Node.js: Notes on Install and Upgrade on Ubuntu

To install Node.js, first install the below prerequisite and add the node.js repository.

# sudo apt-get install python-software-properties
# sudo apt-add-repository ppa:chris-lea/node.js 

Now install Node.js and npm (the Node Packet Manager).

# sudo apt-get update
# sudo apt-get install nodejs npm

Thats it. Your Node.js is ready. Test by running the below command.

# node -v

v0.6.18

Node.js stable releases are done quite frequently. To upgrade run,

# sudo apt-get update

# sudo apt-get upgrade nodejs npm  

You could also use the Ubuntu Update Manager to do the update.

If you are the kind who prefers to directly build from the sources then,

# cd <directory>
# sudo wget http://nodejs.org/dist/v0.6.18/node-v0.6.18.tar.gz

# sudo tar -zxf node-v0.6.18.tar.gz

# cd node-v0.6.18

# sudo ./configure

# sudo make

# sudo make install

# node -v

v0.6.18

The latest version was v0.6.18 at the time of writing this post.

For other platforms, installation is simple. See the Node.js installation web page.