In this guide, I’ll show you how you can run multiple versions of Node.js on Linux using Node Version Manager (NVM). NVM is a simple bash script to manage multiple active node.js versions using your favorite Linux terminal.
How to Install Node Version Manager on Linux
Node Version Manager project provides a script which automates the installation for you. Install it by simply running the commands below:
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.11/install.sh | bash
The script will clone the nvm repository to ~/.nvm directory and adds the following source line to your profile: (~/.bash_profile, ~/.zshrc, ~/.profile, or ~/.bashrc).
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
If you’re a zsh user, add the lines to your ~/.zshrc file.
To verify that nvm has been installed, do:
$ source ~/.bashrc $ command -v nvm nvm
This should output ‘nvm‘ if the installation was successful.
How to use nvm to manage Node.js versions
Now that you have installednvm, let’s look at how you can use it to manage the versions of Node.js installed on your system.
To download, compile, and install the latest release of node, run:
$ nvm install node Downloading and installing node v10.9.0... Downloading https://nodejs.org/dist/v10.9.0/node-v10.9.0-linux-x64.tar.xz... ################################################################### 100.0% Computing checksum with sha256sum Checksums matched! Now using node v10.9.0 (npm v6.2.0) Creating default alias: default -> node (-> v10.9.0)
To check installed versions, use:
$ nvm ls -> v10.9.0 default -> node (-> v10.9.0) node -> stable (-> v10.9.0) (default) stable -> 10.9 (-> v10.9.0) (default) iojs -> N/A (default) lts/* -> lts/carbon (-> N/A) lts/argon -> v4.9.1 (-> N/A) lts/boron -> v6.14.4 (-> N/A) lts/carbon -> v8.11.4 (-> N/A)
To use the latest version on the shell, run:
$ nvm use node Now using node v10.9.0 (npm v6.2.0)
Use a specific version of node:
$ nvm use v8.11.4 Now using node v8.11.4 (npm v5.6.0)
Check versions that can be installed:
$ nvm ls-remote
Install specific version of node
$ nvm install v8.11.4
This installs the LTS release of node.
$ nvm install v8.11.4 Downloading and installing node v8.11.4... Downloading https://nodejs.org/dist/v8.11.4/node-v8.11.4-linux-x64.tar.xz... ############################################################################################################################################### 100.0% Computing checksum with sha256sum Checksums matched! Now using node v8.11.4 (npm v5.6.0)
You can also install lts by using the option --lts
$ nvm install --lts Installing latest LTS version. v8.11.4 is already installed. Now using node v8.11.4 (npm v5.6.0)
Check installed versions again:
$ nvm ls
-> v8.11.4
v10.9.0
default -> node (-> v10.9.0)
node -> stable (-> v10.9.0) (default)
stable -> 10.9 (-> v10.9.0) (default)
iojs -> N/A (default)
lts/* -> lts/carbon (-> v8.11.4)
lts/argon -> v4.9.1 (-> N/A)
lts/boron -> v6.14.4 (-> N/A)
lts/carbon -> v8.11.4
Migrating global packages while installing:
If you want to install a new version of Node.js and migrate npm packages from a previous version:
$ nvm install node --reinstall-packages-from=node
To use the system version of node, add system at the end of use.
nvm use system nvm run system --version
To restore your PATH, you can deactivate it:
nvm deactivate
For more usage examples, visit nvm Github page.
