Node Version Manager (nvm) overview

Published May 9, 2024・Last updated June 14, 2026・2 min read

nvm facilitates switching between different Node versions across projects. This post covers nvm-sh on macOS and Linux. For Windows, see the nvm for Windows post.

As of mid-2026, Node.js 24 is Active LTS, 22 is Maintenance LTS, and 26 is the Current release.

Installation

To install nvm, execute the following commands in your terminal. This example uses zsh, but the process is similar for other shells like bash.

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.5/install.sh | bash
source ~/.zshrc

Version management

Install the specific version. Including the v prefix is optional.
```
nvm install v24.16.0
```
Install the latest version
```
nvm install node
```
Install the latest Active LTS release
```
nvm install --lts
```
Install the latest one for the specified major version
```
nvm install 24
```
Switch to a specific installed version
```
nvm use 24
```
Add .nvmrc file inside the project directory and run nvm use command to use the specified installed version.
```
v24.16.0
```
Get the list of locally installed versions
```
nvm ls
```
Get the list of available versions for installation
```
nvm ls-remote
```