Set up Node.js LTS on Debian 12 Bookworm | Comprehensive Guide

This tutorial will show you how to Set up Node.js LTS on Debian 12 Bookworm. Node.js is a free and open-source environment for building fast and scalable server-side and networking applications. You can follow this guide on the Orcacore website to install Node.js using APT, PPA, and NVM on Debian 12.

To Set up Node.js LTS on Debian 12 Bookworm, you must have access to your server as a non-root user with sudo privileges. For this purpose, you can visit the Initial Server Setup with Debian 12 Bookworm.

Step 1 – Install Default Node.js with APT on Debian 12

Debian 12 ships with Node.js 18 LTS. You can easily install it on your server by using the APT package manager. First, run the system update with the command below:

sudo apt update

Then, use the command below to Set up Node.js LTS on Debian 12 Bookworm with APT:

sudo apt install nodejs

Verify your Node.js installation by checking its version:

node -v

**Output**
v18.13.0

Install NPM on Debian 12

Also, you need to install the npm (Node.js Package Manager) with the following command:

sudo apt install npm

Check its version:

npm -v

**Output**
9.2.0

Step 2 – Install Node.js LTS from PPA Repository on Debian 12

To install a different version of Node.js, you can use a PPA (personal package archive) maintained by NodeSource. These PPAs have more versions of Node.js available than the official Debian repositories.

To download the installation script for your preferred version, you can use the following curl command:

Here we download the Node.js 20 the upcoming LTS version.

# cd ~
# sudo curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x -o nodesource_setup.sh

When your download is completed, run your installation script:

sudo bash nodesource_setup.sh

The PPA will be added to your configuration and your local package cache will be updated automatically. You can now Set up Node.js LTS on Debian 12 Bookworm with the following command:

sudo apt install nodejs

Verify your Node.js installation on Debian 12 with the command below:

node -v

**Output**
v20.5.0

Note: With this method, your NPM will be installed during the Node.js installation.

You can verify your NPM by checking its version:

**Output**
9.8.0

Step 3 – Install Node.js LTS with NVM on Debian 12

The Node Version Manager (NVM) is another way that you can use to install and maintain many different independent versions of Node.js, and their associated Node packages, at the same time.

First, download and install the latest NVM installer script from GitHub with the command below:

sudo wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.4/install.sh | sudo bash

Next, source your .bashrc file with the command below:

source ~/.bashrc

To check which versions of Node are available, run the following command:

nvm list-remote

**Output**
 v18.17.0   (Latest LTS: Hydrogen)
        v19.0.0
        v19.0.1
        v19.1.0
...
        v19.8.1
        v19.9.0
        v20.0.0
    ...
        v20.4.0
        v20.5.0
...

For example, to get v18.17.0 LTS, you can use the command below on Debian 12:

nvm install v18.17.0

Now you can see the different versions you have installed with the following command:

nvm list

Note: If you also have a version of Node.js installed through apt, you may see an system entry here. You can always activate the system-installed version of Node using nvm use system.

Conclusion

At this point, you have learned to Set up Node.js LTS on Debian 12 Bookworm. You can easily install the default Nod.js and the LTS versions by using APT, PPA, and NVM on your server.

Hope you enjoy using it. You may like these articles too:

Steps To Install Gradle Build Automation Tool on Debian 12

Install Nextcloud with LAMP stack on Debian 12 Bookworm

Alternative Solutions for Installing Node.js LTS on Debian 12 Bookworm

While the article presents three excellent methods for installing Node.js LTS on Debian 12, there are other viable options. Here are two alternative solutions, including explanations and code examples:

1. Using Docker

Docker provides a containerization platform that allows you to run applications in isolated environments. This approach is particularly useful if you want to avoid conflicts with existing system packages or need a specific Node.js version for a particular project.

Explanation:

Docker containers encapsulate all the necessary dependencies for an application, including Node.js, its libraries, and the operating system environment. By using a Docker image that contains a pre-configured Node.js LTS environment, you can easily deploy and run Node.js applications on Debian 12 without directly installing Node.js on the host system. This ensures consistency across different environments (development, testing, production).

Steps:

Install Docker: If you don’t have Docker installed on your Debian 12 system, follow the official Docker documentation to install it. This usually involves adding the Docker repository to your system and installing the docker-ce package.
Pull a Node.js LTS Docker Image: Docker Hub provides a variety of official and community-maintained Node.js images. Choose an image that corresponds to the LTS version you desire. For example, to pull the official Node.js 18 LTS image, use the following command:
```
docker pull node:18-slim
```
The -slim variant is usually smaller and contains only the essential components.
Create a Dockerfile (Optional but Recommended): A Dockerfile allows you to define a custom image for your application, including installing dependencies and setting up the working directory. Here’s an example Dockerfile:
```
FROM node:18-slim

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./

RUN npm install

COPY . .

CMD [ "node", "server.js" ]
```
This Dockerfile does the following:
- Uses the node:18-slim image as a base.
- Sets the working directory to /app.
- Copies the package.json and package-lock.json files (if you have one) to the container.
- Runs npm install to install dependencies.
- Copies the rest of your application code.
- Specifies the command to run when the container starts (in this case, node server.js).
Build the Docker Image (if using a Dockerfile): Navigate to the directory containing your Dockerfile and run:
```
docker build -t my-node-app .
```
This command builds an image named my-node-app from the Dockerfile in the current directory.
Run the Docker Container: To run the Node.js application within the Docker container, use the docker run command. If you built an image from a Dockerfile:
```
docker run -p 3000:3000 my-node-app
```
If you’re running a simple Node.js script directly:
```
docker run -it --rm -v "$PWD:/app" -w /app node:18-slim node your-script.js
```
Explanation of the command options:
- -p 3000:3000: Maps port 3000 on the host to port 3000 in the container.
- -it: Runs the container in interactive mode.
- --rm: Removes the container after it exits.
- -v "$PWD:/app": Mounts the current directory on the host to the /app directory in the container, allowing you to edit your code on the host and see the changes reflected in the container.
- -w /app: Sets the working directory inside the container.

2. Using a Pre-built Binary Distribution

Another approach is to download a pre-built binary distribution of Node.js directly from the Node.js website. This method avoids package managers and PPAs altogether.

Explanation:

Node.js provides pre-compiled binaries for various platforms, including Linux. Downloading and extracting these binaries provides a self-contained Node.js environment. You’ll need to manually manage the installation location and ensure that the node and npm executables are accessible in your system’s PATH.