pnpm Package Manager

pnpm, which stands for "performant npm," is a fast and disk space-efficient package manager for the Node.js ecosystem, serving as a powerful alternative to npm and Yarn. Unlike traditional package managers that duplicate dependencies for each project, pnpm utilizes a content-addressable store on the disk to store a single instance of each package version. It then uses hard links and symlinks to connect these shared packages into a project's `node_modules` directory, resulting in significantly faster installation times and massive disk space savings. This unique linking strategy also creates a strict, non-flat `node_modules` structure, which enhances project reliability by preventing unauthorized access to undeclared or "phantom" dependencies.

  1. Introduction to pnpm
    1. Overview of pnpm
      1. Definition and Purpose
        1. History and Development
        2. Core Philosophy
          1. Speed and Efficiency
            1. Deterministic Installs
              1. Minimal Disk Usage
              2. Key Problems Solved
                1. Disk Space Inefficiency
                  1. Node Modules Duplication
                    1. Storage Optimization
                    2. Slow Installation Times
                      1. Parallelization
                        1. Caching Mechanisms
                        2. Phantom Dependencies
                          1. Strict Dependency Resolution
                            1. Preventing Implicit Access
                            2. npm Doppelgangers
                              1. Dependency Isolation
                                1. Avoiding Version Conflicts