Node.js

Install Node.js inside WSL, not on Windows. VS Code's WSL extension and every npm / pnpm script should see the Linux binary.

This guide uses fnm (Fast Node Manager): a single Rust binary that reads .nvmrc, .node-version and package.json engines. It is faster than nvm and does not need to be sourced as a shell function.

curl and unzip are required. The zsh step already installed both.

Install fnm

curl -fsSL https://fnm.vercel.app/install | bash

The installer puts the binary in ~/.local/share/fnm and appends a loader to ~/.zshrc. Replace that loader with the version that switches Node when you cd into a project:

# fnm
export PATH="$HOME/.local/share/fnm:$PATH"
eval "$(fnm env --use-on-cd --shell zsh)"

Reload:

source ~/.zshrc
fnm --version

Install Node.js LTS

As of October 2026, Active LTS is the 24.x line. Do not pin a patch in your notes; let fnm pick the current LTS:

fnm install --lts --use
fnm default lts-latest
node -v
npm -v

fnm install --lts aliases that version as lts-latest. fnm default lts-latest is what new shells use when a project does not specify a version.

Everyday commands

fnm ls                  # installed versions
fnm ls-remote --lts     # available LTS releases
fnm install 22          # another major (for example Maintenance LTS)
fnm use 24              # this shell only
fnm default 24          # new shells
fnm uninstall 22

Drop a .node-version (or .nvmrc) in a repo so --use-on-cd selects that version when you enter the directory:

echo 24 > .node-version

Why not nvm or a Windows installer?

• nvm works, but it is a shell script you source on every prompt. fnm is a binary and starts faster. If a teammate's README says nvm use, fnm still honors .nvmrc.
• The Windows Node.js installer puts node on the Windows PATH. Mixing that with WSL leads to wrong binaries, CRLF scripts and native-addon mismatches. Uninstall it if it is already there (winget uninstall -e --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS).