Installing Node.js and Your First Project: Version Managers, .nvmrc, package.json, node --watch and --env-file
The right way to start a Node.js project is to install Node with a version manager, pin the version with .nvmrc and the engines field in package.json, and keep scripts in package.json. With real output: the EBADENGINE error engine-strict gives on Node 24, npm init and the anatomy of package.json, restarts with node --watch, the shell value overriding .env with --env-file, 0.04 versus 0.11 seconds for node --run and npm run, and the Bookstore API's first GET /health endpoint.
14 Nov 2026
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10 min
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