Getting Started with Node.js: Understanding Node, npm, nvm, and npx (and How to Install Node.js)
When you first hear about Node.js, it's easy to feel overwhelmed with all the extra terms like npm, nvm, and npx flying around. Don't worry — by the end of this post, you'll not only know what each of them means, but you'll also know why they exist and how they fit together. Let's break it down, in the simplest way possible. What is Node (or Node.js)? Imagine you have a sports car (JavaScript) — but it's stuck inside a racetrack (the browser). You can only drive it inside that track. Now, what if you wanted to drive it on highways, through cities, anywhere you like? Node.js is like building a powerful engine that lets JavaScript drive outside the racetrack — on the entire internet!
When you first hear about Node.js, it's easy to feel overwhelmed with all the extra terms like npm, nvm, and npx flying around.
Don't worry — by the end of this post, you'll not only know what each of them means, but you'll also know why they exist and how they fit together.
Let's break it down, in the simplest way possible.
What is Node (or Node.js)?
Imagine you have a sports car (JavaScript) — but it's stuck inside a racetrack (the browser).
You can only drive it inside that track.
Now, what if you wanted to drive it on highways, through cities, anywhere you like?
Node.js is like building a powerful engine that lets JavaScript drive outside the racetrack — on the entire internet!
