Node Version Manager for M$ Windows.
Inspired by nvmw and nvm-windows (and of course nvm itself), but totally rewritten using Microsoft Scripting Host.
- Written in JavaScript itself (well, JScript)
- Contains both:
- Command line utility
nvm$ - Full featured GUI for all operations (uses MSIE)
- Command line utility
- Adds single entry to PATH environment variable
- Creates additional utilities:
node.exefor iojs distributions (along withiojs.exe)- Console-less Node.js binary (
nodew.exe) - Restricted version of
npxscript - Can optionally install OpenSSL binary
- Detects availability of new versions of Node.js and itself
- One (or more) Node.js versions can be incorporated into installation package
If you have git installed:
- git clone https://github.com/ukoloff/nvms.git -b dist
- nvms/setup
If you have got no git
or don't like to use command prompt:
- Download upgrade.bat (mirror)
- Save it to any folder
- Run it
- It will download full distro, unpack and start installation
In case your browser won't agree to download
batch files or run them afterwards,
you can do the job of upgrade.bat yourself:
- Download nvm$.zip (mirror)
- Start downloaded
nvms$.zip(in Explorer) - Click
setup.bat - Windows will prompt to extract all files
- Agree
- Click
setup.batagain
Finally, you can download nvm$ package
with Node.js incorporated
(x64 or x86)
and install everything
requiring no Internet access.
After any installation you should close command prompt (if any)
and open new one to use nvm$.
For new version of nvm$ to install
just repeat installation steps above.
This can be done with nvm$ upgrade self command.
nvm$ will periodically check its repo
to see whether new version exists
and prompt to update in that case.
To disable that check,
find file %UserProfile%\.nvm$\that\.v
and insert into beginning some character
like # or ; or even -.
Fiddling environment variables may be tricky especially on Windows.
So, nvm$ adds itself to PATH during setup
and then simply switch folder referred to by PATH.
Therefore all the processes of current user immediately see this change.
There is the only Node.js version active at any moment of time
(unlike nvm).
nvm$ is always installed to a user,
it cannot be installed system-wide.
If Node.js is also normally installed
(for all users),
nvm$ works,
but is in fact unusable
(system node.exe is always preferred),
so don't install them both.
Technically, for switching Node.js version
NTFS junction point is used.
As there is no standard ActiveX control
for junction point manipulations,
command line utility linkd
from
Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools
is used.
Due to using JavaScript for processing, it appeared possible (and even easy) to do exhaustive command line parsing.
For most commands, where Node.js version should be specified, it is possible to select (in any set and order):
- Distribution (
nodeoriojs) - Platform (
x86orx64) - Version (
7or4.9or may be0.10.27) - LTS flag (
ltsonly)
Any parameter can be abbreviated, eg nvm$ i i
is equivalent to nvm$ install iojs
(that is nvm$ i 3)
and nvm$ o x8 means
nvm$ openssl x86.
Commands nvm$ install and nvm$ use select latest
(maximal)
of all possible versions,
while nvm$ remove deletes oldest
(minimal) one.
Therefore to install freshest Node.js
with default platform just type nvm$ i,
while nvm$ i x6 installs
latest 64-bit version.
List installed Node.js versions.
Filters apply, as mentioned earlier,
so nvm$ l x8 will list only x86
installations.
List Node.js (and io.js) versions available
(fetches their lists from respective sites).
nvm$ l r 4 will list all 4.*.* versions available.
Install latest of specified Node.js versions.
One can select platform (x86 or x64)
or default will be used.
If specified version is installed,
it will be used,
so it is safe to run nvm$ i
to ensure the latest version in installed.
To force reinstallation, add .
to the end of command,
eg nvm$ i . will reinstall
latest version unconditionally.
Switch to latest of installed versions
(filters apply).
Eg nvm$ use means switch to latest of all,
while nvm$ use i to latest of iojs.
Run nvm$ use none to temporarily make node.exe
unavailable,
you can switch back at any moment later.
Shows path to active version,
or path to Junction point
in case nvm$ use none was fired.
Remove oldest of installed versions considering command line filter.
For security reasons,
. must occur at the end of
this command,
or else it will refuse to proceed.
Eg, nvm$ d . (drop is alias for remove)
will remove one (minimal) version.
nvm$ d all i . will remove all iojs versions.
Actual removing of files can take much time, so it is performed in background. Don't logoff or turn off your computer a minute or two after this command finished.
Node.js versions 0.*.* contains openssl binary.
nvm$ can download it and install
into its PATH.
Like install command,
platform can be specified.
Other filters (version number for instance)
are meaningless hence ignored.
Helps to find comman abbreviation(s).
Eg, run nvm$ a w to see all commands,
starting with w and their alternatives.
Plain nvm$ a shows all abbreviations.
Upgrades nvm$ itself and/or Node.js
(current or LTS).
Self upgrade is nvm$ upgrade self.
For upgrading Node.js specify node or lts
and (optionally) platform
(x86 or x64).
These arguments will be
passed to regular
install command.
Opens nvm$ repository in default browser.
Fully uninstall nvm$ itself along with
all Node.js versions.
Like remove command,
requires . to proceed
and take some (more) time
for actual files removal
(may be 10 minutes or so).
nvm$ creates two additional binaries
and places them into it's PATH.
This is regular node.exe that has no console window
(black flash),
analogous to perlw, rubyw, pythonw etc.
This is a poor man's variation of great npx console utility.
It is created only for old distros
missing regular npx.
This limited edition can only run locally installed scripts. It never installs anything neither permanently nor temporarily.
Complex batch files are considered a threat nowadays by most antivirus software. Surprisingly, the most suspicious activity is unpacking MSI-file that contains official distro of Node.js.
So, temporarily disabling antivirus software
just before nvm$ install is recommended.
In case you forgot it,
causing installation to fail,
immediately disable antivirus
and repeat installation.
nvm$ will skip downloading
and proceed to unpacking again.
To build SFX package
(containing nvm$ itself
and some Node.js versions),
full repository is needed.
It works only on Windows so far.
Command to build package is node webpack\dist [filter],
where filter is regular filtering
expression (just like ls command).
If no filter set,
active installed version will be packed,
unless nvm$ use none was issued.
In latter case, latest of installed
will go into SFX.
When filter is specified,
all versions, matching it
will be packed into SFX,
allowing many (or none)
Node.js versions available
after installation.
So, say node webpack\dist all
to add all versions installed.
You can add some global npm packages
to SFX package, by simple installing them
(npm install -g) into Node.js to package.