In this lesson, you will learn about buildable and publishable libraries in NX. We'll check the difference in code and why it's worth using it in your projects.

Our lesson we'll start by creating a new NX mono repository, adding a new Angular application and a new default library. You should know how to do this right now, but I'm posting the commands for 

npx create-nx-workspace
yarn add -D @nx/angular
yarn nx g @nx/angular:app app-name --prefix app
yarn nx g @nx/angular:lib lib-name --prefix app

You should end with a message similar to this:

>  NX  Generating @nx/angular:library

CREATE libs/angular-lib/project.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib/README.md
CREATE libs/angular-lib/tsconfig.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib/tsconfig.lib.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib/src/index.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib/src/lib/angular-lib.module.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib/jest.config.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib/src/test-setup.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib/tsconfig.spec.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib/.eslintrc.json
UPDATE tsconfig.base.json

When you generate the default library for Angular and use it in your application, it will be integrated with your application code. It means that when you build your application, your library 

will be compiled as a part of the application.

This way has some disadvantages. Imagine that you have a few applications and hundreds of libraries. It means that the same code will be compiled multiple times whenever you want to build all your apps. It takes a lot of time, we should save.

The advantage is that this way of keeping libraries is straightforward.

 parameter in the generator command. So the command will look like:

yarn nx g @nx/angular:lib lib-name --prefix app --buildable

The output should look like in the example below. You can notice a difference easily.

>  NX  Generating @nx/angular:library

CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/project.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/README.md
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/ng-package.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/package.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/tsconfig.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/tsconfig.lib.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/tsconfig.lib.prod.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/src/index.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/src/lib/angular-lib-buildable.module.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/jest.config.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/src/test-setup.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/tsconfig.spec.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/.eslintrc.json
UPDATE package.json
UPDATE tsconfig.base.json

---
title: Built-in library types in NX
description: What are buildable and publishable libraries
code: https://gitlab.com/fullstackio/books/newline-course-apps/building-angular-applications-with-nx-app/-/tree/main/manuscript/code/03.03-lib-types?ref_type=heads
privateVideoUrl: https://stream.mux.com/ZcbV6RanmZUHKQ9CtBH025kqADBgGXgdnNKHRPvGYYkg.m3u8
---

In this lesson, you will learn about buildable and publishable libraries in NX. We'll check the difference in code and why it's worth using it in your projects.

## Default

Our lesson we'll start by creating a new NX mono repository, adding a new Angular application and a new default library. You should know how to do this right now, but I'm posting the commands for `yarn` below anyway.

```bash
npx create-nx-workspace
yarn add -D @nx/angular
yarn nx g @nx/angular:app app-name --prefix app
yarn nx g @nx/angular:lib lib-name --prefix app
```

You should end with a message similar to this:

```text
>  NX  Generating @nx/angular:library

CREATE libs/angular-lib/project.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib/README.md
CREATE libs/angular-lib/tsconfig.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib/tsconfig.lib.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib/src/index.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib/src/lib/angular-lib.module.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib/jest.config.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib/src/test-setup.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib/tsconfig.spec.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib/.eslintrc.json
UPDATE tsconfig.base.json
```

When you generate the default library for Angular and use it in your application, it will be integrated with your application code. It means that when you build your application, your library **will be compiled as a part of the application.** Not a standalone project.

This way has some disadvantages. Imagine that you have a few applications and hundreds of libraries. It means that the same code will be compiled multiple times whenever you want to build all your apps. It takes a lot of time, we should save.

The advantage is that this way of keeping libraries is straightforward.

## Buildable

We can fix the situation using `--buildable` parameter in the generator command. So the command will look like:

```bash
yarn nx g @nx/angular:lib lib-name --prefix app --buildable
```

The output should look like in the example below. You can notice a difference easily.

```text
>  NX  Generating @nx/angular:library

CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/project.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/README.md
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/ng-package.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/package.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/tsconfig.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/tsconfig.lib.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/tsconfig.lib.prod.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/src/index.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/src/lib/angular-lib-buildable.module.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/jest.config.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/src/test-setup.ts
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/tsconfig.spec.json
CREATE libs/angular-lib-buildable/.eslintrc.json
UPDATE package.json
UPDATE tsconfig.base.json
```

galczo5

What are buildable and publishable libraries

Built-in library types in NX

Let's talk about NX libraries for Angular applications.

So we have three kinds of libraries and I want to discuss all of them in this

So I have a monorepo with the default Angular application generated and we will

So as previously in our lesson, we need to execute Yarn NX generate at NX/Ang

and we need to add the name of our library.

So let's call it Angularlib and of course we need to set the prefix so - -

This kind of library we call the default library.

As you can see, we have some files generated and you basically can add this

your application or applications and use it.

It's very simple, you don't need to care about anything.

What is important here is that it's not like npm library, you cannot publish it

This kind of library will always be compiled as part of application.

So when you have two applications and both of them use that library, it will be

You don't want to spend time compiling the same library over and over with

The second kind of library you can have in NX/Monorepo is Buildable library.

So to generate one, you need to execute command yarn NX generate.

It's the same as previously but you need to add additional flag - - buildable.

And of course I need to change the name of library so Angular buildable library

The first noticeable difference here is that you will have more files generated

You will have ng package JSON and package JSON.

Which means that you can build this library without building the whole

And it is a huge difference because you can build it once and then use it

And this kind of library - Buildable library is like a halfway step between the

So let's generate the publishable library.

We will change the library name to publishable.

And you have to add one more flag so you have to leave that buildable flag and

And then it is very important to add import path.

So let's set the import path to my org/name of the library.

So the main difference between publishable and buildable library is that

You have the default one and you need to compile it with your application.

You have buildable library and you may build it without the whole application

And you have library that is publishable.

It is both buildable and publishable so we can build it and then publish it.

When you have at least buildable libraries it allows you to use the incremental

It means that if some libraries haven't changed in your comment there is no

them because you have the previous artifacts and you can use cached packages

This method helps you save CPU time on your CI or local machine.

For small or medium applications build time is almost never a problem.

But when you have application that is huge the build time may take maybe a

And if you can have the result the ng-serve comment or build on CI in short a

So if you ask me which one library type I prefer I would say that I prefer

Even if there is no way that you are going to publish it.

Having that idea behind your head that someday you may want to show it to other

And it's way easier to not publish publishable library and just use it

mono repo than trying to publish the default library.

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