Installing Node.js and NPM on Your Local Machine Print

🚀 Node.js and NPM (Node Package Manager) are essential tools for modern JavaScript development. Node.js enables server-side scripting in JavaScript, while NPM helps manage your project's dependencies. This guide will walk you through installing, updating, and uninstalling Node.js and NPM on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

📌 What Are Node.js and NPM?

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. It allows you to run JavaScript code outside of the browser, making it popular for building scalable server-side applications.

NPM (Node Package Manager) is the default package manager that comes with Node.js, providing: ✅ A command-line client for installing and managing packages.
✅ A large repository of public and private JavaScript packages (npm registry).

⚙️ Prerequisites

🔹 Basic command-line interface (CLI) knowledge is helpful.
🔹 Familiarity with JavaScript (optional but useful).

🔧 Installing Node.js and NPM

🖥️ Windows Installation

Option A: Direct Download

1️⃣ Go to the official Node.js download page.
2️⃣ Select either the 64-bit or 32-bit Windows Installer (.msi) based on your system.
3️⃣ Run the downloaded file and follow the prompts in the Node.js Setup Wizard.

Option B: Using a Package Manager

🍫 Chocolatey (For Admin users)

choco install nodejs

🥄 Scoop (For Non-Admin users)

scoop install nodejs

🍏 macOS Installation

Option A: Direct Download

1️⃣ Visit the official Node.js download page.
2️⃣ Download the macOS Installer (.pkg).
3️⃣ Run the .pkg file and follow the installation wizard.

Option B: Using Homebrew

brew install node

🐧 Linux Installation

Option A: Using Distribution's Package Manager

🟢 Debian/Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt install nodejs npm

🔴 Fedora/RHEL/CentOS

sudo dnf update && sudo dnf install nodejs npm

Option B: Using NodeSource (For Latest Versions)

curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs

(Replace setup_18.x with setup_16.x or setup_20.x as needed.)

✅ Verifying Installation

Check if Node.js and NPM are installed correctly:

node -v  # Outputs Node.js version\ nnpm -v   # Outputs NPM version

🔄 Managing Multiple Node.js Versions

📌 Use NVM (Node Version Manager) for macOS/Linux or nvm-windows to manage multiple Node.js versions.

nvm install 18  # Installs Node.js v18
nvm use 18      # Switch to Node.js v18

⏫ Updating Node.js and NPM

🖥️ Windows

Node.js - Download and install the latest version from Node.js official site.
NPM - Run:

npm install npm@latest -g

🍏 macOS

Node.js (via Homebrew):

brew update && brew upgrade node

NPM:

npm install npm@latest -g

🐧 Linux

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade nodejs
npm install npm@latest -g

Fedora/RHEL/CentOS:

sudo dnf update && sudo dnf upgrade nodejs
npm install npm@latest -g

❌ Uninstalling Node.js and NPM

🖥️ Windows

1️⃣ Open Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel.
2️⃣ Locate Node.js and click Uninstall.

🍏 macOS

📌 If installed via .pkg file:

sudo rm -rf /usr/local/{lib/node{,/.npm,_modules},bin,share/man}/npm*

📌 If installed via Homebrew:

brew uninstall node

🐧 Linux

🟢 Debian/Ubuntu

sudo apt remove nodejs

🔴 Fedora/RHEL/CentOS

sudo dnf remove nodejs

📌 NPM (All distros):

npm uninstall npm -g

Advanced NPM (Node Package Manager) Features & Usage

NPM is more than just a package manager--it provides powerful tools for handling dependencies, managing scripts, and optimizing workflows for advanced JavaScript development.

📌 1. Managing Dependencies Efficiently

✅ Semantic Versioning (SemVer): NPM follows SemVer to specify package versions, ensuring compatibility and stability.

• ^1.2.3 → Updates within the same major version.

• ~1.2.3 → Updates within the same minor version.

• 1.2.3 → Installs the exact version.

✅ Installing Development vs. Production Dependencies:

npm install lodash --save      # Adds to dependencies (default)
npm install eslint --save-dev  # Adds to devDependencies

• dependencies are required for production.

• devDependencies are only needed for development.

✅ Locking Dependencies with package-lock.json: Ensures consistent installs across environments.

npm ci  # Installs exact versions from package-lock.json

⚡ 2. Automating Tasks with NPM Scripts

NPM allows you to define and run custom scripts in package.json:

"scripts": {
  "start": "node index.js",
  "dev": "nodemon index.js",
  "build": "webpack --mode production",
  "test": "jest"
}

Run a script with:

npm run dev

For predefined scripts (start, test), simply use:

npm start
npm test

📦 3. Global vs. Local Packages

✅ Installing Global Packages: Use -g to install tools globally, accessible system-wide:

npm install -g nodemon

Check globally installed packages:

npm list -g --depth=0

✅ Using npx for Temporary Global Packages: npx runs CLI tools without a global install:

npx create-react-app my-app

🌍 4. Publishing and Managing Private Packages

✅ Publishing a Package to npm Registry:

npm login   # Authenticate to npm
npm publish # Upload package

✅ Managing Scoped Packages for Private Projects:

npm install @my-org/my-package --save

🔒 Private packages require an npm organization or a paid plan.

🔍 5. Performance Optimization & Troubleshooting

✅ Speeding Up Installs: Use cache for faster package retrieval:

npm cache clean --force
npm install --prefer-offline

✅ Debugging & Diagnosing Issues:

npm doctor   # Checks system for known issues
npm audit    # Scans dependencies for security vulnerabilities
npm outdated # Lists outdated dependencies

🚀 Going Beyond: MERN Stack & MongoDB

Once Node.js and NPM are installed, you can explore: ✅ MongoDB for database management.
✅ Express.js & React for the MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js) stack.
✅ Building full-stack applications with modern JavaScript frameworks.

🔗 Read more: Advanced MERN Stack Manual

🎉 Conclusion

🎊 Congratulations! You've successfully installed, updated, and uninstalled Node.js and NPM. Now, you can start building robust JavaScript applications, manage dependencies efficiently, and stay ahead in modern web development. 🚀💡

🔹 Tip: Stay updated by checking the official Node.js documentation for more insights and troubleshooting tips.

👨‍💻 Happy Coding! 🎯