pnpm VS npm

Compare pnpm VS npm and see what are their differences

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npm

npm is a package manager for Node.

Landing page //
2022-03-23

Landing page //
2023-10-03

pnpm

Website: pnpm.js.org
Pricing URL: -

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npm

Website: npmjs.com
Pricing URL: Official npm Pricing

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pnpm features and specs

Efficient Disk Space Usage
pnpm uses a unique symlink-based approach to store only a single copy of each package version, reducing disk space usage significantly.
Fast Installations
Due to its disk-efficient storage, pnpm can perform installations much faster compared to npm and yarn, especially in projects with large node_modules.
Strict Dependency Resolution
pnpm enforces stricter rules for dependency management, ensuring that different projects don't accidentally share dependencies, reducing the risk of dependency conflicts.
Isolation of Dependencies
Each project gets a strict isolation of dependencies, as pnpm creates a node_modules structure with symbolic links, avoiding pollution from conflicting package versions.
Compatibility with npm
pnpm is fully compatible with the npm registry and supports all common npm commands, making it easy to transition between npm and pnpm.

Possible disadvantages of pnpm

Learning Curve
Developers familiar with npm might find some aspects of pnpm unfamiliar, requiring a learning curve to understand its structure and symlink-based storage.
Tooling Ecosystem
Some tools and scripts that assume npm's or yarn's node_modules layout might not work out of the box with pnpm, requiring additional configuration or workarounds.
Less Mature Community
Despite its growing popularity, pnpm has a smaller community compared to npm and yarn, which might lead to fewer third-party resources or community support.
Complexity of Symbolic Links
The use of symbolic links can introduce complexity in some environments or during debugging, especially if the environment does not handle symlinks well.

npm features and specs

Large Ecosystem
npm boasts an extensive library of packages, making it easier for developers to find existing solutions for a wide array of tasks.
Active Community
A vibrant and active community ensures continuous updates, support, and improvements for various packages.
Integration with Node.js
Seamless integration with Node.js, which makes it the default package manager for Node.js projects.
Version Control
Provides robust version control, enabling developers to specify and manage dependencies precisely.
Scripts
Allows automation of tasks through custom scripts defined in the package.json file, enhancing development workflow.

Possible disadvantages of npm

Security Issues
The open nature can potentially lead to dependency on unvetted or insecure packages, posing security risks.
Deprecation and Abandonment
Packages may be deprecated or abandoned by their maintainers, which can disrupt projects that depend on them.
Complex Dependency Management
Managing complex dependencies and resolving conflicts between them can sometimes be challenging and time-consuming.
Performance Overhead
The sheer size of the node_modules directory can lead to performance overhead and large project sizes.
Quality Variability
The quality of packages on npm can vary widely, with some lacking sufficient documentation or tests.

pnpm videos

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Why I stopped using NPM for PNPM And You should too! | #CodingPhase

npm videos

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Artis bus NPM Mr marcha sopir ny ramah,Review detail bus baru yang berangkat dari Payakumbuh~Jakarta

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to pnpm and npm)

npm

Front End Package Manager

10 10%

Front End Package Manager

90% 90

Package Manager

18 18%

Package Manager

82% 82

JS Build Tools

12 12%

JS Build Tools

88% 88

JavaScript Package Manager

100 100%

JavaScript Package Manager

0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using pnpm and npm. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare pnpm and npm

pnpm Reviews

We have no reviews of pnpm yet.
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There are three components to npm, they are the website, registry and the cli. The npm website is the place where developers discover packages, set up their profiles and also manage the other aspects of npm. The npm registry is the huge database that contains all the dependencies and stuff whereas the npm cli is the one that is used by most of the developers to interact with...

Source: mindmajix.com

What is Artifactory?

All packages are organized so that you can keep track of all of the dependencies and their various versions. The registry, website, and command-line interface, or CLI, are the three components of npm. The npm website is where developers can find packages, create profiles, and manage other elements of the npm project. The npm registry is an extensive database that holds all...

Source: blog.packagecloud.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, npm seems to be a lot more popular than pnpm. While we know about 64 links to npm, we've tracked only 3 mentions of pnpm. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

pnpm mentions (3)

Don't trust anyone, not even update
Imagine npm but faster and it uses symlinks n stuff to reduce disk use and make node_modules not a huge nightmare Https://pnpm.js.org. Source: almost 4 years ago
Next.js TypeScript Template
Pnpm is a cool alternative to yarn or npm as it is faster and can reuse downloaded packages to reduce the size of node_modules. - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago
[Talk] Sharing Typescript Types between your Frontend and Backend
Lerna is great, as is pnpm (https://pnpm.js.org/) which we use at work. PNPM is a little faster, as it's sharing all the reused dependencies from a central location with symlinks, so it makes installing faster. Source: about 4 years ago

npm mentions (64)

A Gentle Introduction to WebAssembly in Rust (2025 Edition)
If your WASM code is self contained in Rust, you can build it in production mode and publish it on npmjs.com right now. The wasm-pack tool creates all the TypeScript types, package.json skeleton and anything else needed for a complete package. It is recommended that you review and update your package.json file prior to publishing. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
Publishing To NPM For The First Time
First, I signed up for an account on npmjs.com and authenticated my npm CLI with my account using a "publish" type access token generated from the website. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
How to Publish an npm Package
Congratulations,now you package on npm you can check using go npmjs check your profile. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
A step-by-step guide on how to create and publish and npm package
To begin, you will need to choose a name for your package. Note: Your package name must be unique. Using the exact or similar name of an existing package will return an error when publishing the package to npm. To ensure the uniquenesses of your package name, head over to npmjs.com and search for any existing packages with a similar name. If there’s an exact match or a similar name, consider changing the name... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
Caching RESTful API requests with Heroku’s Redis Add-on
By using Fastify, you can quickly get a Node.js application up and running to handle requests. Assuming you have Node.js installed, you’ll start by initializing a new project. We’ll use npm as our package manager. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing pnpm and npm, you can also consider the following products

Yarn - Yarn is a package manager for your code.

Bower - Bower is a package manager for the web.

Webpack - Webpack is a module bundler. Its main purpose is to bundle JavaScript files for usage in a browser, yet it is also capable of transforming, bundling, or packaging just about any resource or asset.

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

Ender - Frontend Development

NixOS - 25 Jun 2014 . All software components in NixOS are installed using the Nix package manager. Packages in Nix are defined using the nix language to create nix expressions.