pnpm

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This is one of those things, most developers (including me) just install and use without thinking about it. So, just doing quick-AI write-up to learn it.

What is pnpm?

pnpm is a fast, disk space-efficient package manager for Node.js. It stands for "performant npm."

Key features:

Hard links and symlinks: Stores packages once globally, then links to them in projects, saving disk space
Faster installs: Parallel downloading and smart caching
Strict dependency resolution: Prevents access to undeclared dependencies (unlike npm/yarn)
Monorepo support: Built-in workspace management
Drop-in replacement: Compatible with npm commands and package.json

Common commands:

pnpm install - install dependencies
pnpm add <package> - add package
pnpm run <script> - run scripts
pnpm dlx <package> - run package without installing (like npx)

pnpm is particularly popular for large projects and monorepos due to its speed and disk efficiency.

Installing pnpm

# Download and install fnm:
curl -o- https://fnm.vercel.app/install | bash

# Download and install Node.js:
fnm install 22

# Verify the Node.js version:
node -v # Should print "v22.17.0".

# Download and install pnpm:
corepack enable pnpm

# Verify pnpm version:
pnpm -v

What is pnpm?

Installing pnpm

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