npm vs yarn vs pnpm: Which to Use

Introduction to JavaScript Package Managers

Package managers are essential tools for managing dependencies in JavaScript projects. The three major players—npm, yarn, and pnpm—each offer unique features and trade-offs. This guide compares them to help you choose the right one for your project.

npm (Node Package Manager)

Overview

npm is the default package manager for Node.js and the largest software registry in the world with over 2 million packages.

Key Features

Pre-installed: Comes with Node.js
npm registry: Default access to the largest package registry
Workspaces: Monorepo support (npm 7+)
npx: Execute packages without global installation

Basic Commands

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Add a package
npm install lodash

# Add dev dependency
npm install -D typescript

# Remove a package
npm uninstall lodash

# Update packages
npm update

# Run scripts
npm run build
npm test

# Publish package
npm publish

package-lock.json

npm uses package-lock.json to lock exact dependency versions:

{
  "name": "my-project",
  "lockfileVersion": 3,
  "packages": {
    "node_modules/lodash": {
      "version": "4.17.21",
      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/lodash/-/lodash-4.17.21.tgz",
      "integrity": "sha512-..."
    }
  }
}

Yarn

Overview

Yarn was created by Facebook to address npm's early shortcomings. It introduced lockfiles and parallel installation before npm adopted them.

Key Features

Plug'n'Play (PnP): Zero-install mode without node_modules
Workspaces: First-class monorepo support
Offline cache: Install packages without internet
Interactive upgrades: Visual package update interface

Basic Commands

# Install dependencies
yarn install
# or just
yarn

# Add a package
yarn add lodash

# Add dev dependency
yarn add -D typescript

# Remove a package
yarn remove lodash

# Update packages
yarn upgrade
yarn upgrade-interactive

# Run scripts
yarn build
yarn test

# Publish package
yarn publish

yarn.lock

Yarn uses yarn.lock for dependency locking:

lodash@^4.17.21:
  version "4.17.21"
  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/lodash/-/lodash-4.17.21.tgz"
  integrity sha512-...

Yarn Berry (v2+)

Modern Yarn with Plug'n'Play:

# Enable PnP (no node_modules)
yarn config set nodeLinker pnp

# Install - packages stored in .yarn/cache
yarn install

# Benefits:
# - Faster installs
# - Less disk space
# - Stricter dependency resolution

pnpm

Overview

pnpm is a fast, disk-efficient package manager that uses a content-addressable store to share packages across projects.

Key Features

Disk efficiency: Packages stored once, linked to projects
Speed: Fastest installation in most benchmarks
Strict: Only declared dependencies are accessible
Workspaces: Excellent monorepo support

Basic Commands

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Add a package
pnpm add lodash

# Add dev dependency
pnpm add -D typescript

# Remove a package
pnpm remove lodash

# Update packages
pnpm update

# Run scripts
pnpm build
pnpm test

# Publish package
pnpm publish

How pnpm Works

# Traditional (npm/yarn):
project1/node_modules/lodash/  # 1MB
project2/node_modules/lodash/  # 1MB (duplicate!)

# pnpm:
~/.pnpm-store/lodash-4.17.21/  # 1MB (stored once)
project1/node_modules/.pnpm/lodash → ~/.pnpm-store  # symlink
project2/node_modules/.pnpm/lodash → ~/.pnpm-store  # symlink

Comparison Table

Feature	npm	Yarn	pnpm
Installation speed	Medium	Fast	Fastest
Disk usage	High	High	Low
Lockfile	package-lock.json	yarn.lock	pnpm-lock.yaml
Workspaces	Yes (7+)	Yes	Yes
Offline mode	Limited	Yes	Yes
Zero-install	No	Yes (PnP)	No
Strictness	Loose	Loose/Strict	Strict
Pre-installed	Yes	No	No

Benchmarks

Installation Speed (Typical Results)

Fresh install (no cache):
pnpm:  ~15s
yarn:  ~25s
npm:   ~35s

With cache:
pnpm:  ~5s
yarn:  ~10s
npm:   ~15s

CI/CD (fresh):
pnpm:  ~20s
yarn:  ~30s
npm:   ~45s

Disk Usage

# 10 projects with same dependencies:
npm:   10 × 200MB = 2GB
yarn:  10 × 200MB = 2GB
pnpm:  200MB + 10 × ~1MB = ~210MB

When to Use Each

Use npm When

Starting a new project (no extra installation needed)
Maximum ecosystem compatibility
Teaching/tutorials (most documentation uses npm)
Simple projects without special requirements

Use Yarn When

Need PnP for zero-install deployments
Working with monorepos (excellent workspace features)
Need interactive upgrade interface
Team is already familiar with Yarn

Use pnpm When

Disk space is limited
Working on many projects with shared dependencies
Need fastest possible installs
Want strict dependency resolution
Working with large monorepos

Migration Guide

npm to pnpm

# Install pnpm
npm install -g pnpm

# In your project
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
pnpm import  # Convert package-lock.json to pnpm-lock.yaml
pnpm install

npm to Yarn

# Install Yarn
npm install -g yarn

# In your project
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
yarn install  # Creates yarn.lock automatically

Yarn to pnpm

rm -rf node_modules .yarn .pnp.* yarn.lock
pnpm import  # If you have yarn.lock
pnpm install

CI/CD Configuration

GitHub Actions with pnpm

- uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
  with:
    version: 8

- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: '20'
    cache: 'pnpm'

- run: pnpm install
- run: pnpm test

GitHub Actions with Yarn

- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: '20'
    cache: 'yarn'

- run: yarn install --frozen-lockfile
- run: yarn test

Tools and Resources

For working with packages:

JSON Formatter - Format package.json files
Diff Checker - Compare lockfile changes
Base64 Encoder - Debug npm tokens

Conclusion

All three package managers are production-ready in 2025:

npm: The safe default choice, always available
Yarn: Best for PnP and advanced workspace features
pnpm: Best for speed and disk efficiency

For most projects, the differences are marginal. Choose based on your team's familiarity and specific requirements.

For more developer resources, explore our free online tools. For documentation, see npm docs, Yarn docs, and pnpm docs.