Install the official Node.js 24 LTS binary on a 64-bit Ubuntu server, verify its published checksum, and keep application dependencies reproducible with npm lockfiles.
What you will build
This tutorial produces a working, verifiable result rather than a command list. Read each command before running it, keep configuration in version control without secrets, and record the versions used for repeatable deployment.
1. Prepare the project
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl xz-utils
cd /tmp
NODE_VERSION=24.18.0
curl -fsSLO "https://nodejs.org/dist/v${NODE_VERSION}/node-v${NODE_VERSION}-linux-x64.tar.xz"
curl -fsSLO "https://nodejs.org/dist/v${NODE_VERSION}/SHASUMS256.txt"
grep " node-v${NODE_VERSION}-linux-x64.tar.xz$" SHASUMS256.txt | sha256sum --check
sudo tar -xJf "node-v${NODE_VERSION}-linux-x64.tar.xz" -C /usr/local --strip-components=1
Run preparation commands as an unprivileged application user unless a command explicitly requires sudo. A clean working tree and lockfile make rollback much easier.
2. Implement the solution
// hello.js
console.log({ node: process.version, platform: process.platform, arch: process.arch });
Save the example in the filename indicated by its comment or surrounding instructions. Treat it as a minimal baseline: production applications should separate transport, business logic, persistence, and configuration into testable modules.
3. Verify end to end
node --version
npm --version
node hello.js
npm config get prefix
Verification should cover both process state and a real request or data operation. A process that is merely running is not necessarily ready to serve traffic.
4. Troubleshooting and production notes
A checksum failure means the archive must not be installed. For arm64, download the linux-arm64 archive and verify that exact filename. Avoid mixing distro, third-party, and manually installed Node binaries; inspect command -v node if versions disagree.
Production checklist
- The supported Node.js LTS version and dependency lockfile are recorded.
- Configuration is validated at startup and secrets are stored outside source control.
- Input limits, authentication, authorization, timeouts, and error boundaries are explicit.
- Logs identify a request without exposing credentials or personal data.
- Health checks, graceful termination, resource limits, backup, and rollback have been tested.
Reference: official topic documentation. For production version selection, use a supported LTS line from the Node.js release schedule.
