---
title: "How to Install Node.js and npm on Ubuntu 24.04"
description: "Install Node.js 24 LTS and npm on Ubuntu 24.04 from the NodeSource repository or with nvm, set up global packages without sudo and test a small Express app."
category: "Application Deployment"
language: en
source: https://cubepath.com/docs/application-deployment/node-js-and-npm-installation
updated: 2026-09-25
---

# How to Install Node.js and npm on Ubuntu 24.04

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that lets you run JavaScript on the server, and npm is the package manager that ships with it. In this tutorial you will install the current Node.js LTS release (Node.js 24) and npm on Ubuntu 24.04 from the NodeSource repository, which is the right choice for a server that runs applications as system services. You will also see how to use nvm instead when you need several Node.js versions per user, and you will finish by running a small Express app to confirm everything works.

## Prerequisites

To follow this guide you need:

- A server running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, for example a CubePath VPS.
- A non-root user with `sudo` privileges.
- At least 1 GB of RAM. Building native npm modules on smaller servers may need swap.

> Note: Ubuntu 24.04 includes a `nodejs` package in its own repositories, but it is Node.js 18, which is already end of life. Use NodeSource or nvm to get a supported release.

## Step 1 - Removing old Node.js packages

If Node.js was installed earlier from the Ubuntu repositories, remove it so it does not conflict with the NodeSource packages. apt reports that a package is not installed if it is not present, which is fine:

```bash
sudo apt remove nodejs npm
```

Check that no `node` binary is left in your `PATH`:

```bash
which node
```

The command should print nothing.

## Step 2 - Adding the NodeSource repository

NodeSource publishes one apt repository per Node.js major version. Install the tools needed to fetch its signing key:

```bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ca-certificates curl gnupg
```

Download the NodeSource GPG key into `/etc/apt/keyrings`, the standard location for third-party repository keys:

```bash
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/gpgkey/nodesource-repo.gpg.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/nodesource.gpg
```

Add the repository for Node.js 24, pinned to that key:

```bash
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/nodesource.gpg] https://deb.nodesource.com/node_24.x nodistro main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nodesource.list
```

Refresh the package index and confirm that apt now picks the NodeSource package:

```bash
sudo apt update
apt policy nodejs
```

```output
nodejs:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 24.11.1-1nodesource1
  Version table:
     24.11.1-1nodesource1 500
        500 https://deb.nodesource.com/node_24.x nodistro/main amd64 Packages
     18.19.1+dfsg-6ubuntu5 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/universe amd64 Packages
```

The exact version numbers will differ; what matters is that the candidate comes from `deb.nodesource.com`.

> Tip: To install a different major version later, change `node_24.x` in `/etc/apt/sources.list.d/nodesource.list` and run `sudo apt update && sudo apt install nodejs`.

## Step 3 - Installing Node.js and npm

The NodeSource `nodejs` package includes both `node` and `npm`, so a single package is enough. Also install `build-essential`, which provides the compiler and `make` that npm needs to build packages with native add-ons:

```bash
sudo apt install nodejs build-essential
```

Verify the installed versions:

```bash
node --version
npm --version
```

```output
v24.11.1
11.6.2
```

Updates now arrive through the normal system update process, so `sudo apt upgrade` keeps Node.js patched within the 24.x line.

## Step 4 - Installing global npm packages without sudo

With a system-wide Node.js, `npm install -g` writes to `/usr/lib/node_modules` and requires `sudo`. That is acceptable for tools every user needs, but for your own command-line tools it is cleaner to give npm a prefix inside your home directory.

