pnpm vs verdaccio vs yalc
JavaScript Package Management Tools Comparison
1 Year
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What's JavaScript Package Management Tools?

JavaScript package management tools are essential for managing dependencies in web development projects. They facilitate the installation, updating, and removal of libraries and frameworks, ensuring that developers can efficiently manage their project dependencies. Each tool offers unique features that cater to different use cases, such as optimizing package installations, creating private registries, or managing local package development. Understanding the differences between these tools helps developers choose the right one for their specific needs and workflow.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
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Package
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pnpm24,749,91731,89019 MB1,8768 days agoMIT
verdaccio307,59616,953889 kB392 months agoMIT
yalc263,7745,994-1184 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: pnpm vs verdaccio vs yalc

Installation Speed

  • pnpm:

    pnpm is designed for speed. It uses a content-addressable file system to store all files from all module versions, which allows it to install packages faster by linking them instead of copying them. This significantly reduces installation time, especially in large projects.

  • verdaccio:

    Verdaccio is a lightweight private npm proxy registry that can cache packages from the public npm registry. While its primary function is not speed, it can improve installation times for frequently used packages by serving them from a local cache rather than fetching them from the internet each time.

  • yalc:

    yalc allows you to manage local package development by creating a local repository. It provides a way to publish local packages and install them in other projects, which can speed up development by avoiding repeated installations from the npm registry.

Local Development

  • pnpm:

    pnpm supports local development through symlinking, allowing you to work on multiple packages simultaneously without needing to publish them. This is particularly useful in monorepo setups where multiple packages are interdependent.

  • verdaccio:

    Verdaccio enables local development by allowing you to create a private registry where you can publish your packages. This is useful for teams that want to share packages internally without exposing them to the public npm registry.

  • yalc:

    yalc excels in local development by allowing you to publish local packages and install them in other projects easily. This makes it ideal for testing changes in a package before publishing to the npm registry.

Disk Space Optimization

  • pnpm:

    pnpm optimizes disk space by storing a single copy of each package version and using hard links to reference them in projects. This reduces redundancy and saves significant disk space, especially in projects with many dependencies.

  • verdaccio:

    Verdaccio does not inherently optimize disk space but can help manage local packages effectively. By caching packages, it can reduce the need to download the same package multiple times, indirectly saving space.

  • yalc:

    yalc does not focus on disk space optimization but allows you to manage local packages efficiently. It creates a local repository for your packages, which can help keep your project organized.

Use Cases

  • pnpm:

    pnpm is best suited for large-scale applications and monorepos where dependency management and installation speed are critical. It is ideal for developers looking for a modern package manager that enhances performance and efficiency.

  • verdaccio:

    Verdaccio is suitable for teams needing a private npm registry to share packages securely. It is ideal for organizations that want to control package access and maintain a local cache of commonly used packages.

  • yalc:

    yalc is perfect for developers working on multiple related projects or libraries. It is particularly useful for testing local changes without publishing to the npm registry, making it ideal for rapid development cycles.

Community and Ecosystem

  • pnpm:

    pnpm has a growing community and is increasingly adopted in the JavaScript ecosystem. It integrates well with existing tools and frameworks, making it a versatile choice for modern web development.

  • verdaccio:

    Verdaccio has a strong community focus, providing a simple and effective solution for private package management. It is widely used in enterprise settings where security and control over packages are paramount.

  • yalc:

    yalc has a smaller but dedicated community, primarily focused on local package development. It is a niche tool that complements existing package managers, making it a valuable addition for developers who need local testing capabilities.

How to Choose: pnpm vs verdaccio vs yalc
  • pnpm:

    Choose pnpm if you need a fast and efficient package manager that optimizes disk space by storing a single copy of each package version and creating hard links to them. It is particularly beneficial for large projects with many dependencies.

README for pnpm

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pnpm

Fast, disk space efficient package manager:

  • Fast. Up to 2x faster than the alternatives (see benchmark).
  • Efficient. Files inside node_modules are linked from a single content-addressable storage.
  • Great for monorepos.
  • Strict. A package can access only dependencies that are specified in its package.json.
  • Deterministic. Has a lockfile called pnpm-lock.yaml.
  • Works as a Node.js version manager. See pnpm env use.
  • Works everywhere. Supports Windows, Linux, and macOS.
  • Battle-tested. Used in production by teams of all sizes since 2016.
  • See the full feature comparison with npm and Yarn.

To quote the Rush team:

Microsoft uses pnpm in Rush repos with hundreds of projects and hundreds of PRs per day, and we’ve found it to be very fast and reliable.

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Background

pnpm uses a content-addressable filesystem to store all files from all module directories on a disk. When using npm, if you have 100 projects using lodash, you will have 100 copies of lodash on disk. With pnpm, lodash will be stored in a content-addressable storage, so:

  1. If you depend on different versions of lodash, only the files that differ are added to the store. If lodash has 100 files, and a new version has a change only in one of those files, pnpm update will only add 1 new file to the storage.
  2. All the files are saved in a single place on the disk. When packages are installed, their files are linked from that single place consuming no additional disk space. Linking is performed using either hard-links or reflinks (copy-on-write).

As a result, you save gigabytes of space on your disk and you have a lot faster installations! If you'd like more details about the unique node_modules structure that pnpm creates and why it works fine with the Node.js ecosystem, read this small article: Flat node_modules is not the only way.

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Installation

For installation options visit our website.

Usage

Just use pnpm in place of npm/Yarn. E.g., install dependencies via:

pnpm install

For more advanced usage, read pnpm CLI on our website, or run pnpm help.

Benchmark

pnpm is up to 2x faster than npm and Yarn classic. See all benchmarks here.

Benchmarks on an app with lots of dependencies:

Support

License

MIT