Install Node.js using Node Version Manager

Install Node Version Manager (NVM)

To install Node.js on your Arm-based VM, use Node Version Manager (NVM). NVM lets you select and manage different Node.js versions easily. By using official Node.js packages, you’ll get a reliable and straightforward setup.

First, use this command to download and install NVM into your VM instance:

    

        
        
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash

    

Next, activate Node Version Manager (NVM) in your current terminal session. Copy and paste the following commands into your shell to load NVM and enable command completion:

    

        
        
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"

    

This step ensures that NVM commands are available in your shell. If you open a new terminal, repeat these commands or add them to your ~/.bashrc file for automatic activation:

    

        
        
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"  # This loads nvm
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"  # This loads nvm bash_completion

    

Confirm that NVM is available by typing:

    

        
        
nvm --version

    

Install Node.js

Now that NVM is installed, download and install Node.js:

    

        
        
nvm install v24
nvm use v24

    

Next, add this command to the bottom of your $HOME/.bashrc file:

    

        
        
echo 'nvm use v24' >> ~/.bashrc

    

Verify installation

Check that Node.js and npm (Node.js package manager) are installed correctly by using this command that confirms that NodeJS is installed and available:

    

        
        
node --version
npm --version

    

You should see an output similar to:

    

        
        v24.10.0
11.6.1

        
    

This shows you that Node.js installation is complete. You can now proceed with the baseline testing.

What you’ve accomplished

You’ve successfully provisioned a Google Axion C4A Arm virtual machine running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. You’re now ready to install Node.js and deploy your workloads on Arm.