Create the directory and tell npm to use it:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global
```

Add its `bin` directory to your `PATH` in `~/.profile` so it applies to every login shell:

```bash
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.profile
source ~/.profile
```

Install a small CLI to test it, without `sudo`:

```bash
npm install -g http-server
which http-server
```

```output
/home/your_user/.npm-global/bin/http-server
```

## Step 5 - Testing Node.js with an Express app

To confirm that npm can download dependencies and Node.js can serve traffic, create a minimal Express application. Create a project directory and initialize it:

```bash
mkdir ~/hello-node
cd ~/hello-node
npm init -y
npm install express
```

`npm init -y` creates `package.json` with defaults, and `npm install express` adds Express to its `dependencies` and writes `package-lock.json`.

Create the application file:

```bash
nano index.js
```

```javascript
const express = require('express');

const app = express();
const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send(`Hello from Node.js ${process.version}\n`);
});

app.listen(port, '127.0.0.1', () => {
  console.log(`Listening on http://127.0.0.1:${port}`);
});
```

Start it:

```bash
node index.js
```

```output
Listening on http://127.0.0.1:3000
```

In a second SSH session, send a request:

```bash
curl http://127.0.0.1:3000
```

```output
Hello from Node.js v24.11.1
```

Stop the app with `CTRL+C`. The app listens only on `127.0.0.1`, so it is not exposed to the internet; in production you would keep it that way and put a reverse proxy such as Nginx in front of it.

## Alternative: Installing Node.js with nvm

nvm (Node Version Manager) installs Node.js inside your home directory and lets you switch versions per project. It is useful on development machines or when different apps need different Node.js releases. Do not combine it with the NodeSource package for the same user unless you are aware of which `node` comes first in your `PATH`.

Download the install script, review it, then run it. Check the [nvm releases page](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/releases) for the latest version number:

```bash
curl -fsSL -o install-nvm.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.3/install.sh
less install-nvm.sh
bash install-nvm.sh
```

The script clones nvm into `~/.nvm` and adds its loader to `~/.bashrc`. Load it into the current shell:

```bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm --version
```

Install the latest LTS release and make it the default for new shells:

```bash
nvm install --lts
nvm alias default 'lts/*'
node --version
```

To pin a version per project, write it to an `.nvmrc` file in the project root; `nvm use` and `nvm install` read it automatically:

```bash
echo "24" > .nvmrc
nvm use
```

```output
Found '/home/your_user/hello-node/.nvmrc' with version <24>
Now using node v24.11.1 (npm v11.6.2)
```

> Important: nvm is a shell function loaded from `~/.bashrc`. It is not available to `root`, `sudo`, cron or systemd units. Services started outside your interactive shell need the full path to the binary (for example `~/.nvm/versions/node/v24.11.1/bin/node`), which is why NodeSource is the simpler choice for production servers.

## Troubleshooting

**`EACCES: permission denied` when running `npm install -g`.** You are installing globally into `/usr/lib/node_modules` without `sudo`. Either use `sudo npm install -g <package>` or configure a user prefix as shown in Step 4. Never run `chown` on `/usr` to work around it.

**`gyp ERR! build error` while installing a package.** The package compiles a native add-on. Make sure `build-essential` and `python3` are installed with `sudo apt install build-essential python3`, then run `npm install` again.

**`node --version` still shows an old version.** More than one Node.js is installed. List every `node` in your `PATH`:

```bash
which -a node
```

Remove the one you do not want (the Ubuntu package or the nvm version) and run `hash -r` to clear the shell's command cache.

**`npm ERR! code ETIMEDOUT` during installs.** The server cannot reach `registry.npmjs.org`. Check outbound HTTPS with `curl -I https://registry.npmjs.org/` and review any outbound firewall rules or proxy settings.

## Conclusion

You installed Node.js 24 LTS and npm on Ubuntu 24.04 from the NodeSource repository, configured a user-level prefix for global packages, and confirmed the setup with a small Express app. You also saw how nvm fits when you need several Node.js versions side by side.

From here you can:

- Keep your app running in the background and across reboots with PM2.
- Put Nginx in front of the app as a reverse proxy and add HTTPS with Let's Encrypt.
- Use `npm ci` in your deployment process so production installs match `package-lock.json` exactly.