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🟢 Node.js & npm Installation Guide

📦 What Are Node.js and npm?

• Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that allows you to run JavaScript outside the browser—primarily used to build server-side applications.
• npm (Node Package Manager) is a tool that comes with Node.js and is used to install and manage packages (libraries and tools) for your project.

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🍏 macOS Installation

✅ 1. Using Homebrew (Recommended)

Make sure Homebrew is installed first.

📥 Install Node.js + npm

brew install node

✅ Verify Installation

node -v   # Should return a version like v20.x.x
npm -v    # Should return a version like 10.x.x

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🪟 Windows Installation

✅ 1. Download the Installer

• Visit the official Node.js site: https://nodejs.org
• Click on the LTS version (recommended for most users).
• Run the downloaded installer and follow the instructions (you can leave all options as default).

✅ 2. Verify Installation

Open Command Prompt (cmd) and run:

node -v
npm -v

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🐧 Linux Installation (Ubuntu/Debian)

✅ 1. Update Your System

sudo apt update

✅ 2. Install Node.js and npm

sudo apt install nodejs npm

This installs both node and npm, but it might be an older version.

🧠 Optional: Install the Latest Version with NodeSource

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

✅ 3. Verify Installation

node -v
npm -v

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🧪 Test Installation

Create a simple JavaScript file:

echo "console.log('Node is working!');" > test.js
node test.js

Expected output:

Node is working!

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🛠️ Updating npm

To update npm to the latest version:

npm install -g npm

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🧰 Tips

• Use nvm (Node Version Manager) if you want to install and switch between multiple Node versions. View nvm guide.
• Always install Node.js via official channels or a trusted version manager.

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