Looking to get Node.js on your Ubuntu system? You can get it directly from the developers of Node.js.
They provide two variants you can use:
- The latest version of Node.js
- The long-term support (LTS) version
Since you'll be adding their repository to the system, you'll also get updates on the installed Node.js version directly from the source.
You can also use Snap for installing Node on Ubuntu. I'll discuss that method in the later sections of this article.
Sounds good? Make up your mind about the Node version you want to install and follow the instructions below.
Oh, wait! You need to make sure that curl is installed on your Ubuntu system.
sudo apt install curlYou'll be using it for downloading a bash installer script provided by Node developers.
Install the latest version of Node.js
While writing, Node.js v19.x is the most recent (stable) release but the given instruction should remain the same as they will fetch the most recent release rather than pointing to the specific one.
Download the setup script provided by Node.js developers and run it instantly with:
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_current.x | sudo -E bashThe script takes care of adding the node repository to your system, its signing key to your keyring and updating the package cache.
Since everything else is taken care of, you just need to install nodejs package now.
sudo apt install -y nodejsYou can verify that Node is installed on your system with:
node --versionIt should show the version of currently installed Node:
sagar@Learnubuntu:~$ node --version
v19.0.0Install the LTS version of Node.js
This is recommended to most users as it gets the job done with enhanced stability.
The steps remain the same mostly. You just have to download a different script this time.
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bashNow, you can proceed with the installation by the given command:
sudo apt-get install -y nodejsCheck the node version to ensure that it is installed correctly.
node --versionsagar@Learnubuntu:~$ node --version
v18.12.0Yep, it is one iteration behind the most recent version but stability is the key factor here.
Uninstalling Node from Ubuntu
Whether you went with LTS or non-LTS, the uninstallation method remains the same and only needs a single command:
sudo apt purge --auto-remove nodejsYou can always check for the installed version to check whether you successfully removed Node.js or not.
sagar@Learnubuntu:~$ node --version
bash: /usr/bin/node: No such file or directoryAnd it should give you similar results after the removal process.
Alternative: Install Node.js in Ubuntu using snap
Snaps come pre-configured in Ubuntu and you can install Node.js as a snap package and also allows you to choose between stable and edge releases. So let's start with installing the stable release:
Install stable release of Node.js using snap
As always, it only requires single command when installing snap packages and the same goes for Node.js:
sudo snap install node --classicsagar@Learnubuntu:~$ sudo snap install node --classic
node (18/stable) 18.12.0 from OpenJS Foundation (iojs**) installedAnd as you can see, it gave me Node.js 18.12!
Install the most recent build of Node.js
I will not recommend this build to the general audience as it might have bugs and stability issues. To install the bleeding edge version of Node.js, you just have to use the given command and it will utilize the edge channel:
sudo snap install node --channel=latest/edge --classicsagar@Learnubuntu:~$ sudo snap install node --channel=latest/edge --classic
node (edge) 20.0.0-nightly20221101590cf569 from OpenJS Foundation (iojs**) installedAnd it got me a nightly build running Node.js 20.0!
Uninstall Node in snap format
Whether you went with the bleeding edge version or the stable, the command will remain the same for the uninstallation process:
sudo snap remove nodeThat's it!
On a similar note, maybe you would like reading about installing Angular on Ubuntu.
Sagar Sharma
Enjoy using Node.js on Ubuntu.
