How to use nvm and why

Jean — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 21:03:59 +0000

What is nvm

Node Version Manager is... a node version manager. It allows you to easily change the node version, this comes really helpful for example when you work on multiple projects with different NodeJS versions.

You can change your node version instantly with a single command - cool 😎

Installation

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.34.0/install.sh | bash

After the installation is complete you should add the last three lines you see above in your shell configuration file (which means copypasting them in ~/.bash_profile or whatever you are using). After this, you should restart your terminal to use nvm.

Check this link for the latest version and more details on how to install nvm on your machine (macOS and Linux).
[Based on my own experience I can't recommend using Windows for web development - But you can google "nvm windows" for a Windows-compatible implementation of nvm].

Usage

First of all, install your favorite node version: nvm install 10. If you don't specify an exact version, nvm will download the latest version automatically.
After installing any version of NodeJS with nvm you can easily switch to that version by running nvm use <version>.

Now you're ready to go.

Useful commands

nvm ls shows the node versions you installed
nvm ls-remote shows all the node versions available
nvm install <version> installs the specified version
nvm uninstall <version> works like the install command
nvm alias default <version> sets your default node version

Tips & Tricks

When you run nvm install inside a directory if you have a .nvmrc file, nvm automatically installs the version specified in the .nvmrc file.

This is very useful if you working on a shared project and need a specific NodeJS version.

Please comment if you have any suggestion or if you liked the post

Is it possible to create a wiki with JAM technologies (possibly free)?

Jean — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 19:36:08 +0000