# Count packages installed in a pnpm or aube workspace

Use a recursive, parseable listing and count paths containing `node_modules` or
the licences command.

There is no built-in command to get the number of installed dependencies. The
`install` command shows it though. But sometimes you just want the number
without a hassle.

## pnpm

This works in pnpm:

```shell
pnpm ls -r --parseable --depth=Infinity | grep -c '/node_modules/'
```

- `--recursive` visits workspace packages.
- `--parseable` prints paths instead of a tree.
- `--depth=Infinity` includes transitive dependencies.

The count is a count of installed package paths, so it can include multiple
copies of a package when different versions are present.

**But it doesn't work with [`aube`](https://aube.sh/)**, because aube’s output
differs from pnpm.

## aube

But, perhaps more conveniently, you can query the licences to get the same
number:

```shell
aube licenses --json | jq length
```

That also works in `pnpm`.

This number is not exactly the same as what `aube install` shows. This returns a
deduplicated resolved-package inventory excluding workspace packages.
`aube install` or `pnpm install` shows an install-operation count, influenced by
platform-specific optional packages, which the `licenses` doesn't cover. But it
gets you a useful number you can work with if you're looking to optimize the
dependency count.