What is difference between pnpm create, pnpx, dlx?

Before explaining the differences between pnpm-create, pnpx, and dlx, we need to first understand the basic purposes and functionalities of each tool.

1. pnpm-create

   • pnpm-create is a tool for quickly initiating new projects, especially those with pre-defined templates. It works similarly to npm init and yarn create. When you want to quickly create a new project based on a specific template, pnpm-create automates the download of the template and sets up the project. For example, to create a new React application, you can use the pnpm create react-app my-app command, which downloads the create-react-app template and configures a new React project in the my-app directory.

2. pnpx

   • pnpx is a utility provided by pnpm that executes packages without requiring global installation. It functions similarly to npx (a tool from npm). Its purpose is to allow users to temporarily install and run an npm package without permanently adding it to the global or local project. For instance, to run an executable like eslint without permanent installation, you can use pnpx eslint --init to execute the eslint initialization script.

3. dlx

   • dlx is a utility provided by yarn that serves a similar purpose to pnpx, enabling the execution of packages without permanent installation. It offers a safe and temporary way to run programs or scripts that may only need to execute once. For example, to quickly create a new Next.js application using create-next-app without permanent installation, you can run dlx create-next-app my-next-app.

In summary, although these three tools share some overlapping functionalities, their key distinctions are:

• pnpm-create focuses primarily on rapidly creating new projects based on templates.
• pnpx and dlx both enable temporary installation and execution of npm packages, but they belong to the pnpm and yarn ecosystems respectively.
• pnpx is designed for pnpm users, while dlx is intended for yarn users.