Node Version Manager, otherwise known as nvm, is a bash script that simplifies the management of multiple Node.js versions.
To install nvm, use the provided install script:
$ curl -o- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.31.3/install.sh> | bash
For windows there is a nvm-windows package with an installer. This GithHub page has the details for installing and using the nvm-windows package.
After installing nvm, run “nvm on” from command line. This enables nvm to control the node versions.
Note: You may need to restart your terminal for it to recognize the newly installed nvm
command.
Then install the latest Node version:
$ nvm install node
You can also install a specific Node version, by passing the major, minor, and/or patch versions:
$ nvm install 6
$ nvm install 4.2
To list the versions available for install:
$ nvm ls-remote
You can then switch versions by passing the version the same way you do when installing:
$ nvm use 5
You can set a specific version of Node that you installed to be the default version by entering:
$ nvm alias default 4.2
To display a list of Node versions that are installed on your machine, enter:
$ nvm ls
To use project-specific node versions, you can save the version in .nvmrc file. This way, starting to work with another project will be less error-prone after fetching it from its repository.
$ echo "4.2" > .nvmrc
$ nvm use
Found '/path/to/project/.nvmrc' with version <4.2>
Now using node v4.2 (npm v3.7.3)