>`	`yarn global add <package>`
Save Dependency	`npm install <package> --save`	`pnpm install <package> --save`	`yarn add <package>`
Remove Package	`npm uninstall <package>`	`pnpm uninstall <package>`	`yarn remove <package>`
Update Packages	`npm update`	`pnpm update`	`yarn upgrade`
Run Script	`npm run <script-name>`	`pnpm run <script-name>`	`yarn run <script-name>`
Publish Package	`npm publish`	`pnpm publish`	`yarn publish`
Search Packages	`npm search <keyword>`	`pnpm search <keyword>`	`yarn search <keyword>`
Clear Cache	`npm cache clean`	`pnpm store prune`	`yarn cache clean`
Install from Lockfile	`npm ci`	`pnpm install --frozen-lockfile`	`yarn install --frozen-lockfile`
Check for Security Issues	`npm audit`	N/A	`yarn audit`

Structure of the projects

Here's a detailed structure of a typical JavaScript project using NPM, PNPM, and Yarn

NPM Project Structure:

- project/
  |- node_modules/       (Installed packages)
  |- package.json        (Project configuration)
  |- package-lock.json   (Dependency lockfile)
  |- .npmrc              (NPM configuration)
  |- src/                (Source code files)

node_modules/: This directory contains all the installed packages and their dependencies.
package.json: This file holds the project configuration, including project metadata, dependencies, scripts, and more.
package-lock.json: This lockfile ensures deterministic installations by specifying the exact versions of the dependencies.
.npmrc: This file contains NPM-specific configurations, such as custom registries, authentication tokens, or proxy settings.
src/: This directory typically holds the source code files of the project.

PNPM Project Structure:

- project/
  |- .pnpm/
  |- node_modules/       (Installed packages)
  │   |- .pnpm/
  |- package.json        (Project configuration)
  |- pnpm-lock.yaml      (Dependency lockfile)
  |- .npmrc              (NPM configuration)
  |- src/                (Source code files)

The structure for PNPM is quite similar to NPM, with a few differences:

The packages installed for the current project are stored within the node_modules/.pnpm directory. The actual package files are symlinked from the shared storage location, located in the .pnpm directory at the root level of the project.
pnpm-lock.yaml: Instead of package-lock.json, PNPM uses a YAML-based lockfile to manage dependencies.

Yarn Project Structure:

- project/
  |- node_modules/       (Installed packages)
  |- package.json        (Project configuration)
  |- yarn.lock           (Dependency lockfile)
  |- .yarnrc             (Yarn configuration)
  |- src/                (Source code files)

The Yarn project structure is similar to NPM, but with some variations:

yarn.lock: Yarn uses a lockfile named yarn.lock to lock down the exact versions of the dependencies.
.yarnrc: This file contains Yarn-specific configurations, such as custom registries, authentication tokens, or proxy settings.

Conclusion

NPM, PNPM, and Yarn are all powerful package managers that simplify dependency management in JavaScript projects. The choice between them depends on the specific needs of your project, including performance, disk space utilization, and the presence of certain features like security auditing or workspaces. By understanding the features, benefits, and trade-offs of each package manager, you can make an informed decision that best suits your requirements. Remember to consider the specific needs and constraints of your project and experiment with different options to find the perfect fit.