Introduction to nodejs

what is nodejs?

Node.js is an open-source runtime environment that allows developers to run JavaScript on the server side, built on Chrome's V8 engine. It is event-driven and non-blocking, making it ideal for handling many simultaneous connections efficiently. With its powerful package manager, NPM, Node.js has a vast ecosystem of libraries for rapid development.

Installing nodejs

Installing Node.js

Node.js is a cross-platform runtime environment that can be installed on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Here are the steps for each operating system:

Windows

1. Download the Installer:

   • Visit the official Node.js website.

   • Click on the Windows installer to download the .msi file.

2. Run the Installer:

   • Open the downloaded .msi file.

   • Follow the installation prompts, accepting the license agreement and selecting the default options.

3. Verify Installation:

   • Open Command Prompt.

   • Run the following commands to verify the installation:

       node -v
       npm -v
     

macOS

1. Download the Installer:

   • Visit the official Node.js website.

   • Click on the macOS installer to download the .pkg file.

2. Run the Installer:

   • Open the downloaded .pkg file.

   • Follow the installation prompts, accepting the license agreement and selecting the default options.

3. Verify Installation:

   • Open Terminal.

   • Run the following commands to verify the installation:

       node -v
       npm -v
     

Linux

1. Using a Package Manager:

   • For Debian-based distributions (e.g., Ubuntu):

       curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_16.x | sudo -E bash -
       sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
     

   • For Red Hat-based distributions (e.g., CentOS):

       curl -fsSL https://rpm.nodesource.com/setup_16.x | sudo bash -
       sudo yum install -y nodejs
     

2. Verify Installation:

   • Open Terminal.

   • Run the following commands to verify the installation:

       node -v
       npm -v
     

By following these steps, you can successfully install Node.js on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Alternatively: You can use NVM

NVM (Node Version Manager) is a tool that allows you to install and switch between different versions of Node.js easily. This is useful for testing your applications on different Node.js versions or managing multiple projects that require different versions.

Installing NVM

Windows

1. Download and Install NVM for Windows:

   • Go to the NVM for Windows GitHub page.

   • Download the latest NVM-setup.zip file.

   • Extract the zip file and run the nvm-setup.exe installer.

   • Follow the installation prompts, accepting the license agreement and selecting the default options.

2. Verify Installation:

   • Open Command Prompt or PowerShell.

   • Run the following command to verify the installation:

       nvm -v
     

macOS and Linux

1. Install NVM:

   • Open Terminal.

   • Run the following command to download and install NVM:

       curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.1/install.sh | bash
     

   • Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

2. Load NVM:

   • Add the following lines to your ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.profile file:

       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
     

   • Source the file to apply the changes:

       source ~/.bashrc
       # or
       source ~/.zshrc
       # or
       source ~/.profile
     

3. Verify Installation:

   • Run the following command to verify the installation:

       nvm -v
     

Using NVM

1. Install Node.js:

   • To install the latest version of Node.js, run:

       nvm install node
     

   • To install a specific version of Node.js, run:

       nvm install <version>
     

2. Switch Node.js Versions:

   • To switch to a different installed version of Node.js, run:

       nvm use <version>
     

By following these steps, you can easily install and manage multiple versions of Node.js using NVM on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Hope this article was helpful