How to Install PNPM on Debian 13

PNPM is a high-performance Node.js package manager known for its efficient disk usage and lightning-fast installs. Arch Linux users can install it easily through the official repositories or using Corepack. 

Step 1: Update System Packages

Start by syncing and updating your Arch system to ensure all packages are current:

sudo pacman -Syu

Step 2: Install Node.js and npm

PNPM requires Node.js. Arch’s official repositories include recent versions.

sudo pacman -S nodejs npm

Check your installation:

node -v
npm -v

You should see version numbers for both.

Step 3: Install PNPM (Recommended via Corepack)

Modern Node.js versions (v16.13+ or v18+) come with Corepack, which lets you easily enable and manage PNPM.

Enable Corepack:

sudo corepack enable

Then prepare and activate PNPM:

corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate

Check that it’s installed:

pnpm -v

Step 4: Install PNPM via pacman (Alternative Method)

If you prefer installing directly through Arch’s repositories:

sudo pacman -S pnpm

This installs PNPM globally and links it automatically into your system path.

Verify the installation:

pnpm -v

Step 5: Test PNPM with a Sample Project

Create a new test directory and initialize a Node.js project:

mkdir pnpm-test && cd pnpm-test
pnpm init

Install a package (for example, axios):

pnpm add axios

List installed packages:

pnpm list

If everything runs without error, PNPM is working perfectly.

Optional Step: Enable Bash/Zsh Auto-Completion

Enable command auto-completion for a smoother CLI experience:

For bash:

pnpm completion bash | sudo tee /etc/bash_completion.d/pnpm > /dev/null
source /etc/bash_completion

For zsh:

pnpm completion zsh > ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Tip: PNPM shines in large monorepos and modern frontend projects (Next.js, React, Vue). To switch an existing npm project to PNPM, just delete node_modules and package-lock.json, then run:

pnpm install

You’ll instantly notice faster installs and smaller disk usage.