Avoid `sudo n`

Note: It's acutally written in README.md, but if you are lazy like me who skips it, let me point it out for you.

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If you found it troublesome to have to sudo every time to switch Node.js versions, then you are configuring n incorrectly (or, you are not configuring it at all).

I assume you have just got your new Mac and simply copy-and-paste installation commands from docs, so I assume you are using zsh and Homebrew.

Instead of using chown for /usr/local/n (and associated folders; which is safe to do), I choose to set N_PREFIX in .zshrc based on my preference to keep configs in one place (and with comments to remind me).

1. Make .n folder under $HOME (your home directory) to store n installations:
   

   mkdir -p ~/.n/bin
   

2. Add N_PREFIX to .zshrc:
   

   echo 'export N_PREFIX="$HOME/.n"' >> ~/.zshrc
   

3. Add it to $PATH too:
   

   echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.n/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
   

4. Load zsh config to current shell:
   

   source ~/.zshrc
   

5. Install n using Homebrew:
   

   brew install n
   

6. Install Node.js (LTS):
   

   n lts
   

🎉 Walla! Now you can n without sudo. No thank you, no thank you.

By the way, if you have an existing system that you would like to configure, you may run sudo n uninstall to remove /usr/local/n (and associated files). But do it first before setting N_PREFIX.

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Cover image by Dim Gunger on Unsplash.