How to install Yarn on Ubuntu

Yarn is a powerful and popular JavaScript package manager designed to streamline the process of installing and managing JavaScript packages and dependencies for your projects. This comprehensive guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough of the complete process of installing Yarn on Ubuntu. We’ll cover installing Yarn through both the APT package manager and direct downloads, address potential troubleshooting issues, and outline best practices for maintaining an up-to-date Yarn installation.

Introduction to Yarn

Yarn emerged in 2016, conceived by Facebook as a robust alternative to the npm package manager for Node.js. Its primary objective is to offer enhanced performance and improved reliability compared to npm. Key features and benefits of Yarn include:

Speed: Yarn parallelizes operations to maximize resource utilization and minimize installation time.
Reliability: Utilizes lockfiles (yarn.lock) to ensure consistent installations across different environments.
Security: Verifies package integrity using checksums to prevent malicious code from being introduced.
Offline Mode: Caches downloaded packages, allowing installations even without an internet connection.
Deterministic Installations: Guarantees that the same dependencies are installed in the same way across all machines.

Yarn delivers a performant, reliable, and secure package management solution for JavaScript projects. It’s an excellent choice for managing dependencies when developing Node.js applications. The process of How to install Yarn on Ubuntu is quite simple, let’s get started.

Prerequisites

Before embarking on the Yarn installation process, ensure that the following prerequisites are met:

Ubuntu Operating System: A functioning Ubuntu installation (versions 18.04, 20.04, 22.04, or later are recommended).
Node.js and npm: Node.js (version 10 or higher) and npm (Node Package Manager) must be installed on your system.

You can verify these prerequisites by executing the following commands in your terminal:

$ lsb_release -a

This command will display details about your Ubuntu version.

$ node -v

This command will output your Node.js version.

$ npm -v

This command will show your npm version.

If you need to install or upgrade Node.js and npm, the NodeSource package archives offer the most straightforward method. To install the latest Node.js LTS (Long-Term Support) release, use the following commands:

$ curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bash -
$ sudo apt install -y nodejs

With the necessary prerequisites in place, we can now proceed with installing Yarn.

Installing Yarn via APT

The recommended approach for installing Yarn on Ubuntu involves leveraging the APT package manager. Yarn is readily available in the default Ubuntu repositories, starting from Ubuntu 18.04.

To install Yarn, execute the following commands:

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install yarn

These commands will install the latest stable release of Yarn from the package repositories.

To confirm successful installation, run:

$ yarn --version

If the command displays the version number, Yarn has been successfully installed on your system.

Using Direct Downloads

Alternatively, Yarn can be installed by directly downloading the package from the official website. This method allows you to install specific version releases.

First, download the .deb package corresponding to your Ubuntu version:

$ curl -sS https://dl.yarnpkg.com/debian/pubkey.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
$ echo "deb https://dl.yarnpkg.com/debian/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/yarn.list
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install yarn

To install a specific version, modify the command as follows:

$ curl -sS https://dl.yarnpkg.com/debian/pubkey.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
$ echo "deb https://dl.yarnpkg.com/debian/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/yarn.list
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install yarn=1.22.19-1

This approach enables you to install a particular Yarn release, such as 1.22.19, instead of just the latest version.

Verify the installation by running:

$ yarn --version

Direct downloads provide greater control over the specific version of Yarn you install.

Global vs Local Installations

By default, Yarn is installed globally on the system. This enables you to execute the yarn command from any directory to manage JavaScript packages.

Yarn can also be installed locally within specific project directories. This allows you to use different Yarn versions for different projects.

To install Yarn locally, run:

$ npm install --global yarn

Within a project directory. Now, only this project will have access to the yarn command.

The global installation is generally more convenient and recommended for most scenarios. However, a local installation offers greater control for individual projects.

Setting the Yarn Cache Directory

By default, Yarn stores its package cache globally in ~/.cache/yarn. Over time, this cache can consume a significant amount of disk space as more packages are installed.

To change the cache location, use the yarn config command:

$ yarn config set cache-folder /new/cache/folder

This will move the cache to a new directory, such as /opt/yarn/cache, or to another partition with more available storage space.

To verify the new cache folder, check the configuration:

$ yarn config get cache-folder

Setting a custom cache directory can help you manage disk space usage more effectively.

