What is the difference between NPM and Yarn ?
by SWHabitation
In the world of JavaScript, package managers are one of the most important tools to manage dependencies and simplify workflows. One of the most popular package managers is Node Package Manager (NPM) and the other is Yarn. They both do the same thing, but they have different features, performance, and community support. In this post, we will look at the main differences between NPM and Yarn to help you choose the right one for your JavaScript projects.
In the world of JavaScript, package managers are one of the most important tools to manage dependencies and simplify workflows. One of the most popular package managers is Node Package Manager (NPM) and the other is Yarn. They both do the same thing, but they have different features, performance, and community support. In this post, we will look at the main differences between NPM and Yarn to help you choose the right one for your JavaScript projects.
Timeline: npm vs Yarn
2009: Ryan Dahl introduced Node.js, which is a runtime environment for running JavaScript code outside of the browser.
2010: npm is the name of a package manager for the Node.js programming language. It was first developed by the developer, Mr. Schlueter, and quickly became one of the most important tools for JavaScript developers to share and manage code packages.
2016: Yarn was created by Facebook as a standalone package manager to replace npm. The goal of Yarn was to solve the performance issues and dependency management problems that developers were facing.
One of the most notable incidents that npm faced was when a developer published a popular package, “left-pad”, which caused a lot of confusion and confusion within the Node.js community. This caused a lot of discussion about dependency management, and package ownership.
2017: With the release of version 1.0 of Yarn, which improved performance, stability, and security, it became popular among the JavaScript community.
2018: Yarn was upgraded to version 2.0, which promised even quicker installation times and improved caching capabilities. Yarn 2.0 also introduced Plug'n'Play (PnP), zero-installation, and other features that improve performance and efficiency.
2020: npm was then purchased by GitHub. This means that npm is now part of the JavaScript development community and provides more collaboration opportunities for developers.
Yarn has grown into a self-sustaining project with the help of developers from all walks of life. It keeps on growing with performance, reliability, and developer experience in mind.
In the world of JavaScript development, good package management is essential for smooth project execution. Node.js dependency management is done with the help of the Node Package Manager (Node.js) and Yarn.
Node.js is the long-standing default package manager, providing a huge repository of packages. Yarn, on the other hand, was developed by Facebook and focuses on performance improvements.
Developers are presented with a wide range of commands to simplify their development workflow. By identifying the differences between these commands, you can optimize your development process, making your project more efficient and scalable.
The following table shows the most commonly used commands in npm and yarn, highlighting their functions and syntax.
Commands
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Conclusion
To sum up, the decision between Yarn and npm depends on your project needs, performance, and community. Yarn has the advantage of widespread adoption and robustness, while Yarn provides faster, more consistent, and better security. Whether you prioritize faster deployments, deterministic dependencies management, or strong security, Yarn and npm help you manage your JavaScript dependencies efficiently.
