NPM makes installing a tool like Grunt as easy as npm install -g grunt-cli. But before you can use Node.js or NPM you need to install them — while the NodeJS website includes an installer, there’s a better way to install them on a Mac. In this article, I’ll take you through the process of installing Node.js and NPM on a Mac using Homebrew. Mac users, go and get Xcode, if you haven’t already. (Protip: It’s on the OS X install CD if you don’t wait to wait for the giant download.) Step 3: Make Friends with the Terminal. By this point, you’ve probably had to enter some commands into the terminal at some point in your setup process.
Introduction
Node.js is a run-time environment used for executing JavaScript outside the browser. Npm is a JavaScript package manager commonly used for installing packages for Node.js.
In this article, you will learn how to install Node.js and npm on Mac or Linux. You will also learn how to verify the installation, run Node.js code, and how to update Node.js and npm.
When you’re finished, you’ll be able to run Node.js code on Mac or Linux computer.
Prerequisites
To follow this tutorial successfully, you’ll need the following:
- Internet access to download Node.js.
- Basic knowledge of how to use the terminal.
Step 1 — Install Node.js and npm on Mac or Linux
There are a couple of ways to install Node.js on Mac or Linux. The most recommended method and also my favorite method to install Node.js and npm is to use Node Version Manager(nvm).
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Using nvm has the following benefits:
- It allows you to install multiple versions of Node.js.
- It makes it easy to switch between the versions.
- Updating node.js is a breeze with nvm.
So let’s now install nvm. Copy and paste the command below into your terminal.
Info: If your on Mac, open your ~/.bash_profile or create a new one if the ~/.bash_profile file does not exist. Make sure you add source ~/.bashrc in the file and save.
Now let’s verify if nvm was installed successfully.
Your terminal should display the current version of nvm. At the time of writing, the current version is 0.35.2. So this is the output I got.
Note: On Linux, if you get nvm: command not found or no feedback, close your terminal and open a new terminal and enter the nvm --version again. If you using ssh to access linux, you might need to restart your session.
Tip: On Mac, if you are having any issues with the nvm command not working, check out this link
Lets now install Node using nvm’s install command.
Once installed, set the installed version as the default.
Info: You need to set the default version because nvm forgets the node version in a new terminal session. You can learn more about the issue here.
Step 2 — Verify Node.js and npm installation
Verify if Node.js and npm were successfully installed.
Type node -v. It will display the current Node.js version.
Type npm -v to display the current npm version.
Your output should look similar to mine. Note that the versions will be different since you might be reading this tutorial when new versions came out.
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Running Node.js Code on Mac or Linux
There are two ways to run Node.Js code:
- Node.js REPL
- Running Node.js scripts on the terminal
Node.js REPL
REPL stands for Read-Evaluate-Print-Loops. It is an interactive shell that allows experimentation of JavaScript code. It works the same way as the web browser console.
To access the Node REPL, type node in the terminal.
The REPL prompt will be opened where you can enter the JavaScript code.
The > sign is there to let you know that the code entered will be immediately evaluated when you press enter.
To exit out of the REPL, type .exit or press CTRL+D once. You can also exit out by pressing CTRL+C twice.
Running Node.js Scripts on the Terminal
This method is the one that is commonly used to run Node. You will write Node.js code in a file with an extension of .js and run it in the terminal using the node command.
Let’s see this in action by creating a directory named node.js in our home directory.
mkdir is a command used for creating directories
Let’s go into the nodejs directory.
Your terminal should now show you are in the node.js directory.
Create a file first-program.js. For simplicity’s sake, we will use Nano which is a terminal text editor.
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Enter the following code in first-program.js in the Nano editor.
Hold CTRL+O and then press enter to save the file.
Exit out of the editor by holding CTRL+X.
Let’s now run the code in first-program.js:
Your output should look like below.
I hope you have understood how to run Node.js code on your Mac or Linux system.
Next, we are going to learn how to update Node.js and npm using nvm.
How to Update Node.js and npm using nvm
To update to the latest version Node.js and npm. Type the following:
To update to the latest LTS(Long Term Support) version. Type the following:
Conclusion
In this article, you learned how to install and update Node.js and npm on Mac or Linux. We also looked at different ways on how to run Node.js code. I hope you are now confident to run Node.js scripts on your computer on your Mac or Linux computer.
If you have any insights or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.