Install Node.js 17 & NPM on Debian 11 Bullseye - Step by step guide ?

Node.js is an open-source and cross platform JavaScript framework. JavaScript is a popular programming language for building web applications. Node.js allows frontend developers using JavaScript to build the backend without using a different programming language. NPM is a software package manager for NodeJS that allows developers to share useful JavaScript libraries and packages.

Here at LinuxAPT, we shall look into the different ways of installing Node.JS & NPM on Debian 11.

Different Options of installing Node.JS & NPM on Debian 11

• Node.js & NPM installation from Debian repository.
• Node.js & NPM installation from source.

1. Node.js & NPM installation from Debian repository

Node.js and npm are available in the default debian repositories. They can simply be installed with the commands:

$ sudo apt update

Using the APT package manager, install NodeJS and NPM:

$ sudo apt install nodejs npm

This install Node.JS alongside a bunch of libraries and dependencies. 

2. Node.js & NPM installation from source

You can build and compile Node.js from source. This is the best option if you wish to install a specific version of Node.js. Here, we are going to install Node.js from source. First, add the repository to Debian 11 with the command:

$ curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_17.x | sudo -E bash -

Here's an snippet of the output. The setup script add the GPG signing key and proceeds to create a sources list file for the Node.JS repository in the /etc/apt/sources.list file.

Then it updates the package index to sync with the newly appended Node.JS repository.

At the tail-end of the output, you are provided with the next steps to take – which is to install Node.JS and NPM.

So, go ahead and install Node.JS 17 and npm with the command:

$ sudo apt install nodejs

As before, this installs NodeJS alongside a bucketload of other libraries and dependencies. To confirm NodeJS is installed, run:

$ node —-version

Also, you can verify npm version:

$ npm —-version

If you are interested in installing Yarn package manager, first add the GPG key:

$ curl -sL https://dl.yarnpkg.com/debian/pubkey.gpg | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/yarnkey.gpg >/dev/null

Then add the Yarn repository to the sources list file:

$ echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/yarnkey.gpg] https://dl.yarnpkg.com/debian stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/yarn.list

Finally, update the package index to refresh the repositories:

$ sudo apt-get update

Thereafter, as instructed, install Yarn using APT package manager:

$ sudo apt install yarn

How to Uninstall Node.JS & NPM from Debian 11 Bullseye ?

To remove Node.JS 17, use the following command:

$ sudo apt remove nodejs -y

Next, remove the repository for complete removal.

$ sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nodesource.list

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