Install pnpm on Ubuntu 26.04

The pnpm is a fast and efficient package manager for Node.js that works with packages published to the npm registry. It offers an alternative to npm while using the standard package.json format. This tutorial explains how to install pnpm on Ubuntu 26.04.

Prepare environment

Before installing pnpm, make sure Node.js and Corepack are available on the system. Read the post for instructions on how to install them.

Install pnpm

Activate pnpm support through Corepack:

sudo corepack enable pnpm

This step creates a small executable wrapper command (shim) that allows Corepack to manage pnpm and direct all pnpm commands to the correct version.

Corepack is the preferred way to use pnpm because it supports project-specific versions. When the packageManager field exists in the package.json file of the project, Corepack automatically downloads and runs the declared pnpm release. If the field is absent, the globally installed pnpm version is used instead.

Install a global pnpm version to serve as the default for projects that do not define a packageManager field:

corepack install -g pnpm

Confirm that pnpm has been installed successfully by checking version:

pnpm --version

Testing pnpm

Create a directory for a test project and move into it:

mkdir myproject && cd myproject

Generate a minimal package.json file:

echo '{"name":"myproject","version":"1.0.0"}' > package.json

Install a sample dependency to verify that pnpm is working correctly:

pnpm add express

Uninstall pnpm

Turn off pnpm support in Corepack:

sudo corepack disable pnpm

Delete the Corepack pnpm cache, which holds the pnpm versions managed by Corepack:

rm -rf ~/.cache/node/corepack/v1/pnpm

Remove pnpm state data and configuration directories:

rm -rf ~/.cache/pnpm ~/.local/{share,state}/pnpm