Supported Node versions

Updated: 2024-01-03

Node-RED currently recommends Node 20.x.

We try to stay up to date with Node.js releases. Our goal is to support the Maintenance and Active LTS releases.

We do not recommend using the odd numbered Node.js versions - we do not routinely test against them.

With such a large community of 3rd party nodes available to install, we cannot provide any guarantees on what they support. We rely on the community to keep up to date.

Installing Node.js

Node provides guides for installing Node.js across a wide range of Operating Systems.

If you are running on a Raspberry Pi or BeagleBone Black, please read the guides we provide for those devices.

Using nvm

nvm is a tool that can help manage Node.js installations.

It is convenient when running Node-RED as an individual user, but it is not recommended if you want to run Node-RED as a system-level service. This is because nvm uses scripts in a user’s profile to setup its environment. When running as a service, those scripts do not get used.

Upgrading Node.js

If you change the version of Node.js you are using, you may need to rebuild Node-RED’s dependencies as well as any nodes you have installed. This is because some of them contain binary components that must be rebuilt to be compatible with the new Node.js version.

This can be done using the command npm rebuild - but it must be run in the right directory.

There are two places it should be run:

1. In your Node-RED user directory, ~/.node-red - this is where any additional nodes you have installed are.
2. In the directory you installed Node-RED

If you installed Node-RED as a global module and are not sure where that put it, you can use the command npm list -g --depth 0 to find where your global modules are installed.