Node.js & npm Installation Guide¶

This guide provides steps for clean installation of Node.js and npm on different operating systems.

Uninstalling Existing Installations¶

WSL Ubuntu¶

1. Remove the installed Node.js package:

   sudo apt-get remove nodejs
   

2. Remove the installed npm package:

   sudo apt-get remove npm
   

3. Remove Node.js directories:

   sudo rm -rf /usr/local/lib/nodejs
   sudo rm -rf ~/.npm
   

4. Check if Node.js and npm are uninstalled:

   node -v
   npm -v
   

5. If Node.js is still present, find and remove it:

   which npm
   

Windows System¶

1. Open the Start Menu and search for "Add or Remove Programs"
2. Find Node.js in the list and click on it
3. Click on the "Uninstall" button

Installing Node.js and npm using nvm¶

This is the recommended approach for all platforms:

1. Install nvm:

   curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.38.0/install.sh | zsh
   

2. Activate nvm:

   source ~/.zshrc
   

3. Install Node.js and npm:

   nvm install node
   

4. Verify the installation:

   node -v
   npm -v
   

Fixing Permission Issues on macOS¶

If you encounter permission errors when running npm:

1. Add npm directory to PATH:

   nano ~/.bash_profile
   

2. Add this line:

   export PATH="$HOME/.npm-packages/bin:$PATH"
   

3. Save the file and verify:

   cat .bash_profile
   

4. Optional: Add nvm configuration:

   export NVM_DIR=~/.nvm
   [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
   

5. Update your environment:

   source ~/.bash_profile
   source ~/.bashrc
   source ~/.zshrc