Turborepo vs Nx: Which is Best for Monorepo?

In the world of modern development, monorepos are increasingly popular due to their ability to unite multiple projects in a single repository. This makes it easier to manage dependencies, team collaboration, and automation. Two prominent tools often chosen to handle monorepo are Turborepo and Nx.

Both tools are designed to increase efficiency and scalability in monorepo management, but they have different advantages and features. In this article, we will compare Turborepo and Nx, and see how they work through simple examples.

What is a Monorepo?

Monorepo is a project management approach where multiple modules or applications are stored in a single code repository. This differs from the multi-repo approach, where each project is stored in a separate repository.

Monorepo provides benefits such as:

• Ease of sharing code: All modules or applications are accessed from a single source, making it easier to manage dependencies.
• Better team collaboration: Every change can be tracked in a single repository, making code reviews and CI/CD easier.

However, with large repository sizes, special tools are needed to manage the project efficiently. This is where Turborepo and Nx come to the rescue.

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What is Turborepo?

Turborepo is a fast, optimized build system tool for JavaScript/TypeScript monorepo. Turborepo supports smart caching and parallel execution to improve performance when executing commands such as build, linting, or testing.

Main Features Turborepo:

• Distributed Caching: Cache build results to avoid unnecessary rebuilds.
• Parallel Pipelines: Execute tasks across projects simultaneously, so it's faster.
• Simple Setup: Minimal configuration to get started.
• Focus on JavaScript/TypeScript: Turborepo is specifically optimized for the JavaScript and TypeScript ecosystem.

What is Nx?

Nx is a build platform originally created by Nrwl and designed for Angular projects. However, currently Nx supports many frameworks such as React, Node.js, and many more. Nx provides a richer toolset, such as workspace management features and broader plugin integration.

Main Features Nx:

• Plugin Ecosystem: Supports multiple frameworks (Angular, React, NestJS, and others) through a plugin system.
• Intelligent Build: Smart caching system and task runner that recognizes changes to optimize the build process.
• Workspaces: Nx is designed for scale by providing structured workspaces.
• Code Generation: Nx provides a CLI to make it easier to scaffold new applications or modules with ready-to-use templates.
• Rich CLI: Many automated commands for managing dependency graphs and workspaces.

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Turborepo vs Nx Comparison

1. Setup Complexity

• Turborepo: Has minimal setup and is easy to get started, perfect for developers who want to get up to speed with JavaScript/TypeScript.
• Nx: Offers a richer toolset with many features such as code generation, but initial setup may be a bit more complex, especially if using multiple frameworks.

2. Framework support

• Turborepo: Focuses on JavaScript/TypeScript and works great with modern frameworks like React and Next.js.
• Nx: Supports a variety of frameworks through a plugin system, such as Angular, React, NestJS, and even non-JS technologies like Go.

3. Caching and Build Performance

• Turborepo: Stands out with distributed caching across local and cloud storage, ensuring fast builds even in large teams.
• Nx: Has an intelligent build system with very efficient local and remote caching, and is able to run tasks selectively based on the dependency graph.

4. Community and Documentation

• Turborepo: The community is still developing, but the documentation is very good and detailed for the JavaScript/TypeScript monorepo.
• Nx: It is more mature and has a large community, especially among Angular users. The documentation is also comprehensive, especially with the many plugins and features on offer.

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Simple Example

Here is a simple example of creating a monorepo using Turborepo and Nx.

Example with Turborepo

1. Monorepo Initialization:

   npx create-turbo@latest

1. Executing Command: Run build, lint, or test with a single command across workspaces:

   turbo run build

1. Configure turbo.json for parallel build:

   {
     "pipeline": {
       "build": {
         "dependsOn": ["^build"],
         "outputs": ["dist/**"]
       }
     }
   }

Example with Nx

1. Monorepo Initialization:

   npx create-nx-workspace@latest

1. Adding Project: Add a React app in a monorepo:

   nx generate @nrwl/react:application my-app

1. Running Build: Run the build command for the application:

   nx build my-app

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Conclusion

Both Turborepo and Nx are very powerful tools for monorepo management, but they have different focuses. Turborepo excels in simplicity and performance for JavaScript/TypeScript projects, while Nx is better suited to developers who need extensive framework support and advanced features such as code generation and workspace management.

If your project is more focused on the JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystem with a focus on speed, then Turborepo could be a better choice. However, if you need flexibility with a variety of frameworks and richer workspace management, Nx is a solid option.

Try it and adapt it to your project needs!

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This is a quick guide and comparison between Turborepo and Nx. Which do you think is more suitable for your monorepo project?

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