updating nodejs on ubuntu 16.04

Question

To update, you can install n

sudo npm install -g n

Then just :

sudo n latest

or a specific version

sudo n 8.9.0

According to official docs to install node on Debian and Ubuntu based distributions:

node v12 (Old)

curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_12.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

node v14 (For new users: install this one):

curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_14.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

node v15 (Current version):

curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_15.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Other older versions: Just replace the desired version number in the link above.

Optional: install build tools

To compile and install native packages

sudo apt-get install -y build-essential

To update node to the latest version just:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

To keep npm updated

sudo npm i -g npm

To find out other versions try npm info npm and in versions find your desired version and replace [version-tag] with that version tag in npm i -g npm@[version-tag]

And I also recommend trying yarn instead of npm

Using Node Version Manager (NVM):

Install it:

wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.11/install.sh | bash

Test your installation:

close your current terminal, open a new terminal, and run:

command -v nvm

Use it to install as many versions as u like:

nvm install 8              # Install nodejs 8
nvm install --lts          # Install latest LTS (Long Term Support) version

List installed versions:

nvm ls

Use a specific version:

nvm use 8                  # Use this version on this shell

Set defaults:

nvm alias default 8        # Default to nodejs 8 on this shell
nvm alias default node     # always use latest available as default nodejs for all shells

Use sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade nodejs to upgrade node (and only upgrade node) using the package manager.

The package name is nodejs, see https://stackoverflow.com/a/18130296/4578017 for details.

You can also use nvm to install and update node.

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.32.1/install.sh | bash

Then restart the terminal, use nvm ls-remote to get latest version list of node, and use nvm install lts/* to install latest LTS version.

nvm is more recommended way to install or update node, even if you are not going to switch versions.

Use n module from npm in order to upgrade node

sudo npm cache clean -f
sudo npm install -g n
sudo n stable

To upgrade to latest version (and not current stable) version, you can use

sudo n latest

Undo :

sudo apt-get install --reinstall nodejs-legacy # fix /usr/bin/node sudo n rm 6.0.0 # replace number with version of Node that was installed sudo npm uninstall -g n

Difference: When I first installed node, it installed as 'nodejs'. When I upgraded it, it created 'node'. By executing node, we are actually executing nodejs. Node is just a reference to nodejs. From my experience, when I upgraded, it affected both the versions (as it is supposed to). When I do nodejs -v or node -v, I get the new version.

Upgrading: npm update is used to update the packages in the current directory. Check https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/update

To upgrade node version, based on the OS you are using, follow the commands here https://nodejs.org/en/download/package-manager/