Why I switched to PNPM (and you probably should too)

Discover the benefits of using PNPM over other package managers and learn how to make the switch seamlessly.

As a frontend developer juggling multiple side projects, I was tired of slow installs and bloated node_modules folders. That’s when I stumbled upon PNPM, and it completely changed my workflow.

In this article, I’ll break down what PNPM is, why it’s better than npm, and how it can speed up your dev process while saving disk space.

What is PNPM?

PNPM stands for Performant NPM. It’s a fast, disk-efficient alternative to npm and yarn. The best part? It’s a drop-in replacement — you can use the same commands like:

pnpm install
pnpm run dev

It’s open-source and used in production by companies like Vercel, Vue, Astro, and many others.

Why I switched — The key benefits

🚀 1. Fast installs

PNPM is up to 2x faster than npm. How? It doesn’t re-download packages you’ve already installed. It just links them from a global cache — blazing fast.

💾 2. Disk space efficient

When you install a package for the first time, PNPM stores it in a content-addressable storage on your disk. Next time (or in another project), it hard-links that package instead of downloading it again. No duplication = massive disk savings.

One dev replied to my tweet: "I’ll use PNPM just for the hard links!" — and honestly, that’s reason enough.

🔒 3. Strict dependency isolation

PNPM creates a non-flat node_modules structure. This means packages can only access dependencies they explicitly declare — reducing bugs from undeclared or hoisted packages.

🧱 4. Built-in monorepo support

PNPM supports workspaces out of the box. Whether you’re building a monorepo with multiple packages or just a monolith, PNPM handles dependency management better than most tools.

And yes — even a fresh Next.js app is a monolith by default, so you still benefit from pnpm’s speed and efficiency.

Read more about Monorepo vs Multi-repo vs Monolith if you’re curious.

Common misconceptions I encountered on Twitter

• "Isn’t pnpm only for monorepos?"

  Nope. It brings value to monoliths too: faster installs, disk savings, and strict dependency checks.

• "Is pnpm used in production?"

  Absolutely. Vercel, Vue, Astro, and many more rely on it.

• "So I just run pnpm install instead of npm install?"

  Exactly. You can even alias pnpm to npm if muscle memory is strong. 😅

Getting started

Install it globally:

npm install -g pnpm@latest-10

Then use it just like npm:

pnpm install
pnpm run dev
pnpm add axios

Helpful commands:

• pnpm why <pkg> – Find out why a package is installed
• pnpm update --latest – Upgrade all deps easily
• pnpm dlx <tool> – Run CLI tools without global install

Final thoughts

Whether you’re building a side project or managing a full monorepo, PNPM is a serious upgrade. It’s faster, cleaner, and helps avoid common dependency issues.

Give it a shot on your next project — your future self (and your disk space) will thank you. ⚡

Let me know on Twitter if you try it out — I’d love to hear how it goes!