Lerna
Lerna is a free, open-source build system for managing and publishing multiple JavaScript and TypeScript packages from one repository.
What Lerna is
Lerna is a free, open-source build system for managing and publishing multiple JavaScript and TypeScript packages from one repository. It runs commands across projects in an efficient order, in parallel, and can distribute work across machines. Its computation cache can restore task files and terminal output instead of rerunning completed tasks. Lerna also handles package versioning and npm publishing, with fixed or independent versioning workflows, and includes an interactive workspace graph for viewing project architecture and dependencies. It uses Nx to detect packages and dependencies and to run scripts with parallelism, caching, and distribution. Supported package managers are npm, yarn, pnpm, and bun; installation and linking should be handled by each manager’s workspace features rather than Lerna commands. Nx Cloud provides related usage plans: Hobby is free forever, Team costs $29 a month, and Enterprise has custom pricing. Nx Cloud’s Hobby plan is free for open-source projects; closed-source projects receive 500 computation hours monthly before the listed $1-per-hour charge applies.
Good
- Free and open source.
- Supports fixed or independent package versioning.
- Workspace graph visualizes architecture and dependencies.
- Supports npm, yarn, pnpm, and bun.
- Lerna 9.0.0 and later support npm OIDC trusted publishing.
Watch out
- Dependency installation and linking are handled by package managers.
- Nx Cloud charges $1 per computation hour after the stated monthly allowance for closed-source projects.
- Enterprise plan pricing is custom.
Who it suits
Lerna suits JavaScript and TypeScript teams managing multiple packages in one repository. It can help teams that need ordered, parallel, cached, or distributed task execution and npm publishing.
Verdict
Lerna combines multi-package task execution, caching, workspace visualization, and npm publishing. Its package-manager boundary and the separate Nx Cloud usage terms are worth considering when planning a workflow.
Plans and prices
From Lerna's own pricing page, checked 30 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | Free | 50,000 credits monthly · 5 contributors · 10 concurrent CI connections · community support · Free forever |
| Team | $29 a month | $29 included usage credit · $5.50 per 10,000 credits · $19 per contributor · $2.25 per concurrent CI connection · email support · $29/month |
| Enterprise | Priced on request | Conformance · circular dependency detection · cross-repository visibility · CI observability · dedicated support and SLAs · isolated and self-hosted deployment · SSO/SAML · Custom |
The facts
Each one read from Lerna's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Caching
- Lerna restores previously executed task files and terminal output from its computation cache instead of rerunning tasks.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Dependency management
- Lerna says package managers should install and link dependencies through their workspaces features rather than Lerna commands.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Editor integrations
- Nx Console provides Lerna users with Visual Studio Code and JetBrains integrations for task execution, generators, project details, and workspace visualization.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Graph visualizer
- Lerna includes an interactive workspace graph visualizer for understanding project architecture and dependencies.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Nx Cloud pricing
- Nx Cloud is free for open source projects; closed-source projects get the first 500 computation hours per month free and then pay $1 per computation hour.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Nx integration
- Lerna uses Nx to detect workspace packages and dependencies and to run scripts with parallelism, caching, and distribution.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Package managers
- Lerna supports npm, yarn, pnpm, and bun as configured package managers.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Product
- Lerna is a fast, modern build system for managing and publishing multiple JavaScript and TypeScript packages from one repository.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Publishing
- Lerna manages versioning and publishing packages to npm and supports fixed or independent versioning workflows.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Publishing security
- Lerna 9.0.0 and later support npm OIDC trusted publishing so packages can publish without traditional fixed tokens.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Security
- Nx Cloud stores hashed task inputs and cached results rather than actual code, supports end-to-end encryption, and offers self-hosted deployment through Enterprise.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Stewardship
- Nx took over stewardship of Lerna in 2022, and Nx is an open-source MIT-licensed build system developed by ex-Googlers.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Support
- The Nx Cloud Hobby plan includes community support, while the Team plan includes email support and Enterprise includes dedicated support and SLAs.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Task execution
- Lerna runs commands across projects in efficient order and in parallel, with caching and distribution across machines.checked 30 Sep 2026