Basic Yarn Commands

With Yarn successfully installed, you can begin using it to manage JavaScript packages. Here are some commonly used commands:

yarn init: Initializes a new project and creates a package.json file.
yarn add [package-name]: Adds a package to your project’s dependencies.
yarn install: Installs all dependencies listed in the package.json file.
yarn remove [package-name]: Removes a package from your project’s dependencies.
yarn upgrade [package-name]: Upgrades a package to the latest version.
yarn run [script-name]: Executes a script defined in the package.json file.

To start using Yarn for a new project:

$ yarn init
$ yarn install

This will initialize the project and install the current dependencies. You can then add additional packages as needed.

Refer to the Yarn CLI documentation for more detailed usage information.

Upgrading Yarn

As new versions of Yarn are released, upgrading to the latest version is recommended to benefit from bug fixes and new features.

If you installed Yarn using APT, run:

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install yarn

This will upgrade Yarn to the latest version available in the repositories.

For direct downloads, reinstall the new version .deb package:

$ sudo apt install yarn=NEW_VERSION_HERE

You can find the latest version on the Yarn website.

Upgrading Yarn ensures you have the latest bug fixes and features. Review the release notes when upgrading.

Troubleshooting Issues

Here are some common problems encountered during Yarn installation and their corresponding solutions:

Command not found: If the yarn command returns "command not found," ensure that Yarn is installed correctly and that ~/.npm-global/bin is included in your PATH environment variable.
Permissions errors: Use sudo when globally installing Yarn. Avoid running the yarn command with sudo.
Old Node.js version: Verify that you have Node.js 10 or later installed. Older versions may not be compatible with Yarn.
Package installation fails: Check your network connection and any proxy settings. Try manually installing the package with npm instead.
Can’t upgrade Yarn: Your current Yarn version may be too old to upgrade directly. Try removing .yarnclean and ~/.cache/yarn and then reinstalling Yarn.

For any other issues, consult the Yarn troubleshooting guide. The Yarn community forums are also a valuable resource for finding solutions.

With the information presented in this guide, you should be able to successfully install, configure, and use Yarn for your JavaScript projects on Ubuntu.

Conclusion

Yarn is an invaluable tool for front-end developers, enabling efficient management of JavaScript dependencies and packages. Understanding how to properly install, configure, and upgrade Yarn is crucial for leveraging its full potential. How to install Yarn on Ubuntu is not a difficult task.

Key points covered in this guide:

Methods for installing Yarn on Ubuntu using APT and direct downloads.
Configuration options for customizing Yarn’s behavior.
Basic Yarn commands for managing packages and dependencies.
Troubleshooting common installation issues.

With Yarn properly set up, you can take advantage of:

Faster and more reliable package installations.
Consistent dependency management across different environments.
Improved security through package integrity verification.

Combined with knowledge of the Yarn CLI and best practices, you can optimize your JavaScript workflow.

Yarn simplifies dependency management for building Node.js applications on Ubuntu. Following this tutorial will get you up and running with this useful tool.

Alternative Solutions

While the APT package manager and direct downloads are the most common methods for installing Yarn, here are two alternative approaches:

1. Using Corepack (Recommended for Newer Node.js Versions)

Corepack is a tool that ships with Node.js (starting from v16) and acts as a package manager manager. It allows you to manage Yarn and pnpm versions without globally installing them. This provides better version control and avoids conflicts.

Explanation: Corepack essentially proxies calls to Yarn or pnpm based on the packageManager field in your package.json file. If the specified version of Yarn isn’t installed, Corepack will download it on demand. This approach ensures that each project uses the intended version of Yarn without affecting other projects or requiring global installations.

Steps:

Enable Corepack: Corepack is not enabled by default. Enable it by running:
```
corepack enable
```
This command might require sudo.

Set the packageManager field in package.json: In your project’s package.json file, add the following:

{
  "name": "my-project",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "packageManager": "yarn@3.6.3" // Replace with your desired Yarn version
}

Use Yarn: Now, whenever you run yarn in your project directory, Corepack will ensure that the specified version of Yarn is used. If it’s not already installed, Corepack will download it automatically.

Advantages:

No global installation of Yarn required.
Version management is handled at the project level.
Avoids conflicts with other package managers.
Ensures consistency across different environments.

2. Installing via npm (Less Recommended, but Still an Option)

While Yarn was designed as an alternative to npm, you can ironically use npm to install Yarn. This approach is less common and generally not recommended, but it’s a viable option in some scenarios.

Explanation: This method installs Yarn as a global npm package. However, it’s important to be aware that this can lead to conflicts and inconsistencies, especially if you’re also using npm for other projects. It’s generally preferable to use APT, direct downloads, or Corepack for a cleaner and more reliable installation.