In the era of Vibe Coding, speed and efficiency are everything. That’s why we don’t recommend the “old-school” way of downloading installers from the official website. Instead, we’ll use fnm (Fast Node Manager).
fnm is written in Rust, extremely fast, works great across platforms, and lets you switch Node versions seamlessly between projects.
In this guide, we’ll use fnm to install Node.js 24 and set up the high-performance package manager PNPM. Whether you’re on Windows, macOS, or a Linux server, this setup will keep your dev environment clean, consistent, and efficient.
Step 1: Install fnm (Node Version Manager)
Use the installation method that matches your OS.
🍎 macOS
If you have Homebrew installed (recommended), just run:
brew install fnm
If not, use the official install script:
curl -fsSL https://fnm.vercel.app/install | bash
🪟 Windows
The modern Windows dev experience is actually pretty good now. We recommend using PowerShell (run as Administrator) or Winget.
Option 1: Winget (recommended)
winget install Schniz.fnm
Option 2: Scoop (if you use it)
scoop install fnm
🐧 Linux (Debian / Ubuntu)
First make sure you have unzip and curl:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl unzip -y
Then run the install script:
curl -fsSL https://fnm.vercel.app/install | bash
🐧 Linux (CentOS / RHEL / Fedora)
For CentOS/RHEL, install basic dependencies first:
sudo yum install curl unzip -y
Then run the install script:
curl -fsSL https://fnm.vercel.app/install | bash
Step 2: Configure Your Shell
After installing fnm, you need to tell your shell to load it every time a new terminal is opened.
macOS / Linux (zsh or bash)
The install script usually adds this automatically. If not, add the following to the bottom of your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:
eval "$(fnm env --use-on-cd)"
Windows (PowerShell)
If you’re using PowerShell, open your profile (for example via notepad $PROFILE) and add:
fnm env --use-on-cd | Out-String | Invoke-Expression
Tip: After editing your config, close and reopen your terminal, or run
source ~/.zshrc/source ~/.bashrcon macOS/Linux to apply the changes.
Step 3: Install Node.js 24
From here on, the commands are the same across all platforms.
- List available Node versions (optional):fnm list-remote
- Install Node.js 24:fnm install 24
- Set Node.js 24 as the default version:fnm default 24
Verify the installation:
node -v
# Expected output: v24.x.x
Step 4: Install PNPM
Node comes with NPM, but these days PNPM is often the better choice. Thanks to its hard-linking strategy, it saves a lot of disk space and can be 3x faster than NPM for installs.
We’ll enable PNPM globally using the Node.js you just installed.
Works on Windows / macOS / Linux:
# Enable Corepack (Node’s built-in package manager manager)
corepack enable
# Activate the latest PNPM
corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate
If you hit permission issues (common on some Linux setups), fall back to the classic method:
npm install -g pnpm
Verify PNPM:
pnpm -v
# Expected output: 9.x.x (or a similar recent version)
Step 5: Configure China Mirrors (For Developers in Mainland China)
If you’re developing from mainland China, using Taobao/npmmirror registries can dramatically speed up installs.
Set NPM registry:
npm config set registry https://registry.npmmirror.com
Set PNPM registry:
pnpm config set registry https://registry.npmmirror.com
Verify:
pnpm config get registry
# Expected: https://registry.npmmirror.com/
FAQ
Q: Why not use nvm?
A: nvm is the classic tool, but it can noticeably slow down shell startup (especially with zsh). fnm is written in Rust, much faster, and has first-class Windows support, so you don’t need a separate “nvm for Windows” project.
Q: Is Node.js 24 an LTS release?
A: Typically, even-numbered Node.js versions become LTS at some point. Early on, a new major version may still be in “Current” status. If you want the latest features (like native .env support, improved WebSocket clients, etc.), v24 is a great pick. If you want maximum stability for production, you can install the current LTS instead:
fnm install --lts
fnm default --lts
Conclusion
At this point, your full-stack “big three” are ready:
- Database: Supabase
- Object Storage: Cloudflare R2
- Runtime & Package Manager: Node.js 24 + PNPM
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