pnpm Cheat Sheet
Quick reference for pnpm commands: install, add, remove, workspaces, and more. Fast, disk-efficient Node.js package manager.
Install & Setup
| npm install -g pnpm | Install pnpm globally via npm |
| pnpm init | Create a new package.json |
| pnpm install | Install all dependencies from lockfile |
| pnpm install --frozen-lockfile | Install without updating lockfile (CI mode) |
| pnpm env use --global lts | Install and use the LTS version of Node.js |
Add & Remove
| pnpm add pkg | Add a production dependency |
| pnpm add -D pkg | Add a dev dependency |
| pnpm add -g pkg | Install a package globally |
| pnpm remove pkg | Remove a dependency |
| pnpm update pkg | Update a specific package to latest |
Run Scripts
| pnpm run dev | Run the dev script from package.json |
| pnpm exec cmd | Execute a shell command in the project scope |
| pnpm dlx pkg | Run a package without installing (like npx) |
| pnpm create app | Scaffold a project using create-* package |
| pnpm start | Run the start script (shorthand) |
Workspaces
| pnpm -w add pkg | Add dependency to workspace root |
| pnpm --filter app add pkg | Add dependency to a specific workspace package |
| pnpm -r run build | Run build in all workspace packages recursively |
| pnpm -r --parallel run dev | Run dev in all packages in parallel |
| pnpm deploy --filter app | Deploy a workspace package with pruned dependencies |
Useful Commands
| pnpm store prune | Remove unreferenced packages from the store |
| pnpm licenses list | List licenses of all installed packages |
| pnpm outdated | Check for outdated dependencies |
| pnpm why pkg | Show why a package is installed (dependency chain) |
| pnpm audit | Check for known security vulnerabilities |
Try It Live
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Step-by-Step Guide
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