Installing Node.js

Node.js is the JavaScript interpreter that runs your code outside a browser. It is the number-one prerequisite for the entire ecosystem: without Node, neither npm, nor pnpm, nor bun can work (bun is a partial exception, we will get to that).

Why not use the official installer

The nodejs.org website offers a .msi (Windows) or .pkg (macOS) file. It is simple, but it locks you to a single version. In practice, you will work on multiple projects that require different versions of Node. A version manager lets you switch between versions in one command.

Install fnm (recommended, cross-platform)

fnm (Fast Node Manager) is written in Rust. It is fast and works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

On macOS / Linux:

$curl -fsSL https://fnm.vercel.app/install | bash

On Windows with PowerShell:

$winget install Schniz.fnm

Or with Chocolatey:

$choco install fnm

Or with Scoop:

$scoop install fnm

Once fnm is installed, install the latest LTS version of Node:

$fnm install --lts

Activate it:

$fnm use lts-latest

Install nvm (macOS / Linux only)

If you prefer nvm on macOS or Linux:

$curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash

Then:

$nvm install --lts

$nvm use --lts

Verify the installation

After installing, open a new terminal and check:

$node --version

$npm --version

You should see two version numbers. If the node command is not found, close and reopen your terminal (environment variables do not reload in the current session).

Choosing an LTS version

Node follows a major version release cycle. LTS (Long Term Support) versions receive security patches for 30 months. These are the versions to use in production and for learning.

As of May 2026, the current LTS is Node 22.