I’ve noticed something funny in the dev world.
People hear the word “monorepo” and immediately assume it’s something complex or scary.

I used to feel the same way — like it was something only big tech companies or advanced teams should even attempt. But here’s the thing:

Monorepos actually make your life easier — especially as your codebase grows.

So, What Is a Monorepo?

A monorepo (short for monolithic repository) is a single Git repository that contains multiple projects. That might mean your frontend, backend, shared libraries, dev tools — all living under one roof.

Think of it this way:
Instead of juggling multiple GitHub repositories like:

Instead of managing this

- frontend-repo
- backend-repo
- ui-library-repo
- utils-repo

You manage everything in one repo with a well-organized structure, like this

/apps
/web → frontend
/api → backend
/packages
/ui → shared UI components
/utils → helper functions

It’s cleaner. It’s simpler. And once you’ve seen how smooth it feels, it’s hard to go back.

Why I Love Working in a Monorepo

Here are a few things that sold me:

1. Code Sharing Becomes Effortless

Let’s say you build a nice Button component.
With a monorepo, you don’t need to publish it as a package or copy-paste it across projects. You just put it in /packages/ui, and suddenly it’s available in your web app, your admin dashboard, whatever.

2. One Command, Unified Everything

Testing? Linting? Type checking?

In a monorepo setup, you can run a single command to test or lint your entire codebase. You don’t have to cd into different repos or run multiple scripts.

That kind of consistency feels amazing, especially in teams.

3. Team Collaboration Gets a Major Boost

Since everyone’s working in the same repo, it’s easier to stay in sync.
Code reviews are simpler. Developers can understand how different parts of the system interact. And you avoid those frustrating “out of sync” issues that come with scattered repos.

My Favorite Tools for Monorepos

Here’s what I personally use in my monorepo setup:

• Turborepo — for fast builds and caching (especially great with Next.js)

• pnpm Workspaces — a zero-fuss way to manage packages

• TypeScript Project References — for scalable, type-safe linking between packages

Together, they give me a workflow that’s fast, clean, and scalable.

If you’re just starting out with a small project, a monorepo might not be necessary. But once you start growing — adding more apps, creating shared packages, or scaling your team — a monorepo can become your best friend.

So don’t fear the monorepo. Embrace it.
You might just find yourself wondering why you didn’t switch sooner.