install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install nodenv

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#nodenv

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/no/nodenv/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Node.js version manager

Project links

Commands and aliases

nodenv

history

Project history and usage

`nodenv` is the rbenv-style Node.js version manager: shims in PATH, per-project `.node-version` files, and Node installations under `~/.nodenv/versions`. It is for developers who want automatic project-local Node selection without shell-function-heavy tools.

Project history

GitHub metadata shows `nodenv/nodenv` was created on 2013-03-10. Its README credits it as forked from Sam Stephenson's `rbenv` by Will McKenzie and modified for Node.js, which explains the shims, local/global version files, and plugin-driven design.

The companion `nodenv/node-build` repository was created on 2013-03-10 and provides the `nodenv install` command. Its README describes downloading, compiling, and installing Node on Unix-like systems, using precompiled binaries when available and source builds otherwise.

Adoption history

By 2026-07-01, GitHub metadata reported 2384 stars and 156 forks for `nodenv/nodenv`, plus 294 stars and 85 forks for `nodenv/node-build`. Homebrew's formula API reported stable version 1.6.2 and 11734 installs over 365 days, more than nodebrew and far more than nodeenv in the same Homebrew snapshot.

The README recommends Homebrew on macOS or Linux, and the formula depends on `node-build`. That packaging relationship is part of its adoption: users get the shim manager and the installer plugin as a package-manager-friendly pair.

How it is used

After `nodenv init`, invocations of `node`, `npm`, `npx`, and related executables pass through nodenv's shims. nodenv scans for `.node-version`, then resolves the requested version under `~/.nodenv/versions`. Common commands are `nodenv install -l`, `nodenv install 24.1.0`, `nodenv local 24.1.0`, `nodenv global 24.1.0`, and `nodenv versions`.

Package nerds use it where `.node-version` is the contract in a repository. The useful detail is precedence and locality: a checked-in `.node-version` makes directory changes switch Node versions automatically, while globally installed npm packages are scoped to the active Node installation.

Why package nerds care

nodenv matters because it gives Node.js the same operational shape as rbenv and pyenv: shims, local version files, and plugins. That makes it attractive in polyglot developer environments where people already understand the rbenv family.

Timeline

2013-03-10: GitHub repositories `nodenv/nodenv` and `nodenv/node-build` were created.
2023-02-18: nodenv v1.4.1 release was published.
2024-05-27: nodenv v1.5.0 release was published.
2025-07-30: nodenv v1.6.2 release was published.
2026-07-01: Homebrew formula API reported stable version 1.6.2.

Related projects

rbenv
node-build
nodenv-default-packages
nodenv-package-json-engine
nvm
nodebrew

Sources

security posture

Risk level: orange

infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.

Risk classifier

orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure

Why

infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal

Signals

text:version manager

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: .node-version~/.nodenv/version

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`nodenv`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version1.6.2

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.6.2

https://github.com/nodenv/nodenv

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:nodenv
Version	1.6.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/nodenv
Homepage	https://github.com/nodenv/nodenv
Repository	https://github.com/nodenv/nodenv
Upstream docs	https://github.com/nodenv/nodenv#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/nodenv/nodenv/archive/refs/tags/v1.6.2.tar.gz
Dependencies	node-build
Bottle	available (on all)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	nodenv
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

nodenv

nix profile install nixpkgs#nodenv

normalized package name match
Matched by: Nodenv

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/no/nodenv/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/nodenv.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install nodenv with Homebrew, Nix