Upgrade Node.js to the latest version on Mac OS

Question

Currently I am using Node.js v0.6.16 on Mac OS X 10.7.4. Now I want to upgrade it to the latest Node.js v0.8.1. But after downloading and installing the latest package file from nodejs.org, I found that system is still using v0.6.16 instead of v0.8.1 when I typed "node -v" in a terminal. Is there any step that I have missed? Or, should I thoroughly uninstall the old version before installing the latest one?

BTW, I know that nvm can help to manage the nodejs package

https://github.com/creationix/nvm/

Is there any way to upgrade the Node.js without using it?

I have googled this problem, but it seems to me that there is no very clear answer to this question for the latest Node.js.

Answer 1

Here's how I successfully upgraded from v0.8.18 to v0.10.20 without any other requirements like brew etc, (type these commands in the terminal):

1. sudo npm cache clean -f (force) clear you npm cache
2. sudo npm install -g n install n (this might take a while)
3. sudo n stable upgrade to the current stable version

Note that sudo might prompt your password.

Additional note regarding step 3: stable can be exchanged for latest, lts (long term support) or any specific version number such as 0.10.20.

If the version number doesn't show up when typing node -v, you might have to reboot.

These instructions are found here as well: davidwalsh.name/upgrade-nodejs
More info about the n package found here: npmjs.com/package/n
More info about Node.js' release schedule: github.com/nodejs/Release

Answer 2

If you initially installed Node.js with Homebrew, run:

brew update brew upgrade node npm install -g npm 

Or as a one-liner:

brew update && brew upgrade node && npm install -g npm 

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A convenient way to change versions is to use nvm:

brew install nvm 

To install the latest version of Node.js with nvm:

nvm install node 

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If you installed via a package, then download the latest version from nodejs.org. See Installing Node.js and updating npm.