Monorepos are having a moment. But for every success story, there are teams drowning in complexity. Here's how to get it right.
Why Monorepo?
Shared code without the pain
No more "which version of the shared library do I use?" Just import it.
Atomic changes
Update an API and all its consumers in one commit. No coordination required.
Unified tooling
One CI/CD pipeline, one set of linters, one way of doing things.
The Setup
We recommend Turborepo for most teams. It's fast, simple, and works out of the box.
npx create-turbo@latestStructure your repo like this:
apps/
web/
api/
docs/
packages/
ui/
config/
utils/Key Decisions
Package manager
Use pnpm. Faster installs, better disk usage, native workspace support.
Build system
Turborepo handles caching and parallel builds. Don't overthink it.
Versioning
For internal packages, skip semver. Just use workspace references.
Common Pitfalls
- Don't put everything in one package
- Establish clear ownership for shared packages
- Set up proper caching from day one
- Document the why, not just the how
Monorepos aren't magic. They're a tool. Use them when they make sense, and don't be afraid to split things out if the monorepo becomes more pain than value.