Install & Setup¶

nvm setup and Node.js version management for consistent development environments.

Node Version Manager (nvm) is essential for Node.js development. This guide sets up nvm and shows you how to manage multiple Node.js versions efficiently.

🎯 Goals¶

Node.js version management with nvm
Consistent environments across projects and team members
Easy switching between Node.js versions
Project-specific version pinning for reproducibility

🔍 Quick Verification¶

After following this guide, these commands should work:

# Check nvm installation
nvm --version

# Check available Node versions
nvm list

# Check current Node version
node --version
npm --version

# Test Node switching
nvm use 18
node --version
nvm use 20
node --version

🛠️ Installing nvm¶

macOS and Linux¶

# Install nvm using curl
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash

# Or using wget
wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash

# Restart terminal or reload shell configuration
source ~/.bashrc    # For bash
source ~/.zshrc     # For zsh

# Verify installation
nvm --version

Windows¶

# Install nvm-windows using chocolatey
choco install nvm

# Or download installer from GitHub
# https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows/releases

# Restart command prompt/PowerShell
nvm version

Manual Shell Configuration¶

If nvm doesn't work after installation, add this to your shell profile:

# Add to ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.profile
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"  # This loads nvm
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"  # This loads nvm bash_completion

🚀 Node.js Version Management¶

Installing Node.js Versions¶

# Install latest LTS (Long Term Support) version
nvm install --lts

# Install specific version
nvm install 18.17.0
nvm install 20.5.0

# Install latest version
nvm install node

# List available versions to install
nvm list-remote          # macOS/Linux
nvm list available       # Windows

Using Different Node Versions¶

# Switch to specific version
nvm use 18.17.0
nvm use 20.5.0

# Use latest LTS
nvm use --lts

# Use latest version
nvm use node

# Check which version you're using
nvm current
node --version

Setting Default Version¶

# Set default Node version for new shells
nvm alias default 18.17.0
nvm alias default node      # Use latest installed
nvm alias default --lts     # Use latest LTS

# Verify default
nvm alias default

📁 Project-Specific Node Versions¶

.nvmrc File¶

Create a .nvmrc file in your project root to specify the Node.js version:

# Create .nvmrc file
echo "18.17.0" > .nvmrc

# Or for latest LTS
echo "lts/*" > .nvmrc

# Use the version specified in .nvmrc
nvm use

# Install version if not already installed
nvm install

Automatic Version Switching¶

Add this to your shell profile for automatic switching:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
autoload -U add-zsh-hook
load-nvmrc() {
  local node_version="$(nvm version)"
  local nvmrc_path="$(nvm_find_nvmrc)"

  if [ -n "$nvmrc_path" ]; then
    local nvmrc_node_version=$(nvm version "$(cat "${nvmrc_path}")")

    if [ "$nvmrc_node_version" = "N/A" ]; then
      nvm install
    elif [ "$nvmrc_node_version" != "$node_version" ]; then
      nvm use
    fi
  elif [ "$node_version" != "$(nvm version default)" ]; then
    echo "Reverting to nvm default version"
    nvm use default
  fi
}
add-zsh-hook chpwd load-nvmrc
load-nvmrc

📦 npm Configuration¶

Global Package Management¶

# View global packages
npm list -g --depth=0

# Install global packages per Node version
npm install -g yarn
npm install -g pnpm
npm install -g nodemon
npm install -g typescript

# View npm configuration
npm config list
npm config get prefix     # Where global packages are installed

npm Configuration¶

# Set npm registry (if using private registry)
npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/

# Set default author info
npm config set init-author-name "Your Name"
npm config set init-author-email "your.email@example.com"
npm config set init-license "MIT"

# Save exact versions by default
npm config set save-exact true

🔧 Recommended Node.js Versions¶

Current Recommendations (2024)¶

# For new projects
nvm install 20.5.0        # Current LTS (recommended)
nvm use 20.5.0

# For legacy projects
nvm install 18.17.0       # Previous LTS (still supported)

# For cutting edge features
nvm install 21.0.0        # Latest features (use with caution)

Version Strategy¶

Node 20.x: Current LTS, recommended for new projects
Node 18.x: Previous LTS, good for established projects
Node 16.x: Older LTS, maintenance mode only
Odd versions (19, 21): Current/experimental, avoid in production

🏗️ Project Setup Workflow¶

Starting a New Project¶

# Create project directory
mkdir my-node-project && cd my-node-project

# Set Node version for project
echo "20.5.0" > .nvmrc
nvm use

# Initialize npm project
npm init -y

# Install dependencies
npm install express
npm install --save-dev nodemon typescript @types/node

# Verify setup
node --version
npm --version

Joining an Existing Project¶

# Clone project
git clone https://github.com/user/project.git
cd project

# Use project's Node version
nvm use

# If Node version not installed
nvm install

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Verify everything works
npm run test  # or whatever command the project uses

🐛 Troubleshooting¶

nvm command not found¶

# Check if nvm is in your PATH
echo $PATH | grep nvm

# Reload shell configuration
source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

# Reinstall nvm if needed
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash

Permission Issues with Global Packages¶

# Check npm prefix
npm config get prefix

# If it points to system directory, fix with:
mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'

# Add to shell profile
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Node Version Not Persisting¶

# Set default version
nvm alias default 20.5.0

# Or add to shell profile
echo 'nvm use default' >> ~/.bashrc

Slow nvm Performance¶

# Add to shell profile to lazy-load nvm
nvm() {
  unset -f nvm
  export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
  [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
  nvm "$@"
}

🚀 Advanced Usage¶

Managing Multiple Projects¶

# Project A uses Node 18
cd project-a
echo "18.17.0" > .nvmrc
nvm use

# Project B uses Node 20
cd ../project-b
echo "20.5.0" > .nvmrc
nvm use

# Quick project switching with aliases
nvm alias project-a 18.17.0
nvm alias project-b 20.5.0
nvm use project-a

Updating Node Versions¶

# List installed versions
nvm list

# Install newer version
nvm install 20.6.0

# Migrate global packages from old version
nvm install 20.6.0 --reinstall-packages-from=20.5.0

# Update default alias
nvm alias default 20.6.0

Cleanup Old Versions¶

# List installed versions
nvm list

# Uninstall specific version
nvm uninstall 18.16.0

# Clean up old versions (keep current, default, and LTS)
nvm cache clear

Project Init - Setting up new Node.js projects
NPM Scripts - Automating tasks with package.json
Environment Variables - Managing configuration
Python Install & Setup - Similar concepts for Python

⚡ Quick Reference¶

Installation:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc

Essential Commands:

nvm install --lts          # Install latest LTS
nvm use 20.5.0             # Switch to version
nvm alias default 20.5.0   # Set default
echo "20.5.0" > .nvmrc     # Pin project version
nvm use                    # Use version from .nvmrc

Project Setup:

mkdir project && cd project
echo "20.5.0" > .nvmrc
nvm use
npm init -y
npm install dependencies

Maintenance:

nvm list                   # Show installed versions
nvm list-remote           # Show available versions
nvm uninstall 18.16.0     # Remove old version
nvm cache clear           # Clear nvm cache

Next: Learn about Project Init to set up new Node.js projects, or explore NPM Scripts for task automation.