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Managing Node.js versions

Herd ships with nvm, the Node version manager, and allows the management of multiple Node.js versions on your machine. By default, Herd automatically installs the latest available version of Node.js for you.

Herd requires a specific nvm version and can’t use existing nvm installations. If you are migrating from a previous nvm setup, please consult the Troubleshooting section if it doesn’t work as expected.

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Via the GUI

You may install and update the Node.js versions on your machine via the Herd GUI. Simply click on the button and Herd will take care of the rest.

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Via the CLI

You can use nvm on your command line to install, update and switch between Node.js versions any time. To switch to a different version, simply enter nvm use VERSION and nvm runs all required commands to change the version and make it accessible in your terminal. For more information about nvm, take a look at the official nvm documentation.

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Commands that you might use regularly

# Install node 20
nvm install 20

# Uninstall node 20
nvm uninstall 20

# Switch to node 20
nvm use 20

## Display all commands
nvm help

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Updating Node.js

If you open the Node settings, Herd checks if there are new versions available and displays an update button next to every version that you can update.

Herd uses nvm under the hood and this means that existing versions are kept when pressing the update button. The update downloads and installs the latest version and makes this one the preferred version for the related major version.

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Uninstalling Node.js

If you want to uninstall a specific version, either consult the official nvm documentation or run the uninstall command from your terminal.

nvm uninstall VERSION

You can verify which versions you have with the command nvm list. So if you want to uninstall node 18.20.4, run nvm uninstall 18.20.4.

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Uninstalling nvm

If you want to uninstall your previous non-Herd nvm, you have to make sure to remove the related environment variables NVM_HOME and NVM_SYMLINK. This also applies if you remove nvm that ships with Herd.

After restarting Herd, the nvm configuration in the settings displays the button to install the nvm version that ships with Herd and that manages local Node.js versions via the GUI.

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Troubleshooting

Herd parses command output to determine your current Node.js version. If it can’t parse the output because there is output that it doesn’t understand, or you are using an unsupported shell, it displays Unknown for your node version in the sites list.