Install Node.js and NPM on Windows 10

Syamlal CM

5 years ago

From the official website of Node.js, we can see that Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine and NPM is a package manager for Node.js packages. Both are compatible with Windows 10, Linux, and the macOS platforms. So, what are the steps to install Node.js and NPM on Windows 10?

Before that, let us learn a bit about Node.js and its usage. We saw that it’s a JavaScript runtime. In simple words, we can define Node.js as an open-source framework to build a lightweight server.

If we are working with React, Angular, or any other JavaScript libraries or frontend frameworks, Node.js is a necessary tool. This is because these libraries or frameworks require a lightweight server to handle the request from the frontend and give an appropriate response. This is how the app gets refreshed in real-time when changing the code.

Also, Node Package Manager(NPM) is a tool that comes with Node.js and it helps to use thousands of open source packages that help you in the development process. Libraries like React, and frameworks like React Native, and Angular can be installed using NPM easily.

Here in this article, we will discuss the steps to install Node.js and NPM on Windows 10.

Note:- Don’t look for NPM installation because it will be installed with Node.js itself.

Install Node.js and NPM on Windows 10

So let us start the installation process. You must meet the prerequisites listed below before continuing this article. The complete things that we can learn from this tutorial are also listed out under the What we will learn section.

Prerequisites

To continue with this article, the reader must know the basics of working with the Command Prompt/Terminal and installing new software in a Windows 10 system.

What we will learn?

After completing this article, we will learn:-

Download the Node.js installation file from the official website
Steps describing the installation of the Node.js using the installation file
Test the versions of Node.js and NPM installed on our system

Download Node.js installation file

So, the current stable version of Node.js can be downloaded and installed from the official website that is given below.

https://nodejs.org

You can see two versions on the main page. The stable version and the latest version. The stable version is recommended for most users. Currently, 16.13.0 is the stable version of Nodejs and we need to download it.

It downloads an EXE file. Install it on your system. If there is any doubt, the steps below will guide you.

Start the installation wizard

The first step is to start the installation wizard by running the installation file.

Accept the license agreement

Now accept the license agreement and click Next.

Choose the installation directory

AS default, Node.js is installed in the Program Files directory. If you are preferring another, it can be chosen from this step.

Select the features

We can customize the features to be installed with Node.js. But here, we don’t need to bother about it. Just click Next.

Install tools for Native Modules

In this step, you can optionally install tools like Python2, Visual Studio Build Tools, etc. Just skip and click Next.

Start installation

Now click the Install button to start Node.js installation.

Finish the installation

After a successful installation closes the installation wizard by clicking the Finish button.

Check the version of Node.js

Now, verify that the Node.js and NPM are installed on our system and their versions. Open Command Prompt and check the Node and npm versions with the below commands. You can see the versions as shown in the below image.

Note:- If you don’t know how to open Command Prompt, press the Windows key on your keyboard and search for “cmd”.