LuaRocks vs Yarn
LuaRocks
luarocks.orgYarn
yarnpkg.comSide by side
| Figure | LuaRocks | Yarn |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.5 (#23) | 8.7 (#10) |
| Dependency resolution | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Offline installation | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | A rock is a zip file containing its rockspec and the files needed to install a module; rocks can be built for specific platforms. | npm packages; tarballs; local,Git,link,patch,portal,and workspace references |
| Purpose | LuaRocks is a package manager for Lua, and LuaRocks.org hosts rocks and rockspecs for Lua modules. | Yarn is a package manager that also describes itself as a project manager. |
| Supported platforms | Linux,macOS,Windows,Unix,FreeBSD,Cygwin | Linux,macOS,Windows |
Plans
In their own words
LuaRocks
LuaRocks is a package manager for Lua, with LuaRocks.org hosting rocks and rockspecs for Lua modules. Its command line uses manifests to find packages, choose a version and platform match, and install the corresponding files locally. Rocks carry version dependency information, which LuaRocks uses to install dependencies and load the appropriate module version. Package collections can be organized through the root manifest, per-user manifests, or custom manifests; development versions are kept in a separate manifest and are not installed by default. LuaRocks supports offline installation and platforms including Linux, macOS, Windows, Unix, FreeBSD, and Cygwin. Module authors can register and upload a rockspec, then publish rock files for a version; the current release supports the `luarocks upload` command. The application is described as pure Lua with no library dependencies, though its current release uses helper tools. LuaRocks is free, with a listed price of free.
Yarn
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.