How to Install Specific NPM Version ?

Node Package Manager (npm) is the default package manager for Node.js and is crucial for managing JavaScript libraries and frameworks. Sometimes, you may need to install a specific version of npm to ensure compatibility with certain projects, scripts, or tools. This article explains how to install a specific version of npm and why you might need to do so.

Installing specific versions of npm packages is necessary for several reasons:

• Compatibility: Ensuring that your project works with a specific version of a package that meets its requirements.
• Stability: Using a known, stable version of a package to minimize the risk of encountering bugs or breaking changes.
• Reproducibility: Ensuring that your project behaves consistently across different environments by using the same versions of dependencies.

Step 1: Check the Current Version of npm

Open a terminal and check which version of npm you have installed:

npm --version

Step 2: Determine which specific npm version you want to install. You can choose based on project requirements or compatibility considerations.

Step 3: Install a Specific Version of npm. To install a specific version of npm, use the below syntax command.

npm install -g npm@<version> 

For example, to install npm version 9.8.1:

npm install -g npm@ 9.8.1

Step 4: You should see output indicating the installation process, with information on dependencies and other related activities.

Step 5: Verify the Installed Version. After installing, check the installed npm version to ensure the correct one was installed:

npm --version

You can also install a range of versions using npm’s version range syntax. For example, to install any version of a package between 2.0.0 and 3.0.0, you can use:

npm install <package-name>@">=2.0.0 <3.0.0"

Installing specific versions of npm packages is essential for maintaining compatibility, stability, and reproducibility within Node.js projects. By using the npm install command with the package name and version number, or by specifying versions in the package.json file, you can ensure that your project uses the desired versions of dependencies.