What Is the .nvmrc File and Why You Need It for Netlify

🧠 Introduction

If you've ever deployed a Node.js or Next.js project to Netlify and hit a weird build error, there's a good chance it had something to do with your Node.js version.

That's where the .nvmrc file comes in. It's a tiny file that solves big problems — especially when deploying to platforms like Netlify.

---

📁 What Is .nvmrc?

.nvmrc is a config file used by Node Version Manager (NVM). It tells tools and platforms what version of Node.js your project expects.

Example:

18.18.2

That's it. One line. One version. One solution to so many problems.

---

🛠 Why You Need It for Netlify

Netlify uses Node.js to build and run your frontend project — and by default, it chooses a latest available version, which might break your build.

If your code was written for Node 18, but Netlify uses Node 22, boom: 💥 errors like:

'next' is not recognized as a command
Unsupported Node.js version
npm ERR! missing script: export

---

✅ How .nvmrc Helps

When Netlify sees a .nvmrc file in your root directory, it automatically uses that version for the build.

Benefits:

• 🔐 Matches your local dev environment

• 🛠 Prevents version-based build errors

• 🚀 Guarantees consistent deploys

---

🔧 How to Use .nvmrc

1. Create a file in your project root:

touch .nvmrc

2. Add the version you want (check Netlify-supported versions here):

18.18.2

3. Commit and push it:

git add .nvmrc
git commit -m "Specify Node version for Netlify"
git push origin main

---

🧪 Bonus: Use It Locally Too

If you use nvm, you can sync your local environment with the project’s Node version by running:

nvm use

If you don’t have that version installed yet:

nvm install

---

🚀 Final Thoughts

The .nvmrc file might be small, but it's essential if you want reliable deployments with Netlify — especially when working on projects with strict or legacy Node version requirements.

Next time you get a mysterious Netlify error, remember:

“It might just be your Node version.”