Angular 7 CLI项目node_modules达660Mb，求优化方案及同行现状问询

Hey there, you’re definitely not alone in noticing this—lots of Angular developers saw a jump in node_modules size when moving from v6 to v7. Let’s walk through why this happens, how to slim it down, and what others are seeing.

Why the Size Jump from Angular 6 to 7? #

The main culprits behind the doubled size are:

• Toolchain Overhaul: Angular 7 introduced a more robust build system with @angular-devkit/build-angular (which replaces older CLI build tools). This package brings in additional dependencies for better build optimization, but adds to the overall size.
• Updated Dependencies: RxJS 6.x (required in Angular 7) has a different dependency structure than the version used in v6, and TypeScript 3.x (also a requirement) includes more files and sub-dependencies compared to TypeScript 2.x in v6.
• Expanded Dev Dependencies: Default Angular 7 projects include more comprehensive testing and linting tools (like updated Karma, Jasmine, and Codelyzer versions) that add to the dev dependency footprint.

How to Optimize Your node_modules Size #

Here are practical steps to reduce disk usage:

• Switch to pnpm: This package manager uses hard links and shared dependency stores, so it can cut your node_modules size by 60-70% (down to ~200MB for a default Angular 7 project). Install it with npm install -g pnpm, then run pnpm install instead of npm install.
• Use npm ci Instead of npm install: npm ci installs dependencies strictly from your package-lock.json, avoiding unnecessary duplicate packages that can creep in with regular npm install. It’s also faster!
• Clean Up Unused Dev Dependencies: If you don’t need certain tools:
  • Remove e2e testing tools: Uninstall protractor and related packages, then delete the e2e folder.
  • Ditch linting: Remove codelyzer and tslint if you use a different linter or don’t need one.
• Clear npm Cache: Run npm cache clean --force to delete cached packages, then reinstall with npm install—this can eliminate stale or duplicated cached files.
• Run npm prune: This command removes any packages that aren’t listed in your package.json (though less likely to help with a fresh project, it’s worth a shot).

What Other Developers Are Seeing #

From community discussions, a default Angular 7 project’s node_modules typically ranges from 600-700MB—so your 660MB is totally normal. Angular 6 projects were usually around 300-350MB, so the jump is noticeable but expected due to the tooling upgrades.

One thing to keep in mind: the size of node_modules doesn’t affect your production build output. Angular’s tree-shaking and optimization will strip out unused code, leaving you with a lean dist folder regardless of how big node_modules is.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者plvice