install-nodeversion

Install a specific Node.js version

$ Install-NodeVersion [node_version]

$ Install-NodeVersion [node_version1 , node_version2 , ...]

$ Install-NodeVersion ^20

$ Install-NodeVersion [node_version] -Architecture [x86|x64|arm64]

$ Install-NodeVersion [node-version] -Proxy [http://example.com]

install-nodeversion [version | alias] [options]

version | alias
    The specific Node.js version string (e.g., '16.14.0', 'v18') or an alias (e.g., 'lts' for Long Term Support, 'latest' for the newest stable release) to install.

--global
    Installs the Node.js version to a system-wide location, making it available to all users (often requires appropriate permissions).

--path
    Specifies an alternative installation directory for the Node.js runtime instead of the script's default location.

--force
    Forces the installation, potentially overwriting an existing Node.js version or installation directory.

--clean
    Removes any previous Node.js installations in the target directory before performing the new installation.

--no-npm
    Installs only the Node.js runtime, skipping the bundled npm (Node Package Manager).

The command install-nodeversion is not a standard, globally distributed Linux utility. Instead, it typically refers to a custom shell script or a utility bundled within a specific project or environment designed to manage Node.js installations. Its primary purpose is to download, extract, and configure a specified version of the Node.js runtime and its associated npm (Node Package Manager).

While its exact behavior and available options depend entirely on the script's implementation, such a utility commonly automates steps like fetching the Node.js tarball from an official mirror, verifying its integrity, placing it in a designated installation directory (e.g., /usr/local/bin or a user-specific directory), and updating necessary environment variables like PATH to make the newly installed Node.js version accessible.

Users might encounter this command in a project's Makefile, package.json scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or as part of a custom development environment setup script, where it streamlines the process of ensuring the correct Node.js version is available for a given application.

The install-nodeversion command is not a standard part of most Linux distributions or a globally recognized Node.js version manager. Its behavior and availability are entirely dependent on whether a specific custom script with this name exists in your environment and how it has been implemented.

Potential caveats include:
• Script Reliance: Functionality, options, and robustness vary greatly depending on the script's author and implementation.
• PATH Management: It may or may not correctly update your system's PATH environment variable, potentially requiring manual configuration for the installed Node.js version to be recognized.
• Security: Custom scripts might download binaries from untrusted sources, posing security risks. Always verify the script's source and integrity.
• Dependencies: The script might rely on external tools like curl, wget, tar, or unzip being present on the system.
• Permissions: Global installations often require root or sudo privileges.

Custom install-nodeversion scripts commonly install Node.js binaries into a user's home directory (e.g., ~/.nodeversions or ~/.nvm/versions/node if mimicking nvm) for user-specific installations, or into system-wide locations like /usr/local (e.g., /usr/local/bin, /usr/local/include, /usr/local/lib, /usr/local/share) for global availability. The choice of path depends on the script's design and user permissions.

For the installed Node.js version to be executable from any directory, the script typically modifies the PATH environment variable. This is often done by adding the Node.js installation's bin directory to the PATH in a shell configuration file (e.g., ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, ~/.profile). Users might need to source their shell configuration or restart their terminal session for changes to take effect.

The need to manage multiple Node.js versions arose early in Node.js's development cycle due to rapid releases and breaking changes between versions. While dedicated version managers like nvm and n became popular, many development teams and system administrators created custom shell scripts, often named generically like install-nodeversion, to automate the installation of specific Node.js versions required for their projects. These custom scripts provided a lightweight, project-specific way to enforce version consistency before, or as an alternative to, installing full-fledged version managers.

nvm(1), n(1), fnm(1), node(1), npm(1), volta(1)