#Installing Node and npm
- Install Node v5.x and npm 2.x via the website installer
- Install Node via n, nvm or nave (optional)
- Install Node and npm with brew (optional, Mac OS X users only)
- Configure npm so you get the ownership (optional)
- Check Node and npm installations and the versions
So you pumped up about Node? But before we can go any further, we need to install it on our system.
There are a few ways to install Node and npm. Our recommendation is to use one-click installer. Sometimes you might work on projects which require different versions of Node and/or npm. We'll cover how to switch between them too. In this case use n, nave or nvm.
For the very advanced developers, there are a few recipes like installing from the source code or taking ownership. If you are total beginner, stick with one-click installer or n/nave/nvm.
- Install Node v5.1.0 with one of the methods listed below
- Install npm v2.14.15 (typically comes with Node so you rarely if ever need to install it separately)
- Check versions 5.1.0 and 2.14.15 for Node and npm respectively
- Install testing dependencies with
npm install - Run tests to check for versions with
npm test
First, let's go to the http://nodejs.org and download a one-click installer for your Operation System. Choose version 5.1.0. The differences between stable and long-term support (LTS) is that LTS is for enterprises.
Don't choose binaries or source code unless you know what to do with them or your OS is not present (i.e., not Windows or Mac). The installers come with Node Package Manager (npm or NPM) — important tool for dependencies manages. No need to install npm separately, but you might want to downgrade to v2.14.15 because v3.x is slower.
Note: for older Mac OS X machines, you can pick 32-bit versions.
If there's no installer for your OS, you can get source code and compile it yourself (look for the installing from a tar file section in this file). The One-Click installer options will work for most of developers. If you need other installation recipes, proceed with this text. Otherwise, run npm test to test the versions. You will see pass or not.
Note: If you need to downgrade or upgrade Node, you can use one-click installer for that version. However, if you do it often enough (maybe you have 2 projects which require different versions) n/nave/nvm is a better option (covered below).
npm comes with Node, but if you need to change the version (we recommend 2.14.15 for this course, because versions 3+ are slower than 2.x), then use npm to update/degrade npm. For example, if you have version 3.x, you can downgrade to 2.14.15 with:
npm install --global npm@2.14.15
To test your installations, run these commands in your Terminal app (command line cmd.exe in Windows):
node -v
npm -vYou should see the 5.1.0 and 2.14.15 versions of Node and NPM that you've just downloaded and installed. Alternatively, run the tests for this lessons with npm test.
If you already have HomeBrew (brew) installed, straightforwardly run:
brew install node
brew install npm
If you plan to run multiple versions of Node to be able to quickly switch between them, you should use nave which is a virtual environment for Node.
Make a folder:
mkdir ~/.nave
cd ~/.naveDownloading Nave and setting the link to PATH'ed folder:
wget http://github.com/isaacs/nave/raw/master/nave.sh
sudo ln -s $PWD/nave.sh /usr/local/bin/nave
This is an example of switching to Node version 5.1.0 in a virtual environment with Nave:
nave use 5.1.0
To use NPM in this particular virtual environment, someone needs to use:
curl https://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh
After which it's possible to install something via NPM:
npm install express
And exit virtual environment with:
exit
More approaches to install Node and NPM in gist.
Another options to Nave is NVM — Node Version Manager (GitHub). You can install NVM with:
curl https://raw.github.com/creationix/nvm/master/install.sh | sh
or
wget -qO- https://raw.github.com/creationix/nvm/master/install.sh | sh
And after that, harness NVM's install to install version 5.1.0 of Node:
nvm install 5.1.0
To switch that 5.1 version of node, simply apply the use command, e.g.,
nvm use 5.1.0
Alternatives to Nave and NVM include:
If one-click installers are not working for you or your system, the sure-proof option is to install from a tar file and compile Node. Also, this option is useful when you plan to contribute to Node. Instead of a tar file, you can get the source code from GitHub (skip to the GitHub repository section below). Often times the GitHub will have the latest versions not yet available in one-click installers (like nightly builds which are not as stable as releases).
First, set up a folder for the latest Node:
echo 'export PATH=$HOME/local/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
. ~/.bashrc
mkdir ~/local
mkdir ~/node-latest-install
cd ~/node-latest-installNote: advanced users who chose to make their own builds need to have certain compilers installed first. For more information, refer to the official documentation.
Download the tar file with CURL, and unpack it:
curl http://nodejs.org/dist/node-latest.tar.gz | tar xz --strip-components=1
./configure --prefix=~/local
Now, build Node and install it:
make install
curl https://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh
More recipes for advanced users like this are at a 30 second installation) by Isaac Z. Schlueter.
If you find your self getting errors trying to install module globally via NPM (npm install -g <packagename>), re-installing Node and NPM with the solution above should eliminate the need for using sudo with the installation command.
Sometimes depending on your configuration, NPM will ask users for sudo — root user permissions. This will happen when trying to install module globally via NPM (npm install --global <packagename>). To avoid using sudo, advanced developers can use:
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/{share/man,bin,lib/node,include/node}
sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local/{share/man,bin,lib/node,include/node}
Note: please be sure and be comfortable with what chown command does before running it.
And then proceed to a normal installation of Node v5.1.0:
mkdir node-install
curl https://nodejs.org/dist/v5.1.0/node-v5.1.0.tar.gz | tar -xzf - -C node-install
cd node-install/*
./configure
make install
curl https://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh
In case someone want to use the latest core Node code, and maybe even contribute to the Node and NPM projects, it's possible to build the installation from the cloned Git repo.
Making folders and adding path:
mkdir ~/loecho 'export PATH=$HOME/local/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bas. ~/.bashrc
Cloning original Node repo from Joyent (alternatively, someone can fork it and clone his/her own repository):
``git clone git://github.com/joyent/node.gicd nod./configure --prefix=~/local
Making the build:
``make instalcd ..
Repeat for NPM:
git clone git://github.com/isaacs/npm.git cd npm make install
For more cutting-edge NPM version:
make link
## Summary
We know that there are a lot of recipes to install Node and npm in this lesson. The purpose is to give you reference when you need them. Here's how you can navigate and pick the best option for you right now (they might change as your needs and skills evolve):
1. Are you an advanced programmer familiar with C/C++ who plans to read Node code and contribute to the core (Node itself)? If yes, then use GitHub, and compile the code yourself. If not, then go to step 2.
2. Do you plan to work on projects which require drastically different versions of Node (for example 0.12 and 5.3)? If yes, then use n/nave/nvm. If not, then go to step 3.
4. Do you have a one-click installer for your OS (Windows, or Mac)? If yes, then use one-click installer. If not you are advanced enough user of Unix-like system to compile from the source code in the tar package.
<p data-visibility='hidden'>View <a href='https://learn.co/lessons/node-install-lab' title='node-install-lab'>node-install-lab</a> on Learn.co and start learning to code for free.</p>