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Yarn

Discouraged

Not our default choice. We recommend npm for all projects.

What is it​

Yarn is a package manager originally created by Facebook (Meta) as an alternative to npm. Yarn Classic (v1) is in maintenance mode; Yarn Berry (v2+) introduced Plug'n'Play (PnP), which eliminates node_modules entirely. Currently at v4.x.

Why it's not our default​

  • Fragmented versions — Yarn Classic and Yarn Berry are effectively different tools with different semantics, causing confusion.
  • Plug'n'Play compatibility — Yarn Berry's PnP mode breaks many tools that assume a node_modules folder; requires patching or nodeLinker: node-modules fallback.
  • Extra install step — like pnpm, Yarn doesn't ship with Node.js.
  • Diminishing advantages — Yarn's original benefits (lockfile, determinism, speed) have been adopted by npm.
  • Smaller mindshare — npm is universal; Yarn adds a knowledge requirement without clear benefit for most projects.

When it makes sense​

  • Existing Yarn project — if you're maintaining or extending a project already using Yarn, there's no need to force a migration.
  • Client requirement — if the client mandates Yarn.

Alternative​

npm

Resources​