You can install multiple self-contained versions of Node.js without affecting the entire system. The other alternative to installing Node.js through apt is to use a tool called Node Version Manager ( nvm). Since you need the npm packages to work, you will need to install the build-essential package: sudo apt install build-essential

To verify the installation by running node with the -v version option, type: node -v Now you can install the nodejs package in the same way, as the PPA will be added to your configuration and your local package cache will be updated automatically. Then, run the script using sudo and exit your text editor. To verify the contents of this script with nano (or your preferred text editor) : nano nodesource_setup.sh Note: Ensure to replace 12.x with your preferred version string. cd ~ curl -sL 12.x -o nodesource_setup.sh When you install PPA, this will add the repository to our package list and allow us to install the new packages using apt. It still works with apt and will have more up-to-date versions of Node.js than the official Debian repositories. If you want to work with an alternate repository, you can install from PPA (personal package archive) maintained by NodeSource.

Debian npm install