Using pnpm for Package Management

Using pnpm for Package Management in NestJS Projects

pnpm is a fast, disk space-efficient package manager. It is a great alternative to npm and Yarn, offering performance improvements and consistent package installation. This documentation provides guidelines for using pnpm as the standard package manager for NestJS projects.

Setting Up pnpm

Installation

First, you need to install pnpm globally on your system. You can do this using npm:

npm install -g pnpm

Initializing a Project with pnpm

To create a new NestJS project and set up pnpm, follow these steps:

1. Create a new NestJS project using the NestJS CLI:

   nest new my-nestjs-project

2. Change into your project directory:

   cd my-nestjs-project

3. Convert the project to use pnpm:

   rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
   pnpm install

Installing Packages

Use pnpm to install dependencies in your NestJS project. Here are some common commands:

• Install a new package:

  pnpm add <package-name>

• Install a new package as a dev dependency:

  pnpm add -D <package-name>

• Install all dependencies listed in package.json:

  pnpm install

• Update a package to the latest version:

  pnpm update <package-name>

Managing Dependencies

Adding a New Dependency

To add a new dependency, use the pnpm add command:

pnpm add <package-name>

For example, to add the Axios library:

pnpm add axios

Adding a Dev Dependency

To add a new dev dependency, use the pnpm add -D command:

pnpm add -D <package-name>

For example, to add Jest for testing:

pnpm add -D jest @types/jest ts-jest

Maintaining the pnpm Lockfile

The pnpm-lock.yaml file is crucial for ensuring consistency across different environments. It locks the versions of your dependencies, providing reproducible builds. Do not delete the pnpm-lock.yaml file. Keeping this file allows pnpm to use the cached versions of dependencies, speeding up the installation process.

Running Scripts

You can run scripts defined in your package.json using pnpm. For example, to run the start script:

pnpm start

Or to run tests:

pnpm test

Best Practices

Use .npmrc for Configuration

Create a .npmrc file in the root of your project to configure pnpm settings. For example, to specify that the lockfile should not be modified manually:

save-exact=true

Avoid Deleting pnpm-lock.yaml

Never delete the pnpm-lock.yaml file, as it ensures that the same versions of dependencies are used across all environments. This file also enables pnpm to utilize cached packages, making installs faster and more reliable.

Clean the Node Modules

Occasionally, you might need to clean your node modules and reinstall everything. With pnpm, this can be done efficiently:

pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

This command ensures that pnpm strictly adheres to the versions specified in the pnpm-lock.yaml file.

Conclusion

Using pnpm as your package manager in NestJS projects can significantly improve the efficiency and consistency of managing dependencies. By following the guidelines provided in this documentation, you can ensure that your project benefits from the speed and reliability of pnpm while maintaining reproducible builds across different environments.