Package Manager Battle Royale: npm, yarn, pnpm, and Bun

There's a joke in the frontend world: Every 18 months, we have to relearn how to install dependencies.

From the nested hell of npm, to the flat revolution of yarn, to the hard-link magic of pnpm, and finally Bun—the speedster who doesn't play by the rules. I often stare at node_modules and wonder:

Are we writing code, or are we just managing these damn packages?

Yesterday, I tried to upgrade an old project. I got stuck at npm install for 30 minutes. My disk space vanished, and I got a screen full of errors about "phantom dependencies." In that moment, I really wanted to throw my laptop out the window.

Today, let's cut the fluff. As developers caught in this war, who should we actually choose?

1. npm: The Aging Father

Core Issue: Slow, and heavy.

Early npm was like a warehouse manager with no organizational skills. You order stock (install) today, and order again tomorrow, but you might get completely different items (non-deterministic versions). Even with package-lock.json, its speed is still painful.

The biggest headache is "Phantom Dependencies."

Sometimes you didn't install package A, but because your dependency B uses A, you can surprisingly import A in your code. It's like your neighbor bought a car, and you didn't, but you can somehow drive his car. The day he moves away (B upgrades and drops A), your code instantly crashes, and you're left wondering: Dude, where's my car?

2. yarn (v1): The Savior of Yesterday

Core Contribution: yarn.lock and parallel installation.

When yarn first came out, it felt like alien technology. An npm install that took 5 minutes would finish in 1 minute with yarn. It was like a highly trained logistics team—efficient and precise.

But now? Yarn v1 is in maintenance mode. The PnP (Plug'n'Play) mode in v2/v3 was too radical a step, fracturing the ecosystem. I mostly see it in legacy projects now, like meeting a retired veteran.

3. pnpm: The Disk Savior

Core Insight: Why do we download react for every single project?

pnpm is my current top recommendation. Its logic is hardcore:

1. Global Store: All dependencies for all projects live in one place on your disk.
2. Hard Links: The node_modules in your project are just links pointing to that global store.

Since switching to pnpm, I've reclaimed gigabytes of space on my MacBook. It feels like buying one TV for your house and just installing mirrors in every room to reflect it.

Plus, it strictly forbids "Phantom Dependencies." If you didn't install it, you can't use it. I love this kind of cleanliness.

4. Bun: The Rule Breaker

Core Advantage: Fast. Insanely fast.

Bun isn't just a package manager; it's a whole new Runtime. bun install is so fast that sometimes I suspect it's faking it.

But honestly, I'm still hesitant to use Bun fully in production. Its compatibility is improving, but hitting a weird edge case can make you question your life choices. It's like a genius teenager—brilliant and fast, but sometimes unstable.

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

Since we still have to work, here is a "translation guide" I compiled. Save your brain power for code, not for memorizing commands.

Action	npm (Classic)	yarn (Veteran)	pnpm (Daily Driver)	Notes
Install	npm install	yarn	pnpm i	First thing after git clone
Add Pkg	npm i pkg	yarn add pkg	pnpm add pkg	Defaults to production
Add Dev	npm i -D pkg	yarn add -D pkg	pnpm add -D pkg	For TS, ESLint
Remove	npm uninstall	yarn remove	pnpm remove	Breaking up is hard to do
Upgrade	-	upgrade-interactive	pnpm up -i -L	Game Changer! Like ordering from a menu
Why?	npm ls pkg	yarn why pkg	pnpm why pkg	Find who invited the weird dependency

Conclusion

• New Project? Close your eyes and choose pnpm.
• Feeling Adventurous? Try Bun.
• Legacy Code? Respect npm/yarn. Don't touch it, or it will explode.

Tools are just means to an end. Code is the goal. Don't waste too much of your life on the toolchain—pick one that works, and go build something that changes the world.

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