TR kizaki Tech Memo

I tried Volta v2 but couldn't use pnpm with pin, so I decided to manage it with Corepack.

The Challenge with Volta v2 and pnpm

As a JavaScript developer constantly seeking to optimize my workflow, I've been using Volta to manage my Node.js tools and versions. Volta has been great for handling Node.js and npm, providing a seamless experience with its "pin" feature that lets you specify exact versions in your package.json.

However, when Volta v2 came out, I encountered a frustrating limitation: it doesn't properly support pinning pnpm versions. For those unfamiliar with pnpm, it's a fast, disk-space efficient package manager that I've come to prefer over npm for many projects.

The inability to pin pnpm versions with Volta v2 created inconsistencies across my development environments and between team members, which is exactly the problem these tools are supposed to solve.

Enter Corepack: Node.js's Built-in Solution

After trying various workarounds, I discovered Corepack, a built-in tool that ships with Node.js since version 16.9.0. Corepack is designed to be a zero-configuration manager for package managers themselves, including yarn, pnpm, and npm.

Why Corepack Works Better for pnpm

  1. Built-in to Node.js: No need for additional tools or installations
  2. Official support for pnpm: First-class citizen, not an afterthought
  3. Version control via packageManager field: Simple configuration in your package.json
  4. Automatic version switching: Changes package manager versions when you change directories

Setting Up Corepack

The setup process is surprisingly simple:

# Enable Corepack if you haven't already
corepack enable

# This makes both 'yarn' and 'pnpm' commands available globally

Then in your project's package.json, specify your preferred package manager and version:

{
"name": "my-project",
"packageManager": "pnpm@10.7.0",
// rest of your package.json
}

That's it! Now whenever someone works on your project, Corepack will automatically ensure they're using pnpm 8.6.0, regardless of what they have installed globally.

The Migration Process

Transitioning from Volta to Corepack was straightforward:

  1. Disable Volta for the project:
volta unpin pnpm
  1. Enable Corepack:
corepack enable
  1. Update the package.json to use the packageManager field instead of Volta's toolchain field:
   - "volta": {
   -   "node": "22.14.0",
   -   "pnpm": "10.7.0"
   - }
   + "packageManager": "pnpm@10.7.0"
  1. Let your team know about the change

Benefits I've Seen Since Switching

Since making the switch, I've enjoyed several benefits:

  • Consistency: Everyone on the team is using exactly the same pnpm version
  • Simplicity: One less tool to install and configure
  • Native support: Using a solution that's built into Node.js itself
  • Better pnpm integration: Features like workspaces work more predictably

Considerations Before Switching

While Corepack has been a great solution for managing pnpm, there are a few things to consider:

  • Corepack only manages package managers, not Node.js versions (you might still want nvm, n, or even keep Volta for Node version management)
  • It's relatively new, so documentation and community support are still growing
  • Some CI/CD pipelines might need adjustments to use Corepack properly

Conclusion

If you're facing issues with pnpm and Volta v2, Corepack provides a solid alternative that's built right into Node.js. The migration process is quick, and the benefits of having a consistent, well-supported way to manage your package manager versions across environments make it well worth considering.

For my workflow, the combination of a Node version manager for Node.js itself and Corepack for package managers has proven to be the most reliable setup, especially when working with pnpm.

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