Yarn vs. Npm
Vijay Singh,•Npm vs Yarn
Choosing the Right Package Manager for Your frontend Project
Both Yarn and npm are widely used package managers for Node.js projects, including React applications.
npm: When you install Node.js, npm is automatically included. It serves as the default package manager for Node.js.
To use yarn, you need to install it separately. You can do this by running the following command: npm install yarn --global.
Choosing Between npm install and yarn add
- In most cases, yarn add is the preferred choice due to its stricter dependency management, improved consistency, and additional features like offline support.
- If you're already using npm in an existing project and haven't transitioned to Yarn, npm install can still be used effectively to manage dependencies.
- Consider switching to Yarn for new projects to benefit from its advantages and potentially improve your development workflow.
Yarn
Installation and Management:
yarn add <package-name>: Adds a new package to your project and updates package.json and yarn.lock.yarn remove <package-name>: Removes a package from your project and updates package.json and yarn.lock.yarn install: Installs all dependencies listed in your package.json file.yarn upgrade [package-name] [version]: Upgrades a specific package or all dependencies to their latest versions.yarn cache clean: Cleans the Yarn package cache.
Script execution:
yarn run <script-name>: Runs a custom script defined in your package.json file (e.g., yarn run build).yarn start: Runs the default script defined in your package.json (often used for starting your development server).
Npm
Installation and Management:
npm install <package-name>: Installs a specific package from the npm registry and adds it to your node_modules folder.npm install: Installs all dependencies listed in the dependencies section of your package.json file.npm uninstall <package-name>: Removes a package from your project and its dependencies from node_modules.npm update <package-name>: Updates a specific package to its latest version (minor or patch changes).npm update: Updates all dependencies listed in package.json to their latest versions.
Script execution:
npm run <script-name>: Runs a custom script defined in the scripts section of your package.json file (e.g., npm run build).npm start: Runs the default script defined in your package.json, often used for starting your development server.
Other useful commands:
npm init: Initializes a new project and creates a package.json file.npm info <package-name>: Displays information about a specific package.npm publish: Publishes your project to the npm registry (requires a verified npm account).npm ls: Lists all installed dependencies in your project.npm outdated: Lists outdated dependencies that can be updated.npm test: Runs the test scripts defined in your package.json.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Yarn | Npm |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | Faster, utilizes parallel installation. | Slower, installs dependencies sequentially. |
| Offline support | Downloads and caches packages locally, | Downloads packages on the fly, requiring |
| Locking | Uses yarn.lock to ensure consistent | Uses package-lock.json but less strict, |
- Yarn offers advantages like faster installation, better offline support, and improved dependency management for larger projects or complex workflows
Links
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Vijay Singh.RSSDevelop. Preview. Ship. – Vercel