Manage multiple apps and packages in one repo—build, test, and deploy with Turborepo or Nx.
Monorepos keep frontend and backend (or many apps) in one place. Here’s how Turborepo and Nx help.
Monorepo and Turborepo
Why monorepo
Shared code — Components, types, and utils in packages; consumed by multiple apps. One version, one place to change.
Atomic changes — One PR can touch app and library. Easier refactors and consistent versions.
Unified tooling — One CI, one place for lint and test. Build only what changed with proper tooling.
Turborepo
Structure — apps/ (next-app, web) and packages/ (ui, config). Each has its own package.json and build script.
Tasks — Define build, test, lint in turbo.json. Turbo runs them in dependency order and caches outputs. turbo run build builds only affected packages.
Caching — Local and optional remote cache. Speeds up CI and local runs. Good for JS/TS and Next.js.
Nx
Structure — Similar: apps and libs. Nx adds dependency graph, code generators, and more plugins (React, Node, Angular).
Features — Affected commands, computation caching, and distributed task execution. Strong for large teams and many apps.
When to use — Nx when you need generators, strict boundaries, or multi-framework. Turborepo when you want minimal config and a small learning curve.
Monorepo tool preference (survey):
Monorepo tool usage
Turborepo in 100 seconds:
Takeaway
Use a monorepo when you have multiple apps sharing code. Turborepo is simple and fast for JS/TS; Nx adds structure and tooling for larger orgs. Both rely on caching and affected builds.
