Node.js

Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment built on Chrome's V8 engine that executes JavaScript code outside of a web browser.

Installation

Option 1: NodeSource APT Repository (Recommended for System-Wide Install)

NodeSource provides up-to-date official Linux binaries for LTS and Current Node.js versions.

To install Node.js 22 LTS on Ubuntu:

# Update package index and install curl
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y curl ca-certificates gnupg

# Add NodeSource repository (replace 22.x with 20.x if needed)
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -

# Install Node.js and npm
sudo apt install -y nodejs

Option 2: Node Version Manager (NVM)

For local development where you need to switch between multiple Node.js versions:

# Install NVM
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash

# Load NVM into your environment
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"

# Install latest LTS release
nvm install --lts