JavaScript Package Managers: NPM, YARN And PNPM

JavaScript has become one of the most popular programming languages in the world, powering everything from web applications to mobile apps and even desktop applications. As a result, the JavaScript ecosystem has grown rapidly, and developers now have access to a wide range of tools and libraries that can help them build more robust and efficient applications. However, managing these tools and libraries can be a challenge, which is why package managers have become an essential part of the JavaScript developer's toolkit.

In this article, we will take a closer look at three of the most popular JavaScript package managers: NPM, Yarn, and PNPM.

What is a Package Manager

A package manager is a tool that automates the process of installing, updating, and managing software packages. In the context of JavaScript, packages are libraries or modules that developers use in their applications. Package managers help developers to manage these packages by providing a centralized repository where packages can be stored, versioned, and downloaded as needed.

They do this by storing packages in a central location on the hard disk or network drive.

NPM

NPM (short for Node Package Manager) is the default package manager for Nodejs applications. It was first released in 2010 and has since become the most popular package manager in the JavaScript ecosystem. NPM is known for its simplicity and ease of use, making it an ideal choice for beginners.

One of the key features of NPM is its ability to handle dependencies efficiently. When you install a package using NPM, it automatically installs all the packages that the installed package depends on, recursively. This means that you don't have to worry about manually installing dependencies, which can save a lot of time and effort.

Yarn

Yarn is a relatively new package manager, having been released by Meta aka Facebook in 2016. It was designed to address some of the performance and reliability issues that developers were experiencing with NPM. Yarn is built on top of the same package registry as NPM, so it can use the same packages.

One of the key features of Yarn is its speed. Yarn uses a parallel installation process, which means that it can install packages much faster than NPM. Additionally, Yarn has a caching system that stores packages locally, so you don't have to download them again if you need to reinstall them.

Yarn also has some additional features that NPM does not have, such as the ability to install packages in a deterministic way. This means that when you install a package, you will always get the same version of that package, regardless of when you install it or which machine you install it on.

PNPM

PNPM (short for Performant NPM) is a relatively new package manager that was first released in 2016. It was designed to be a faster alternative to NPM and Yarn, with a focus on performance and disk space usage.

Like Yarn, PNPM uses parallel installation, which allows it to install packages faster than NPM. However, PNPM takes this a step further by using a single shared folder to store all package dependencies for all projects on a machine. This reduces disk space usage and also speeds up subsequent installations by reusing previously installed packages.

PNPM also lets you install multiple versions of a package simultaneously, which is helpful for projects with conflicting dependencies.

NPM, Yarn and PNPM Comparison

Package Installation Speed

One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a package manager is its installation speed. Yarn and PNPM both use parallel installation to download packages simultaneously, which can be significantly faster than NPM's sequential installation.
PNPM is usually the fastest among the three, as it uses a single shared folder to store all package dependencies for all projects on a machine. Yarn comes in second, with NPM being the slowest of the three.

Package Version Management

Package version management is another crucial factor to consider when choosing a package manager. All three package managers use a package.json file to keep track of project dependencies and versions, but Yarn and PNPM both generate a yarn.lock and pnpm-lock.yaml file respectively, which ensures that the same package versions are used across all machines. NPM does not generate a lock file by default, but it can be enabled by using the --save-exact flag.

Dependency Management

Managing dependencies can be quite challenging in large-scale projects with multiple dependencies. NPM, Yarn, and PNPM all have different ways of handling dependencies. NPM has a flat dependency structure, which means that it installs all dependencies in the node_modules folder at the root level. Yarn and PNPM both use a nested dependency structure, which installs dependencies in a tree-like structure within the node_modules folder.

PNPM takes this further by using a single shared folder to store all package dependencies for all projects on a machine, which can significantly reduce disk space usage.

Cache Management

All three package managers use a caching system to speed up subsequent installations by reusing previously downloaded packages. Yarn and PNPM both have more advanced caching mechanisms than NPM. Yarn's caching mechanism can be managed using the yarn cache command, while PNPM's caching mechanism is built into its single shared folder structure.

Community Support

NPM has the largest package repository of the three, with over 1.5 million packages available for download. It also has a large and active community, which can be a great resource for troubleshooting and support. Yarn has a smaller package repository, but it is growing steadily, and it is backed by Facebook aka Meta, which provides strong community support. PNPM has a smaller community and package repository than NPM and Yarn, but it is actively maintained and has gained a lot of popularity in recent years.

Conclusion

To summarize, there are three popular JavaScript package managers: NPM, Yarn, and PNPM. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. NPM is the most popular and has the biggest package repository, but can sometimes be slow. Yarn is faster than NPM and has parallel installation and deterministic dependency resolution. PNPM is the fastest and uses less disk space.

The package manager you choose will depend on what you need. Each one has its own features and drawbacks, so it's important to consider them carefully before deciding.