Multiple Node Versions in MacOS

Node Version Manager (nvm) is a great tool to use the multiple Node version in a system.

Install Node

brew install nodejs

Check Node Version

node --version

Step - 1

Install NVM

• via curl

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.2/install.sh | bash

• via wget

wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.2/install.sh | bash

Add source lines to the profile

~/.bashrc, ~/.profile, or ~/.zshrc file.

This loads nvm

export NVM_DIR="$([ -z "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME-}" ] && printf %s "${HOME}/.nvm" || printf %s "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/nvm")"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"

Restart terminal or Open New Terminal

Check NVM Version

nvm --version

Output:

0.39.2

Step - 2

Install Multiple Node.js Versions

• Latest Version

nvm install node

• Specific Version

nvm install 10.15.3

• LTS Version

nvm install --lts

• Set Default Version

nvm alias default 16

Step - 3

List Install Versions

nvm ls

Output:

➜  ~  nvm ls
->     v10.15.3
       v16.13.2
         system
default -> 10.15.3 (-> v10.15.3)
iojs -> N/A (default)
unstable -> N/A (default)
node -> stable (-> v16.13.2) (default)
stable -> 16.13 (-> v16.13.2) (default)
lts/* -> lts/gallium (-> v16.13.2)
lts/argon -> v4.9.1 (-> N/A)
lts/boron -> v6.17.1 (-> N/A)
lts/carbon -> v8.17.0 (-> N/A)
lts/dubnium -> v10.24.1 (-> N/A)
lts/erbium -> v12.22.9 (-> N/A)
lts/fermium -> v14.18.3 (-> N/A)
lts/gallium -> v16.13.2

Step - 4

Switch Node Version

nvm use 16

Switch to Default Version

nvm use default

Step - 5

Uninstall Node Version

nvm uninstall 10

Step - 6

Uninstall NVM (Node Version Manager)

nvm unload

Step - 7 (Optional)

Set Node version in the .nvmrc file in the project’s root for specific projects

echo "16" > .nvmrc

Upgrade to the Latest NVM.

For manual upgrade with git (requires git v1.7.10+):

1. change to the $NVM_DIR
2. pull down the latest changes
3. check out the latest version
4. activate the new version

(
  cd "$NVM_DIR"
  git fetch --tags origin
  git checkout `git describe --abbrev=0 --tags --match "v[0-9]*" $(git rev-list --tags --max-count=1)`
) && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"

Enjoy the Development!!