How to switch Node.js versions with NVM

This article was updated on 18 september 2024 to include new diagrams and section on automatic switching with bash scripts

In this article we are going to learn about how to switch between various nvm versions

What is NVM?
How to install NVM the step by step Guide
Verifying NVM is properly installed
Installing Specific versions of Node JS
Setting a default version of node Js with NVM
How to check for Node versions available to install
Switching between Node versions
Automatic version switching with .nvmrc
Strategies for ensuring consistency across development environments
conclusion

What is NVM?

Node version manager also called as NVM is a software utility that allows developers to switch between different versions of node

Some of the important features of NVM

Multiple version management
Easy switching
Version specific global packages
No need for sudo
compatibility testing
Legacy support

How to install NVM? Step by Step guide (Mac, Linux and Windows)

In this section we are going to learn how to install nvm in a step by step manner. We are also going to cover different operating systems such as Mac, linux and windows

So, no matter what operating system you are using, we have got you covered

Installing NVM on macOS and Linux

The most common method of install nvm on mac or linux is using the curl script or wget. As both mac as well as linux use the similar terminal program bash or similar, method of install is also the same

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On linux if you do not have the curl installed, first install the curl software like

install curl

sudo apt install curl

using curl

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

using wget

wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.1/install.sh | bash

updating the profile

you need to add the nvm script to your shell profile for it to work. The installation script usually automatically adds the nvm to your shell profile, if for some reason it doesn't then

Use the below script to add it to your .bashrc , .profile or .zshrc

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

Verifying installation

nvm --version

Installing nvm on windows

generally windows users use WSL for development and windows is also encouraging this. But if for any reason you need to install nvm on your windows machine

You can install the nvm-windows library

Installing specific versions NodeJs

You can install latest version of node js or any specific version of node using nvm

to install a specific version of node use

nvm install 14.16.0 # write the specific version that you want to install

installing the latest version using nvm

nvm install node

You can check whether the node version has changed properly you can type the below command

node --version # outputs the desired node js version

Setting the default node js version with nvm

you can also set a node js version as default on your machine. It can be the latest version or it can be any version that you desire

you can do this by

nvm alias default 18.4.0

then you can verify that the default node version is set by

node --version

How to check for Node versions available to install

It is quite easy to check for nodejs versions that are available to install. Simply, open your terminal and type the following command

nvm ls-remote

It gives you a whole list of nodejs to choose from like this

Node js versions you can install with nvm

the list is ordered from oldest to newest versions
each line is a different version of node
LTS versions are highlighted with the word LTS written besides them
If you are interested in the LTS version of a specific version you can type nvm ls-remote --lts

to install a specific version just type

npm install 20.7.0

Switching between different versions of node

It is quite easy to switch between different versions of node.

List all the versions available to switch between with nvm ls or you can install a version from the remote repository and then switch to that version using nvm ls-remote
Then type the below command to switch to a particular version with

nvm use 18.18.2

3. You can check whether you have successfully switched to the selected version with the node -v command

Automating Version Switching with .nvmrc:

How to automate the process of switching Node.js versions in a project environment.

Step 1: Creating an .nvmrc file

navigate to your projects root directory then

cd /path/root_directory

create the .nvmrc file

you can create a new file like this

touch .nvmrc

Specify the node js version that you want to use in that specific project

18.18.0

and this tells nvm to use the specificed version of node when running your project

Automating the switching the process

Here are the steps to automate the switching process.

You want to automatically run the nvm run peocess whenever you navigate to the project directory

for this you need to add a script to your shells profile

Edit the shell profile

for bash go to ./bashrc or ./bash_profile
for zsh users edit the ~/.zshrc

2. Add the following script

include the following script in your profile file

autoload -U add-zsh-hook
load-nvmrc() {
  local node_version="$(nvm version)"
  local nvmrc_path="$(nvm_find_nvmrc)"

  if [ -n "$nvmrc_path" ]; then
    local nvmrc_node_version=$(nvm version "$(cat "${nvmrc_path}")")

    if [ "$nvmrc_node_version" = "N/A" ]; then
      nvm install
    elif [ "$nvmrc_node_version" != "$node_version" ]; then
      nvm use
    fi
  elif [ "$node_version" != "$(nvm version default)" ]; then
    echo "Reverting to nvm default version"
    nvm use default
  fi
}
add-zsh-hook chpwd load-nvmrc
load-nvmrc

then reload the profile with the following code

source ~/.zshrc  # Or the appropriate file for your shell

and that's it now you know how to install and use different versions on Nodejs with NVM

