Apache Maven vs Yarn

Apache Maven is a free build tool for Java projects. It uses a project object model, or POM, and plugins to manage compilation, testing and documentation through a uniform build system. Maven manages dependencies, including transitive dependencies and automatic updates, and can download them from a central repository. Project metadata can produce outputs such as JARs, WARs and distributions. Maven can also generate project information, including changelogs, cross-referenced sources, dependency lists and unit test reports. Java or scripting-language plugins extend it, and it can work with source control systems such as Subversion or Git to manage tag-based releases. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Maven 3.10 and later requires JDK 8 or above to execute, while toolchains can target other JDK versions. Its project layout is opinionated, so projects with unusual structures that cannot be reorganized may have to give up some Maven features or Maven itself. The software is distributed under Apache License 2.0; its listed plan costs nothing.

Yarn is a package manager and project manager for JavaScript projects, serving uses from simple projects to industry monorepos. It resolves dependencies, maintains lockfiles and provides workspaces that install and link packages within a project. Modern Yarn uses Plug'n'Play by default, generating a Node.js loader file instead of a typical node_modules folder; users can choose node_modules or pnpm-style symlink installs instead. Yarn caches installed packages and shares them among projects on the same machine. Its offline mirror and zero-installs workflow can keep cached packages in a repository and reduce reliance on the npm registry. Plugins can extend resolvers, fetchers, linkers, commands and lifecycle hooks. Generated editor SDKs and settings support VSCode, Vim, Emacs and Neovim. Yarn runs on Linux, macOS and Windows and is free, with no paid plans or usage limits stated. Its documentation notes that React Native and Expo require typical node_modules installs. Yarn does not run audits during installation by default; users can run yarn npm audit separately.