Node.js Installation and Setup

What is Installation and Setup in Node.js?

Install Node.js from nodejs.org or, better, through a version manager such as nvm so you can switch versions per project. Installing Node also installs npm, its package manager.

Installation and Setup example

# macOS / Linux — version manager (recommended)
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/master/install.sh | bash
nvm install --lts
nvm use --lts

# verify
node -v    # v22.x.x
npm -v     # 10.x.x

Run your first script

echo "console.log('Node is working')" > app.js
node app.js

node --watch app.js   # restarts automatically on save

Key points to remember

• Prefer an LTS release for anything real — odd-numbered versions are short-lived.
• nvm (or nvm-windows, or fnm) lets different projects use different Node versions.
• The built-in --watch flag removes the need for nodemon in most cases.
• node with no arguments opens a REPL for quick experiments.

Common mistakes with Installation and Setup

• Installing Node with sudo, which creates permission problems with global npm packages later.
• Running a project on a Node version older than its engines field requires.