Install npm (Node.js Package Manager) on Windows (

Question

The problem: while using nvm to install Node.js I was able to install the version of Node.js I need, but nvm does not install npm automatically. NPM's page provides no information about installing it. Being not much of a Windows user myself I am completely at a loss...

Every result in Google seems to use Node.js MSI installer to get that working - which is not an option in my case. So, how do I?

Answer 1

"Chocolatey installs in seconds"

If you don't care about sarcasm or lamenting engineers on a Sunday afternoon, skip ahead to the installation instructions in the TL;DR section below.

For everyone else: I want to amend this answer which recommends using (what seems to be the hottest package management solution for Windows right now): Chocolatey

It gets the job done nice and quick. However, when I gave it a first try, it took me a while to make sense of the install instructions which are kinda convoluted. The install instructions go a bit like this (complete with what went through my head while going through it):

• NOTE:
• NOTE:
• NOTE:

  three big-ass NOTEs before even knowing the basics... this makes me anxious... how wrong could things go!?

• Installing With Restricted TLS

  not even sure what TLS is... Oh it's a good friend of SSL - Shouldn't this just be the default and just work out of the box? My browser can do HTTPS, NO PROBLEM! (just kidding... I know that SSL and TSL frequently cause a lot of pain in environments that have high security needs)

• Option 1
• Option 2

  eeh... great... Can't I just install?

• Installing Behind a Proxy?

  Just... no...

• Requirements

  uh boi...

• Why does Chocolatey install where it does by default?

  Seriously!?!

• Before You Install

  sad http://www.clipartbest.com/cliparts/jix/Ekx/jixEkxaGT.png

• Can I install with a proxy?

  again with the proxy...

• Can I install a particular version of Chocolatey?

  just any version would be fine, thank you...

• Can I use Windows built-in compression instead of downloading 7zip?

  7zip?! Why do you even mention this?!

• Non-Administrative Install

• Now that sounds great!

  • "NOTE: This option should be a last resort and is considered to be an advanced scenario."

    • Sh$%!@T.

• Alternative Installation Options

  giddy

• Command Line
  • "This really is the easiest method because it requires no configuration of PowerShell prior to executing it."

    And there you go!

While I really appreciate the fact that pitfalls and their possible solutions are discussed so extensively, maybe re-organizing them as such, and putting the Chocolatey installs in seconds promise to work by putting the "easiest method" first would be just awesome!

TL;DR: Install Chocolatey, Node (and NPM)

Install Chocolatey

NOTE: You might want to copy the exact command from their install page since it might change over time.

1. Open your standard Windows command line
2. @powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy unrestricted -Command "(iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))) >$null 2>&1" && SET PATH="%PATH%;%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\chocolatey\bin"
3. Restart console
4. Done!

Install Node (and NPM)

1. Because Chocolatey installs a directory different from the MSI installation, go to your system configuration and delete your previous node installation (if you have one)
2. Install Chocolatey as described above
3. choco install nodejs

   NOTE I used nodejs. I am not even sure what node is, but having had my fair share of troubles with node already being taken by something else in other systems, I thought, nodejs would be the safer bet right away

4. Restart your console
5. Beware: node -v works!
   • And npm -v also works! Awesome.

After this, I was able to install firebase-tools without problems (which I was not able to do previously), so something must have gone terribly right! :)

Answer 2

I also needed to install npm in Windows and got it through the Chocolatey pacakage manager. For those who haven't heard about it, Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows, that gives you the convenience of an apt-get in Windows environments. To get it go to https://chocolatey.org/ where there's a PowerShell script to download it and install it. After that you can run:

chocolatey install npm

and you're good to go.

Note that the standalone npm is no longer being updated and the last version that is out there is known to have problems on Windows. Another option you can look at is extracting npm from the MSI using LessMSI.

Answer 3

Try going to Window -> Preferences -> Nodeclipse and unchecking the box that says "find node on PATH...". Then make sure the "Node.js path" below is set to the location of the node.exe file (for me it was C:\Program Files (x86)\nodejs\node.exe).

Answer 4

I used quite @Eyuel method:

• Download the nodejs msi from https://nodejs.org/en/#download
• Download npm zip from github https://github.com/npm/npm
• Extract the msi (with 7 Zip) in a directory "node"
• Set the PATH environment variable to add the "node" directory
• Extract the zip file from npm in a different directory (not under node directory)
• CD to the npm directory and run the command node cli.js install npm -gf

Now you should have node + npm working, use theses commands to check: node --version and npm --version

Update 27/07/2017 : I noticed that the latest version of node 8.2.1 with the latest version of npm are quite different from the one I was using at the time of this answer. The install with theses versions won't work. It is working with node 6.11.1 and npm 5.2.3. Also if you are running with a proxy don't forget this to connect on internet :

• export http_proxy=http://proxy:8080
• export https_proxy=http://proxy:8080
• npm config set proxy http://proxy:8080

Answer 5

Just download "node.exe" from http://nodejs.org/dist/, select your favorite "node.js" version or take the latest. You can also take 64-bits version from "x64" sub-directory.

Then, go to http://nodejs.org/dist/npm/ to retrieve Zip-archive of your favorite "npm" version (recommanded : 1.4.10). Extract the archive along "node.exe".

Finally, it is recommanded to add "node.js" directory to the PATH for convenience.

EDIT: I recommande to update npm using npm install npm -g because versions provided by nodejs.org are very old.

If you want to keep original npm version, don't put npm alongside "node.exe". Just create a directory and use the same command with "global" flag, then copy .\node_modules\.bin\npm.cmd to the new directory :

mkdir c:\app\npm\_latest
cd c:\app\npm\_latest
<NPM_ORIGINAL_PATH>\npm install npm
cp node_modules\.bin\npm.cmd npm.cmd

Finally change your PATH to use c:\app\npm\_latest

Answer 6

If you're running Windows 10 Creators Update (1703) and are comfortable navigating around a Unix terminal, you could potentially achieve this using the native Feature Bash on Ubuntu on Windows (aka Bash/WSL)

This was originally introduced on the launch of Build 2016 but many additions and bug fixes were addressed at the Creators update but please be warned this is still in Beta.

To enable simply navigate to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features\Turn Windows features on or off

Then select the Windows Subsystem for Linux (Beta) as below Bash on Windows Feature