03 September, 2025 by

Install Node.js on Ubuntu 16.04: A Step-by-Step Guide

Install Node.js on Ubuntu 16.04 using the APT package manager, PPA repository, or NVM tool. Verify installation with simple version commands to ensure Node.js is ready to use.

🤖AI Overview:

Node.js installation on Ubuntu 16.04 can be accomplished through multiple methods including APT, PPA, and NVM. Each method allows users to install different Node.js versions and manage them efficiently based on their needs. This guide details updated, straightforward steps to get Node.js operational on your Ubuntu system.

Install Node.js on Ubuntu using APT

  1. Log in to your virtual server via SSH as a root user and make sure it is updated/upgraded.
    Connect Linux VPS with SSH

    apt-get update && apt-get upgrade
  2. With the following command, you can easily install Node.js through Ubuntu default repositories 
    apt-get install nodejs
  3. You also need to install NPM to easily manage Node.js packages 
    apt-get install npm
  4. Check the installed Node.js and NPM version 
    nodejs -v

v4.2.7
npm -v

3.5.2

Install Node.js on Ubuntu using PPA

  1. If you need a new version of Node.js, you can install it from the available repositories in the official Ubuntu PPA. Here we want to download Node.js using curl directly, If the curl is not installed, then install it first. 
    apt-get install curl
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_8.x | sudo -E bash -

    Note: This will add PPA and package upgrades.

  2. To install Node.js, run the following command 
    apt-get install nodejs
  3. Install the necessary packages(build-essential package) 
    apt-get install build-essential
  4. Finally, See the installed Node.js version 
    nodejs -v 
v8.9.6

Install Node.js on Ubuntu using NVM

You can also install Node.js with the help of NVM (Node.js version manager). With this tool, you can install multiple versions of Node.js on Ubuntu.

  1. Install some dependencies and library 
    apt-get install build-essential libssl-dev
  2. Download the NVM installation version using the following command 
    curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.8/install.sh -o install.sh
  3. Now run the installation file with bash 
    bash install.sh
  4. In this case, anything inside the .nvm directory will be installed in the Home directory too. To apply the changes in .profile file, make it the source 
    source ~/.profile
  5. Now you can run the following command and check all available Node.js versions 
    nvm ls-remote 
v8.9.0 (LTS: Carbon) 
v8.9.1 (LTS: Carbon) 
v8.9.2 (LTS: Carbon) 
v8.9.3 (LTS: Carbon) 
v8.9.4 (Latest LTS: Carbon) 
v9.0.0 
v9.1.0 
v9.2.0 
v9.2.1 
v9.3.0 
v9.4.0 
v9.5.0
  6. To install a specific version of Node.js, you can use the following command and add the desired version to the end 
    nvm install v9.3.0

List all versions of node.js installed

If you have installed multiple versions of this platform on your Ubuntu VPS, you can use the following command to list them out

nvm ls

Uninstall and Remove the Node.js completely

  1. Run the following code in the Linux terminal

    sudo apt-get remove nodejs 
sudo apt-get remove npm 
sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove nodejs
  2. Navigate to the path where you saved the Nodejs file and then delete the file from that path. 
    sudo rm -rf /usr/local/lib/node*

Conclusion

Following these instructions carefully will help you install Node.js properly on your system, whether you prefer the default APT method, the more current PPA approach, or the flexible NVM manager.

This ensures a stable environment to develop with Node.js and manage packages efficiently using npm.

FAQ

Use NVM (Node Version Manager) by installing it first, then run "nvm install <version>" replacing <version> with your desired version.

NVM lets you install and switch between multiple Node.js versions on the same system, which is useful for different project requirements.

Run "nodejs -v" and "npm -v" in your terminal to check the installed versions.

Yes, add the official NodeSource PPA using the curl setup script, then install with APT.

Remove them with "sudo apt remove nodejs npm" and clean up with "sudo apt purge --auto-remove nodejs npm".

Install "build-essential" and "libssl-dev" to compile native addons if needed.

Some Ubuntu versions name the binary "nodejs" to avoid conflicts. Creating a symbolic link from "nodejs" to "node" or using NVM can resolve this.

Yes, updating the system ensures compatibility and smooth installation.

While focused on 16.04, the guide applies similarly to newer Ubuntu LTS releases with minor command adjustments.

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