Package Manager Commands Cross-Reference

A cross-reference table of commands across different package managers, helping developers quickly find equivalent commands when switching between ecosystems.

View the comparison table:

• commands.csv - CSV for spreadsheets
• commands.md - Markdown table

Overview

This repository provides:

• Cross-reference table of package manager commands
• Structured data in JSON format for programmatic use
• Manpage archives for reference

Supported Package Managers

Currently includes 61 package managers:

• JavaScript
  • npm
  • yarn
  • pnpm
  • bun
  • deno
• Python
  • pip
  • uv
  • poetry
  • pipenv
  • pdm
  • hatch
• Rust
  • cargo
  • rustup
• Ruby
  • gem
  • bundler
  • rbenv
• PHP
  • composer
• Go
  • go
• Java
  • maven
  • gradle
• Clojure
  • leiningen
• .NET
  • dotnet
  • nuget
• Haskell
  • cabal
  • stack
• Elixir
  • mix
• Erlang
  • rebar3
• Dart
  • pub
• OCaml
  • opam
• Perl
  • cpan
  • cpanm
• Lua
  • luarocks
• C/C++
  • conan
• Containers
  • docker
  • podman
• Kubernetes
  • helm
• System
  • apk
  • apt
  • brew
  • cards
  • conda
  • dnf
  • emerge
  • eopkg
  • mamba
  • nix
  • pacman
  • pixi
  • pkg
  • pkgcon
  • pkgtools
  • ports
  • slackpkg
  • slapt-get
  • smart
  • snap
  • urpmi
  • xbps
  • yum
  • zypper
• Infrastructure
  • ansible-galaxy
  • terraform

Notes & Edge Cases

Terminology Differences

"Package" vs "Module" vs "Crate" vs "Gem"

• npm/yarn/pnpm: "package"
• Python: "package" or "module"
• Rust: "crate"
• Ruby: "gem"
• Go: "module" or "package"
• Docker: "image" or "container"

"Install" Semantics

• npm/yarn/pnpm: install without arguments installs from lockfile; with package name adds new dependency
• pip: Always requires package name
• cargo install: Installs binary executables globally; use cargo add for adding dependencies
• go install: Installs binaries; use go get to add dependencies
• bundler: bundle install installs from Gemfile; use bundle add to add new gems
• docker: pull downloads images; run creates and starts containers

Global vs Local

Global Installation

• npm: -g or --global flag
• yarn: yarn global add
• pnpm: -g flag
• pip: --user flag (or system-wide with sudo)
• cargo: cargo install is always global
• gem: Global by default
• brew: Global by default (system-wide)

Gotchas & Common Confusion

pip search is disabled

• pip search was disabled in 2021 due to abuse
• Use https://pypi.org or third-party tools instead

cargo install vs cargo add

• cargo install is for installing binary executables globally
• cargo add (newer) is for adding dependencies to your project

npm ci vs npm install

• npm ci (clean install) is faster, stricter, and preferred for CI/CD
• Deletes node_modules before installing
• Requires package-lock.json

bundler vs gem

• gem is the low-level package manager
• bundler manages application dependencies and ensures consistency
• Always use bundle exec to run commands with correct gem versions

go get behavior changed

• In Go 1.18+, go get no longer builds/installs packages
• Use go install for installing binaries
• Use go get only for adding dependencies

docker run vs docker exec

• docker run creates a NEW container from an image
• docker exec runs a command in an EXISTING container

Vendor commands

• cargo vendor, go mod vendor, and rebar3 vendor copy dependencies into the project directory for offline or hermetic builds
• bundle cache packages gems into vendor/cache (aliases: bundle package, bundle pack)
• pip download -d ./vendor/ -r requirements.txt downloads packages for offline installation
• Most other package managers handle vendoring through lockfiles and caching rather than a dedicated command

yarn 1.x vs yarn 2+ (Berry)

• Yarn 2+ is a complete rewrite with different behavior
• Uses Plug'n'Play (PnP) by default instead of node_modules
• Check version with yarn --version

Version Manager vs Package Manager

Some tools manage language versions, not packages:

• rustup: Manages Rust toolchains (compiler versions)
• rbenv: Manages Ruby versions
• nvm: Manages Node.js versions
• pyenv: Manages Python versions

These are included because they use similar command patterns.

Platform-Specific Behavior

brew

• macOS and Linux only
• Installing "casks" (GUI apps) uses different commands: brew install --cask [app]

docker

• Requires Docker daemon to be running
• Platform-specific (Linux containers on macOS run in VM)

Contributing

To add a new package manager:

1. Add manpage: <manager> --help > manpages/<manager>.txt
2. Create JSON file: data/managers/<manager>.json
3. Regenerate tables:

   ruby scripts/combine-json.rb
   ruby scripts/generate-table.rb > commands.md
   ruby scripts/generate-csv.rb > commands.csv
   

4. Update README.md with the new count

Repository Structure

package-manager-commands/
├── README.md                 # This file
├── commands.md               # Full comparison table (generated)
├── commands.csv              # CSV export (generated)
├── data/
│   ├── package-managers.json # All package managers in one file
│   └── managers/             # Individual JSON files (61 total)
├── manpages/                 # Help output archives (50+ files)
└── scripts/
    ├── combine-json.rb       # Combine individual JSON files
    ├── generate-table.rb     # Generate commands.md
    ├── generate-csv.rb       # Generate commands.csv
    └── fetch-via-docker.rb   # Fetch manpages via Docker

Data Format

Individual package manager files:

{
  "name": "npm",
  "ecosystem": "JavaScript",
  "description": "Node Package Manager",
  "commands": {
    "install": "npm install [package]",
    "uninstall": "npm uninstall [package]",
    ...
  }
}

License

• Data (JSON files, generated tables): CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain)
• Code (Ruby scripts): MIT License
• Manpages: Subject to the licenses of their respective projects