updating nodejs on ubuntu 16.04

Solution 1:

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

Solution 2:

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

Solution 3:

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