Intro to Nx
Nx is a smart, fast and extensible build system with first class monorepo support and powerful integrations.
Philosophy
Nx has a similar design philosophy to Visual Studio Code. VSCode is a powerful text editor, and you can be very productive with it even if you don't install any extensions. The ecosystem of VSCode's extensions though is what can really level up your productivity.
Nx is similar. The core of Nx is generic, simple, and unobtrusive. Nx plugins, although very useful for many projects, are completely optional.
Most examples on this site use Nx plugins (integrated repo style). It's just easier to demonstrate many features Nx offers when Nx generates all the boilerplate. However, the vast majority of the features will work the same way in a workspace with no plugins (package-based repo).
Here's a deep dive on Integrated Repos vs. Package-Based Repos
Getting Started
- Nx core tutorial will help you understand the core of Nx.
- Adding Nx to an existing monorepo shows several paths to adopting Nx in your organization.
- Mental model is a good starting point for those who like to understand things theoretically first.
If you want to use Nx plugins to really level up your productivity, pick one of the following tutorials: