What is a Package Manager?
When you build a JavaScript app, you don’t have to write every single feature from scratch. Many common features (like JSON Web Tokens, encryption, sorting) are already available as packages.
A package manager is a tool that:
- Installs these packages in your project
- Updates them when needed
- Keeps track of their versions and dependencies
Without it, you’d manually download code from GitHub and place it in your project, which is slow and error-prone.
1️⃣ NPM (Node Package Manager)
Default package manager that comes with Node.js.
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Pros:
- Largest package ecosystem in the world
- Official support and regular updates
- Zero setup – works out of the box
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Cons:
- Slower compared to others
node_modules folder can get huge and bloated
Best for: Stability, wide support, and when you don’t want extra setup.
2️⃣ Yarn
Created by Facebook (Meta) to make installs faster.
Uses parallel installation, so packages install quicker.
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Pros:
- Faster than NPM
- Has Workspaces for monorepos (managing multiple projects together)
- Manages dependencies more efficiently
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Cons:
- You can’t mix Yarn and NPM lock files in the same project
Best for: Large projects, monorepos, and when speed matters.
3️⃣ PNPM
Stands for Performant NPM.
Saves disk space by storing packages globally and using symlinks instead of making copies in every project.
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Pros:
- Very fast installs
- Huge disk space savings
- Excellent Workspaces support for monorepos
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Cons:
- Not always supported everywhere (extra config needed for some deployments)
Best for: Developers managing many projects or monorepos who want speed + space savings.
4️⃣ Bun
A new, blazing-fast JavaScript runtime that can replace Node.js.
More than just a package manager – it also includes:
- A built-in bundler
- Test runner
- AWS SDK support out of the box
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Pros:
- Extremely fast package installs (feels instant)
- Can replace multiple tools at once
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Cons:
- New and less battle-tested
- Possible compatibility issues with older packages
Best for: Speed-focused projects and experimenting with new tech.
💡 Final Advice
- For beginners → Start with NPM (stable, well-supported).
- For large projects → Use Yarn or PNPM.
- For experiments and max speed → Try Bun.