webcoyote pnpm for Node.js Projects
Always use pnpm instead of npm or yarn. If the user types npm <cmd>, translate to the pnpm equivalent and proceed (don't ask).
Command translation
| Instead of | Use |
|---|---|
npm init -y |
pnpm init |
npm install |
pnpm install |
npm install <pkg> |
pnpm add <pkg> |
npm install -D <pkg> |
pnpm add -D <pkg> |
npm install -g <pkg> |
pnpm add -g <pkg> |
npm uninstall <pkg> |
pnpm remove <pkg> |
npm run <script> |
pnpm <script> |
npm test |
pnpm test |
npx <bin> |
pnpm dlx <bin> |
yarn <anything> |
pnpm <equivalent> |
New project setup
pnpm init # creates package.json
pnpm add -D typescript @types/node # dev deps
pnpm add <runtime-deps>
Commit the pnpm-lock.yaml (not package-lock.json or yarn.lock). If a package-lock.json or yarn.lock exists in a project we're converting, delete it after generating pnpm-lock.yaml.
Workspaces / monorepos
Use pnpm-workspace.yaml at the repo root:
packages:
- "packages/*"
- "apps/*"
Run a script in one workspace: pnpm --filter <name> <script>.
Don't
- Don't run
npm installoryarn install— even if a lockfile from another tool exists, switch to pnpm. - Don't suggest
npx; usepnpm dlx(one-off) orpnpm exec(project-local bin). - Don't add
engines.npminpackage.json; addpackageManager: "pnpm@<version>"instead.
If pnpm isn't installed
Tell the user to install it once: brew install pnpm (macOS) or corepack enable && corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate. Don't fall back to npm.