What is PNPM and why you should use it?

With changing scenarios and new technologies emerging daily, efficient package management is a must these days to maintain projects, speed up development, and ensure seamless collaboration among larger teams. Although NPM and Yarn are good options, PNPM has recently been gaining attention from many.

This article aims to walk you through what PNPM is, how to install and update it, the benefits of using it, and how it compares with other package managers.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• What is PNPM?
• Key features of PNPM
• How to Install PNPM
• How to Update PNPM
• Why Use PNPM?
• PNPM vs. npm
• Conclusion

What is pnpm?

pnpm stands for "Performant Node Package Manager", also known as "Performant NPM" but to be precise it is a "Fast, disk space efficient package manager." It's an alternative package manager for Node.js applications that aims to solve some of the limitations and inefficiencies found in traditional package managers like npm and Yarn.

One important difference with PNPM is its approach to package installation. It doesn’t duplicate dependencies in each project directory. Instead, PNPM uses a unique method called "hard linking" to store packages in a global store. This approach drastically reduces the amount of disk space required and speeds up the installation process.

Key Features of PNPM

• Efficient Disk Space Usage: PNPM creates a single version of each package in a global store, which can be shared across projects. This drastically reduces redundancy and disk space usage.
• Faster Installations: By utilizing symlinks, PNPM can install packages more quickly than traditional package managers, especially in large projects.
• Strict Dependency Resolution: PNPM enforces a strict dependency tree, preventing issues related to package version mismatches that can arise in other package managers.

How to Install PNPM

Installing PNPM is straightforward and can be done using npm or yarn itself. For this, in your terminal you can run the command -

// using npm
npm install -g pnpm

// using yarn
yarn global add pnpm

These commands will install PNPM globally on your system, allowing you to use it across all your projects.

Basic Commands

How to Update PNPM

Updating PNPM to the latest version is also simple. Just run the following command:

pnpm install -g pnpm@latest

Installing Packages with pnpm install

To install a package, use:

pnpm install <package-name>

Removing or Uninstalling Packages

To uninstall a package using pnpm, execute:

pnpm remove <package-name>

Updating Packages

Update your dependencies with:

pnpm update

Adding dev dependencies

Here is how you can add dev dependencies using pnpm "

pnpm add -D <package-name>

Advantages of Using pnpm

1. Improved Performance With its unique caching mechanism and symlink strategy, pnpm provides faster installations, especially beneficial for large applications or when working with multiple projects.

2. Reduced Disk Space Usage By storing packages in a global store and linking them, pnpm minimizes the disk space required for dependencies. This is particularly advantageous for developers working on multiple projects on the same machine.

3. Enhanced Security pnpm's strict dependency resolution helps avoid issues with conflicting versions, which can lead to security vulnerabilities in your applications.

pnpm vs. npm

• Installation Speed: pnpm is generally faster due to its caching and symlink strategies.
• Disk Space: pnpm uses significantly less disk space compared to npm, which installs multiple copies of the same package.

pnpm vs. yarn

• Performance: While Yarn also offers caching, pnpm’s symlink approach often results in better performance.
• Dependency Management: pnpm’s strict dependency management can prevent issues that may arise with Yarn’s more flexible approach.
• Workspace configuration: npm uses workspaces field in package.json and pnpm uses pnpm-workspace.yaml file for more flexible workspace definition
• Monorepo support: npm has basic monorepo capabilities and pnpm has enhanced monorepo management with pnpm workspace commands

Best Practices for Using pnpm

1. Keep Your Packages Updated: Regularly update your dependencies using pnpm update to ensure you have the latest features and security patches.
2. Utilize Workspaces: If you're managing multiple packages, consider using pnpm's workspaces feature to streamline your workflow.
3. Monitor Disk Usage: Regularly check your disk space usage and clean up any unnecessary packages to maintain efficiency.

Conclusion

pnpm offers an excellent alternative to traditional package managers like NPM and Yarn. It emphasizes disk space efficiency, faster installation times, and improved version control. While PNPM may not be a perfect solution for all use cases, it remains an excellent option for teams looking to streamline their development processes and enhance overall efficiency.

Whether you're a solo developer working on personal projects or part of a large team collaborating on enterprise-level applications, exploring PNPM could be beneficial in optimizing your Node.js development workflow. So why not give it a try and see the difference it can make in your projects?

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