Node.js Get Started: Install, Setup And Run Your First App (2026-27)

✅ What You'll Need Before You Start

Getting started with Node.js does not require any special hardware or paid software. Almost any modern computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux is enough. Before you begin, it helps to have the following ready:

• A computer with an up-to-date operating system and at least a few hundred megabytes of free disk space.
• Basic comfort using a terminal or command prompt - you don't need to be an expert, just able to type and run a command.
• Some familiarity with JavaScript fundamentals, such as variables, functions, and console output.
• An internet connection for the initial download and for installing packages later.

✅ Installing Node.js (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Node.js provides official installers for every major operating system, and the process takes only a few minutes on any of them.

✅ Verifying Your Installation

Once the installer finishes, open a terminal (Command Prompt, PowerShell, Terminal, or your Linux shell) and run the following two commands:

// Check the installed Node.js version
node -v

// Check the installed npm version
npm -v

Also If both commands print a version number - something like v22.14.0 and 10.9.2 - your installation succeeded and Node.js is ready to use. If you instead see a "command not found" or "not recognized" error, the most common fix is to close and reopen your terminal so it picks up the updated PATH, or to restart your computer if that doesn't help.

✅ Choosing LTS vs. Current

The Node.js download page usually offers two options, and it's worth understanding the difference before you pick one.

Unless you have a specific reason to need a brand-new feature, choose LTS. Almost every tutorial, package, and production deployment guide assumes you are running an LTS release, so it minimizes the chance of running into confusing compatibility issues while you are still learning.

✅ Setting Up a Code Editor

Node.js code can technically be written in any plain text editor, but a proper code editor makes learning far smoother. Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is the most widely used option in the Node.js community and is free to download.

Once installed, open your project's folder in VS Code using File → Open Folder, then use the built-in terminal (Terminal → New Terminal) to run the same node and npm commands you would use in a standalone terminal window.

✅ Your First Node.js Script

With Node.js installed and verified, it's time to run actual code. Create a new folder for your project, then inside it create a file named app.js with the following content:

console.log("Hello, Node.js!");

Open a terminal inside that same folder and run:

node app.js

You should immediately see Hello, Node.js! printed in the terminal. That's it - you've just executed JavaScript entirely outside of a web browser, which is the whole point of Node.js.

✅ Using the Node.js REPL

Besides running saved files, Node.js ships with an interactive prompt called the REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop). It's useful for quickly testing a line of JavaScript without creating a file at all. Start it by typing node with no filename:

// Start the REPL
node

// Then type JavaScript directly and press Enter
> 2 + 2
4
> const name = "Node.js learner";
undefined
> console.log(`Hi, ${name}!`);
Hi, Node.js learner!

Each line you type is read, evaluated, and the result is printed immediately - hence "Read-Eval-Print Loop." To exit the REPL, press Ctrl + C twice, or type .exit and press Enter.

✅ Creating Your First Project

A real Node.js project starts with a package.json file, which acts as its manifest. Inside your project folder, run:

npm init -y

The -y flag accepts all the default answers instantly. Without it, npm init asks you a series of questions - project name, version, description, entry point, and so on - and writes your answers into the same file. Either way, you'll end up with something like this:

{
  "name": "my-first-node-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "",
  "main": "app.js",
  "scripts": {
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
  },
  "keywords": [],
  "author": "",
  "license": "ISC"
}

From this point on, every package you install and every custom script you define will be recorded automatically inside this file, which makes it easy for anyone else - or a future version of you - to recreate the exact same project setup.

✅ Installing And Using npm Packages

npm, installed automatically with Node.js, gives you access to well over a million open-source packages. Installing one is a single command:

npm install express

This downloads the Express.js framework into a local node_modules folder and adds it as a dependency inside package.json. Once installed, you can import and use it in your code:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello from Express!');
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('App listening on port 3000');
});

✅ Building a Simple Web Server

You do nit even need a third-party framework to build a working web server - Node.js includes a built-in http module for exactly this purpose:

const http = require('http');

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  res.statusCode = 200;
  res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain');
  res.end('Hello from my first Node.js server!');
});

server.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server running at http://localhost:3000/');
});

Save this as server.js, run node server.js, then open a browser and go to http://localhost:3000/. You should see the plain text response rendered on the page. Press Ctrl + C in the terminal whenever you want to stop the server.

✅ Environment Variables And Configuration

Real applications need configuration that changes between your laptop and a live server - things like port numbers, database URLs, or API keys. Node.js exposes these through process.env:

// Reading an environment variable safely, with a fallback
const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;
console.log(`Server will run on port ${port}`);

You can set a variable temporarily before running a command - for example, PORT=4000 node server.js on macOS and Linux - or store them in a local .env file loaded by a package such as dotenv. Either approach keeps sensitive values, like API keys, out of your source code.

✅ Debugging a Node.js App

When something goes wrong, Node.js gives you a few beginner-friendly ways to find out why, without installing anything extra.

Reading the error message and stack trace carefully is often the fastest fix of all: Node.js errors usually point to the exact file and line number where something failed, along with a description of what went wrong.

✅ Recommended Project Structure

Even a small Node.js project benefits from a little organization from day one. A simple, common layout looks like this:

my-first-node-app/
├── node_modules/     // installed packages (never edit or commit)
├── src/
│   └── app.js        // your application code
├── .env               // local environment variables (never commit)
├── .gitignore          // tells Git to ignore node_modules and .env
├── package.json        // project manifest and dependencies
└── package-lock.json    // exact installed versions, auto-generated

You don't need this exact structure for a one-file experiment, but adopting it early - especially the .gitignore file - builds habits that carry directly into larger, real-world projects.

✅ Common Beginner Mistakes

• Forgetting to run npm install after cloning a project, then wondering why require() calls fail.
• Committing node_modules to Git, which bloats repositories unnecessarily - use a .gitignore file instead.
• Mixing up global and local installs - running npm install -g for packages that should really be project dependencies.
• Editing files inside node_modules directly - any changes are lost the next time packages are reinstalled.
• Not restarting the terminal after installing Node.js, leading to confusing "command not found" errors.
• Hard-coding secrets like API keys directly into source files instead of using environment variables.

✅ Getting Started Checklist

✅ Node.js Get Started - Quick Reference Table

✅ Try It Yourself: Code Game Playground

Edit the JavaScript below and click "Run" to see simulated console output. This demonstrates basic JavaScript concepts you would run identically inside Node.js using node yourfile.js.

✅ Practice - Yes / No Quiz

✅ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)