Installing Node JS and NPM (2024)

Last Updated: 22nd June, 2023

Introduction to NPM

📦 Npm (short for Node Package Manager) is a powerful package manager for Node.js. It allows developers to easily install, manage, and share packages and dependencies for their Node.js projects. With npm, developers can quickly add new functionality to their projects by installing pre-built packages, without having to write everything from scratch.

📚 NPM avails us with all the libraries and dependencies to use whenever in need without writing them from scratch to use. This is what makes it easier and more important to use NPM and work seamlessly using a wide range of available libraries and dependencies to develop our applications.

Node.js comes with a lot of built-in modules that can be used to build server-side applications. However, note that usage of third-party modules extends the functionality of Node.js. This is where NPM comes in. NPM (short for Node Package Manager) is the default package manager for Node.js.

Importance of NPM in Node.js

Npm is important in Node.js for several reasons:

1. Package management: 📦 Npm simplifies the management of packages and dependencies for Node.js projects. It allows developers to easily install, uninstall, update, and manage dependencies for their projects, ensuring that their code is always up-to-date and running smoothly.
2. Community-driven: 🤝 Npm has a vast and active community of developers who create and share packages for various use cases, making it easy for developers to add new functionality to their projects without having to write everything from scratch.
3. Version control: 🔐 Npm ensures that packages are installed with the correct dependencies and versions, preventing conflicts between packages. This helps to ensure that the code runs smoothly without any issues.
4. Consistent and repeatable builds: 🔄 With npm, developers can easily specify the required dependencies and their versions in a package.json file. This makes it easy to reproduce builds on different machines, ensuring that the code runs consistently across different environments.
5. Command-line interface: ⌨️ Npm provides a powerful command-line interface that allows developers to perform a wide range of tasks, including installing packages, publishing packages, and running scripts. This makes it easy to automate tasks and integrate npm with other tools in the development workflow.

Overall, npm is an essential tool for Node.js developers, simplifying package management, ensuring version control, and allowing developers to focus on building their applications, rather than worrying about managing dependencies manually.

Installing Node.js

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to install Node.js:

1. Go to the official Node.js website: https://nodejs.org/
2. Choose from the "LTS" OR “Current” button on the homepage.
3. Select the appropriate version of Node.js for your operating system. There are versions available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
4. Run the downloaded installer.
5. Follow the prompts in the installer. You may need to agree to the license terms and select the installation location.
6. Select the components you want to install. The default options should be sufficient for most users and click on next unless the below screen comes.
7. Click the "Install" button to begin the installation.
8. Once the installation is complete, you can verify that Node.js is installed by opening a command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS, Linux) and typing "node -v" (without quotes). This should print the version number of Node.js installed on your system.

That's it! You've successfully installed Node.js on your computer.

Installing NPM

To install NPM(Node Package Manager), you will need to first install Node.js, which includes NPM as a default package.

Here are the steps to install NPM on a Windows, Mac, or Linux operating system:

1. Once Node.js is installed, open your terminal or command prompt.
2. To check if Node.js and NPM are installed correctly, type node -v and npm -v respectively in the terminal. It should display the version of Node.js and NPM because NPM comes with node.js and gets installed while installing node.js.
3. If NPM is not installed or is outdated, you can install it separately or update it by running the command npm install -g npm in the terminal. This will update NPM to the latest version.
4. To verify the NPM installation, type npm -v in the terminal. It should display the latest version of NPM. ✅

That's it! Now you have successfully installed NPM on your system. You can use NPM to install and manage packages for your Node.js projects. 🎉👍

Conclusion

In conclusion, NPM(Node Package Manager) is a tool that comes bundled with Node.js, a JavaScript runtime environment used to run JavaScript on the server side. NPM is used to manage packages and dependencies for Node.js projects, making it easier to install and update libraries and frameworks. 🔧 Node.js and NPM have become popular tools for building server-side applications and web APIs, as well as for developing command-line tools and desktop applications. With its powerful and flexible features, Node.js has revolutionized the way developers approach server-side development, while NPM has simplified package management and made it easier to share code with other developers. 🤝