Monorepos with Nx and Turborepo: How to Scale JavaScript Projects in 2025

Hello HaWkers, monorepos have become the de facto standard for large-scale JavaScript projects in 2025. Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Uber and practically all big tech companies manage millions of lines of code in single repositories.

Why? Because monorepos with modern tools like Nx and Turborepo solve problems that were impossible to solve with multi-repos: code sharing without friction, incremental builds that save hours, and atomic cross-project refactoring.

Are you still managing 15 separate repositories that share 80% of code? It is time to evolve. Let us explore how modern monorepos changed the game.

The Problem That Monorepos Solve

Imagine: you have an e-commerce with web frontend, mobile app, admin panel, APIs, and microservices. In the traditional model (multi-repo):

Multi-Repo Scenario:

8 different repositories
Each with its package.json, CI/CD, versioning
Duplicated code everywhere (utils, types, constants)
Update a dependency? 8 separate PRs
Refactor a shared interface? Coordination nightmare
Independent builds without optimization

Monorepo Scenario (2025):

1 repository
Shared code without duplication
Update dependency? 1 commit
Atomic refactoring of entire codebase
Smart builds that only recompile what changed
Distributed cache shared between developers

// Typical Monorepo structure in 2025
monorepo-ecommerce/
├── apps/
│   ├── web/                  // Next.js app
│   ├── mobile/               // React Native
│   ├── admin/                // Admin panel
│   └── api/                  // Express API
├── packages/
│   ├── ui/                   // Shared components
│   ├── utils/                // Shared utilities
│   ├── types/                // Shared TypeScript types
│   ├── config/               // Shared configs
│   └── data-access/          // Shared API clients
├── tools/
│   ├── scripts/              // Build scripts
│   └── generators/           // Code generators
├── nx.json                   // Nx configuration
├── turbo.json                // Turborepo configuration
└── package.json              // Root package.json

Nx vs Turborepo: Which to Choose?

Both dominate the 2025 market, but have different philosophies:

Nx: The Complete Framework

# Creating Nx workspace
npx create-nx-workspace@latest my-monorepo

Nx Advantages:

Generators: Automated scaffolding of apps/libs
Dependency graph: Clear visualization of dependencies
Affected commands: Runs only tests of affected code
Plugin ecosystem: Ready integrations (React, Next, Nest, etc)
Smart rebuilds: Intelligent local and remote cache

# Powerful commands
# Run only affected tests
nx affected:test

# Build only affected apps
nx affected:build

# Visualize dependency graph
nx graph

# Generate new component
nx generate @nx/react:component Button --project=ui

Turborepo: Minimalist and Fast

# Creating Turborepo workspace
npx create-turbo@latest

Turborepo Advantages:

Simplicity: Minimal configuration
Extreme performance: Aggressive parallel builds
Remote caching: Native Vercel integration
Zero config: Works with any structure
Flexibility: No strong opinions

# Turborepo commands
# Build all packages
turbo build

# Build only what changed (incremental)
turbo build --filter=...HEAD

# Build with remote cache
turbo build --api="https://api.vercel.com" --token="your-token"

The Power of Incremental Build

The differentiator of modern monorepos: never rebuild what did not change.

// Practical example: E-commerce with 10 packages

// Scenario 1: WITHOUT incremental build
// Developer changes 1 line in packages/utils
// Traditional build:
// ❌ Rebuilds: web (5min) + mobile (8min) + admin (4min) + api (3min)
// ❌ Total: 20 minutes

// Scenario 2: WITH Nx/Turborepo
// Same change in packages/utils
// Smart build:
// ✅ Rebuilds only: utils (10s) + apps that depend on it
// ✅ Uses cache for rest
// ✅ Total: 2 minutes

// Savings: 18 minutes = 90% faster!

When to Use Monorepos?

Monorepos are not for all cases. Use when:

✅ Multiple related projects: Frontend + Backend + Mobile sharing code
✅ Frequent code sharing: Components, utils, types
✅ Cross-project refactoring: Changes affecting multiple projects
✅ Complex CI/CD: Need to orchestrate builds of multiple projects

❌ Avoid when:

Single simple project
Completely independent teams
Projects without shared code
Limited CI infrastructure

Conclusion: The Future of Code Management

Monorepos with Nx or Turborepo have become essential tools for modern projects. The ability to scale without friction, combine with smart builds and distributed cache, and have atomic refactoring make them obvious choice for 2025.

If you are interested in other modern architecture trends, see TypeScript in 2025: Dominating the Market, where we explore how Type Safety integrates perfectly with monorepos.

Let's go! 🦅

💻 Master JavaScript for Real

The knowledge you gained in this article is just the beginning. There are techniques, patterns, and practices that transform beginner developers into sought-after professionals.

Invest in Your Future

I have prepared complete material for you to master JavaScript:

Payment options:

$4.90 (single payment)

📖 View Complete Content