Strategies for ensuring consistency across development environments

Adding Scripts to your shell profile for automatic version switching

You can also add specific scripts to your shell profile in order to ensure the correct Node.js version is automatically activated based on the presense of .nvmrc file

Here are the guide for both Bash as as well zsh scripts

For Bash Shell

Step 1:

The Bash profile file is typically located in teh _{/.bashrc or}/.bash_profile open the file using your text editor or terminal like so

nano ~/.bashrc

Step 2: Adding the script

Append the below script at the end of your bashrc file

cd() {
  builtin cd "$@"
  if [ -f .nvmrc ]; then
    nvm use
  fi
}

bash script

Explanation of how the script works

the cd() { ... }: This defines a function and overrides the default cd command in Bash
builtin cd "$@" This calls the orignal cd function with all the arguments
if [ -f .nvmrc ]; then ... fi This checks if there is an .nvmrc file in the project directory, that we have navigated to
nvm use : The above code checks if there is an .nvmrc file in the directory and if the file exits the nvm use command telss the NVM to switch to the specified node js version that has been specified in that .nvmrc file

What happens when you `cd` now

Changing directories: You can change directories as you always have using the cd command
Checking for .nvmrc: When you enter into a directory the script will check if there is an .nvmrc file there. If there is no file it does not do anything and nothing happens
Switch to a new node js version: If there is an .nvmrc file there the script will change the NodeJs version to whatever the node js version is specified in the .nvmrc file

For ZSH Shell

Step 1: Open you Zsh profile

the zsh profile is usually located in the ~/.zshrc. you can open it in your text editor or using your terminal like so

nano ~/.zshrc

Step 2: Add the following script at the end of your zsh profile

autoload -U add-zsh-hook

load-nvmrc() {
  local node_version="$(nvm version)"
  local nvmrc_path="$(nvm_find_nvmrc)"

  if [ -n "$nvmrc_path" ]; then
    local nvmrc_node_version=$(nvm version "$(cat "${nvmrc_path}")")

    if [ "$nvmrc_node_version" = "N/A" ]; then
      nvm install
    elif [ "$nvmrc_node_version" != "$node_version" ]; then
      nvm use
    fi
  elif [ "$node_version" != "$(nvm version default)" ]; then
    nvm use default
  fi
}

add-zsh-hook chpwd load-nvmrc
load-nvmrc

automating scripts for zsh

Explanation of script

autolaod -U add-zsh-hook This makes sure that the zsh hook i savailable to load
load-nvmrc() { ... } Defines a new function called as load-nvmrc that handles the automatic bersion switching logic

Variables:

local node_version="$(nvm version)" : This variable currently stores the active Node Js version
local nvmrc_path="$(nvm_find_nvmrc)" : Screaches for a .nvmrc file in the current directory

Logic:

if [ -n "$nvmrc_path" ]; then ... fi: Checks for a ./nvmrc file path was found
local nvmrc_node_version=$(nvm version "$(cat "${nvmrc_path}")"): This reads the Node Js version specified in the .nvmrc file
if [ "$nvmrc_node_version" = "N/A" ]: If the spcified version of node is not install this code checks for it
elif [ "$nvmrc_node_version" != "$node_version" ]; then nvm use If the node version is not installed this installs it
elif [ "$node_version" != "$(nvm version default)" ]; then nvm use default If the ./nvmrc file is not found and the current version is not default this code switches to the default version

Hooks:

add-zsh-hook chpwd load-nvmrc This adds a hook so that load-nvmrc is called everytime you change a directory
load-nvmrc: The load-nvmrc calls a function everytime the shell starts

Reloading your Shell Profile

After adding the script you need to re load your shell profiles in order to apply the changes

For Bash

source ~./bashrc

source ~/.bash_profile

For zsh

source ~/.zshrc

or just close and reopen your terminal window

Testing the Automatic version switching

step 1: Create a .nvmrc file in your project root folder

go to your project root directory and create a .nvmrc file and specify and Node.js version there

cd /path/to/your/root_project
echo "22.0.0" > .nvmrc

step 2: Navigate back and again to your project directory

cd ~
cd -

Step 3: Check the node js version

check the if the node version changes with node -v

node -v
# it should output v22.0.0

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