What is pnpm?
pnpm (performant npm) is a fast, disk space-efficient package manager for JavaScript. It's an alternative to npm and Yarn that optimizes how node modules are stored and linked.
Why Use pnpm?
Fast Installation: pnpm is much faster than npm and Yarn because it uses hard links and symlinks to store dependencies.
Disk Space Saving: It saves disk space by sharing packages across projects using a global content-addressable store.
Strict Dependency Tree: Unlike npm, pnpm enforces a stricter dependency tree that helps avoid version mismatches.
Monorepo Support: Built-in monorepo support without needing extra tools.
How to Install pnpm
npm install -g pnpm
or
corepack enable
corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate
Basic Usage
- Initialize a project:
pnpm init
- Install dependencies:
pnpm install <package-name>
- Run scripts:
pnpm run <script-name>
- Remove packages:
pnpm remove <package-name>
Why Developers Love pnpm
Faster than npm and Yarn
More secure due to its strict package resolution
Easy monorepo management
Automatic deduplication
🔥 Comparison: pnpm vs npm vs Yarn
Let's break down how pnpm, npm, and Yarn compare in terms of performance, features, and usability.
| Feature | pnpm | npm | Yarn |
| Speed | 🚀 Very Fast (uses hard links) | ⚡ Fast (improved with npm v7+) | ⚡ Fast (similar to npm) |
| Disk Usage | 🔥 Lowest (shares packages globally) | ❌ High (duplicate packages across projects) | ⚠️ Moderate (but not as optimized as pnpm) |
| Monorepo Support | ✅ Built-in (workspaces) | ⚠️ Limited (npm workspaces) | ✅ Native (Yarn workspaces) |
| Dependency Lock | ✅ pnpm-lock.yaml (strict, deterministic) | ✅ package-lock.json | ✅ yarn.lock |
| Offline Install | ✅ (Global store cache) | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ (With yarn cache) |
| Security | 🔥 High (Strict package isolation) | ⚠️ Moderate | ⚠️ Moderate |
| Node.js Compatibility | ✅ (Node 14+) | ✅ (Default) | ✅ (Node 12+) |
| Popularity | ⭐ Rising fast (loved by Vue, Vite, and Turborepo) | 🔥 Most widely used | ✅ Popular in React community |
| CLI Experience | 🧠 Modern & Developer-friendly | 🛠️ Standard | 🔥 Better than npm |
💪 Which One Should You Use?
| Use Case | Recommendation |
| Performance Focus | pnpm 🚀 |
| Best Compatibility | npm |
| Monorepo Projects | pnpm or Yarn |
| Large Projects with Cache | Yarn |
| Simplicity for Beginners | npm |
✅ My Recommendation
| If you're building... | Use |
| Vue.js, Vite, or Monorepos | pnpm 🔥 |
| Legacy Projects | npm |
| React or TypeScript Apps | Yarn |
How to Migrate
| From | Command |
| npm | pnpm import |
| Yarn | pnpm import |