Package Managers

Node.js

• Cross-platform environment that runs JavaScript outside of web browser
• Allows developers to use JavaScript to write CLIs and server-side scripts
  • Useful for back end driven web pages

npm

• Package manager for JavaScript programming
• Default package manager for Node.js
• Provides following services:
  • Command line client (also called npm)
  • Online database of public/private packages
    • Packages are accessed via CLI, and can be browsed on npm website
• Packages are written in JS modules
  • Requires usage of import and expoert statements
• Uses package-json.lock version lock file

Yarn

• Alternative to npm
• Differences from npm
  • Installation
    • Yarn installs packages in parallel, while npm installs one package at a time
      • Faster performance
  • Dependency management
    • Yarn uses Plug’n’Play which uses map file that maps project dependencies instead of using node modules folder
      • More streamlined dependency of trees
      • Quicker project launch and installation
  • Offline caching
    • Both npm and Yarn allow for saving files to offline cache
    • Yarn uses Zero Installation
      • Leverages dependency map for installation of offline dependencies with zero delays
      • Faster performance, and allows for offline capabilities
  • Security
    • Yarn uses checksum for ensuring data integrity, while npm uses SHA-512 to check data integrity of the packages downloaded
    • License checking when obtaining installation packages
      • Better security
  • Yarn binds versions of the package strongly
• Uses yarn.lock version lock file

pnpm (performant npm)

• Alternative to npm