NVM

Install

nvm is a version manager for node.js, designed to be installed per-user and invoked per-shell.

Install according to the Install & Update Script

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash

The above script will add the following to ~/.zshrc as I'm using Oh My ZSH:

export NVM_DIR="$([ -z "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME-}" ] && printf %s "${HOME}/.nvm" || printf %s "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/nvm")"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" # This loads nvm

Commands

# uninstall specific versions
❯ nvm uninstall 20.12.1
Uninstalled node v20.12.1
❯ nvm uninstall v20.14.0
Uninstalled node v20.14.0

# install latest LTS version
❯ nvm install --lts
Installing latest LTS version.
v22.12.0 is already installed.
Now using node v22.12.0 (npm v10.9.0)

# install specific versions
❯ nvm use 22
Now using node v22.12.0 (npm v10.9.0)

# set default alias to stable
❯ nvm alias default stable
default -> stable (-> v22.12.0)

.nvmrc

You can create a .nvmrc file containing a node version number in the project root directory. Afterwards, nvm install, nvm use, nvm exec, nvm run, nvm which will use the version specified in .nvmrc file if no version is supplied.

❯ echo "v20.18.0" > .nvmrc
❯ nvm use
Found '/Users/ling/projects/test-project/.nvmrc' with version <v20.18.0>
Now using node v20.18.0 (npm v10.8.2)

# default to the lastest LTS version
❯ echo "lts/*" > .nvmrc