Cheat Sheet: npm vs Yarn Commands

Published on December 3, 2019 · Updated on October 27, 2020

By William Le

This is a cheat sheet that you can use as a handy reference for npm & Yarn commands.

For a more comprehensive overview of npm, explore our tutorial How To Use Node.js Modules with npm and package.json .

npm vs. Yarn

There are many similarities between npm and Yarn. Yarn (released 2016) drew considerable inspiration from npm (2010).

On the flip-side, their similarities can lead to confusion and small mistakes when you find yourself using both package managers.

Here is a useful reference to keep the two CLIs straight:

Command	npm	yarn
Install dependencies	`npm install`	`yarn`
Install package	`npm install [package]`	`yarn add [package]`
Install dev package	`npm install --save-dev [package]`	`yarn add --dev [package]`
Uninstall package	`npm uninstall [package]`	`yarn remove [package]`
Uninstall dev package	`npm uninstall --save-dev [package]`	`yarn remove [package]`
Update	`npm update`	`yarn upgrade`
Update package	`npm update [package]`	`yarn upgrade [package]`
Global install package	`npm install --global [package]`	`yarn global add [package]`
Global uninstall package	`npm uninstall --global [package]`	`yarn global remove [package]`

Here are some commands that Yarn decided not to change: