node-version-alias

Resolve Node.js version aliases like latest, lts or erbium.

Those aliases are used by Node.js version managers like nvm, nvs, n, nave, nodeenv or nodist.

This resolves them to a "major.minor.patch" version string. The following aliases are supported:

• latest, stable, node, current: latest version
• lts or lts/*: latest LTS version
• lts/-1, lts/-2, etc.: first/second/etc. latest LTS version
• lts/erbium, erbium, etc.: specific LTS, using its name (case-insensitive)
• nvm custom aliases (including default)
• system: Node.js version when nvm is deactivated
• iojs: always 4.0.0
• unstable: always 0.11.6

Normal version ranges (like 12.1.0, 12 or >=10) are valid inputs too.

Hire me

Please reach out if you're looking for a Node.js API or CLI engineer (11 years of experience). Most recently I have been Netlify Build's and Netlify Plugins' technical lead for 2.5 years. I am available for full-time remote positions.

Examples

import nodeVersionAlias from 'node-version-alias'

// Note: the following examples might be out-of-sync with the actual versions
console.log(await nodeVersionAlias('latest')) // 19.3.0
console.log(await nodeVersionAlias('lts')) // 18.12.1
console.log(await nodeVersionAlias('lts/erbium')) // 12.22.12
console.log(await nodeVersionAlias('erbium')) // 12.22.12
console.log(await nodeVersionAlias('lts/-2')) // 14.21.2

// Normal version ranges
console.log(await nodeVersionAlias('10.0.0')) // 10.0.0
console.log(await nodeVersionAlias('10')) // 10.24.1
console.log(await nodeVersionAlias('^10')) // 10.24.1
console.log(await nodeVersionAlias('>=10')) // 19.3.0

// Allowed options
await nodeVersionAlias('latest', {
  // Use a mirror for Node.js binaries
  mirror: 'https://npmmirror.com/mirrors/node',
  // Do not cache the list of available Node.js versions
  fetch: true,
  // Cancels when the signal is aborted
  signal: new AbortController().signal,
})

Install

npm install node-version-alias

This package works in Node.js >=18.18.0.

This is an ES module. It must be loaded using an import or import() statement, not require(). If TypeScript is used, it must be configured to output ES modules, not CommonJS.

Usage

nodeVersionAlias(alias, options?)

alias: string
options: Options?
Returns: Promise<string>

The return value resolves to a "major.minor.patch" version string.

Options

mirror

Type: string
Default: https://nodejs.org/dist

Base URL to fetch the list of available Node.js versions. Can be customized (for example https://npmmirror.com/mirrors/node).

The following environment variables can also be used: NODE_MIRROR, NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR, N_NODE_MIRROR or NODIST_NODE_MIRROR.

fetch

Type: boolean
Default: undefined

The list of available Node.js versions is cached for one hour by default. If the fetch option is:

• true: the cache will not be used
• false: the cache will be used even if it's older than one hour

signal

Type: AbortSignal

Cancels when the signal is aborted.

CLI

nve can be used to run node-version-alias as a CLI. The --mirror and --fetch CLI flags are available.

# Prints latest Node.js version
$ nve latest
19.3.0

# Prints latest Node.js 8 version
$ nve 8
8.17.0

# Prints latest Node.js 12, 10 and 8 versions
$ nve 12,10,8
12.22.1
10.24.1
8.17.0

See also

• nvexeca: Run a specific Node.js version (programmatic)
• get-node: Download Node.js
• normalize-node-version: Normalize and validate Node.js versions
• preferred-node-version: Get the preferred Node.js version of a project or user
• all-node-versions: List all available Node.js versions
• fetch-node-website: Fetch releases on nodejs.org

Support

For any question, don't hesitate to submit an issue on GitHub.

Everyone is welcome regardless of personal background. We enforce a Code of conduct in order to promote a positive and inclusive environment.

Contributing

This project was made with ❤️. The simplest way to give back is by starring and sharing it online.

If the documentation is unclear or has a typo, please click on the page's Edit button (pencil icon) and suggest a correction.

If you would like to help us fix a bug or add a new feature, please check our guidelines. Pull requests are welcome!

Thanks go to our wonderful contributors:

ehmicky 💻 🎨 🤔 📖

Adrien Becchis 💻 ⚠️ 🤔

Joram van den Boezem 🐛

Glenn 'devalias' Grant 📖 💬