No. 13 of 18 ·JavaScript Package Managers

Nub

Windows · Mac · Linux

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Freedom report

Two barsScore 5.5

Free tierNo free tier on record
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Nub is ranked #13 of 18 in JavaScript package managers on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.

Compared on JavaScript package managers

Workspace support: Yes
Lockfile support: Yes
Peer dependency handling: Yes
Package publishing: Yes
Offline package cache: Yes
Global installation: Yes

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The record

Product: Nub is a Rust toolkit that runs TypeScript files and scripts, installs dependencies, and manages Node.js on stock Node.
Runtime: It runs TypeScript, JSX, and JavaScript files on the stock Node binary without requiring a separate build step.
Environment files: It loads .env files automatically and supports variable expansion.
Watch mode: Its watch command restarts an application when its entrypoint or transitively imported files change.
Node management: Nub can read version pins from .node-version, .nvmrc, or engines/devEngines and download the requested Node version on demand.
Script runner: The script runner supports package lifecycle hooks, npm_* environment variables, argument forwarding, and pnpm-style workspace filters.
Package manager compatibility: The installer reads and writes npm, pnpm, or Bun lockfiles; Yarn lockfiles are read-only.
Supply-chain protections: The installer denies dependency build scripts by default, checks OSV advisories, and holds back releases younger than 24 hours.
Install approval: Users can review and enable skipped install scripts with the nub approve-builds command.
CI integration: Nub provides a GitHub Action that installs Nub, warms the project's Node version, and caches Nub's store in CI.
Container integration: The documentation provides an official container image at ghcr.io/nubjs/nub.
Requirements: Augmented modes require Node 18.19 or newer and support macOS, Linux, and Windows on the listed x64 and arm64 architectures.
License: The site links the project license as MIT.
TypeScript runtime: Nub runs TypeScript, JSX, and modern syntax directly with support for tsconfig.json, environment files, and data-file imports.

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best JavaScript Package Managers in 2026#13 of 18

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Sources

nubjs.com/docs· checked 4 Oct 2026
nubjs.com· checked 4 Oct 2026
nubjs.com/docs/faq· checked 4 Oct 2026
nubjs.com/docs/runtime/varlock· checked 4 Oct 2026