---
title: install
section: 5
To publish and install packages to and from the public npm registry, you
must install Node.js and the npm command line interface using either a Node
version manager or a Node installer. We strongly recommend using a Node
version manager to install Node.js and npm. We do not recommend using a
Node installer, since the Node installation process installs npm in a
directory with local permissions and can cause permissions errors when you
run npm packages globally.
To see if you already have Node.js and npm installed and check the
installed version, run the following commands:
node -v
npm -v
Node version managers allow you to install and switch between multiple
versions of Node.js and npm on your system so you can test your
applications on multiple versions of npm to ensure they work for users on
different versions. You can
search for them on GitHub.
If you are unable to use a Node version manager, you can use a Node
installer to install both Node.js and npm on your system.
If you're using OS X or Windows, use one of the installers from the
Node.js download page. Be sure to
install the version labeled LTS. Other versions have not yet been
tested with npm.
If you're using Linux or another operating system, use one of the following
installers:
Or see this page to
install npm for Linux in the way many Linux developers prefer.
For more information on installing Node.js on a variety of operating
systems, see this page.