[`nvm`](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm) is an awesome tool but it can be kind of a pain to install and keep up to date. This zsh plugin allows you to quickly setup `nvm` once, save it in your dotfiles, then never worry about it again.
The plugin will install the latest stable release of `nvm` if you don't already have it, and then automatically `source` it for you. You can upgrade `nvm` to the latest version whenever you want without losing your installed `node` versions by running `nvm upgrade`.
Once the plugin's installed `nvm` will be available. You'll probably want to load this as one of your first plugins so `node`/`npm` is available for any other plugins that may require them.
You can install the latest Node.js nightlies or release candidates with `nvm install nightly|rc`. Aliases will automatically be created so you can easily `nvm use nightly|rc` in the future:
> **Note:** This is a bit of a hack and leaving rc|nightly versions installed may break nvm when it eventually supports them itself. It's recommended that you don't leave the these versions of Node.js installed. Install them, test/play with them and then uninstall them when you're done.
`nvm` comes with a default bash_completion profile. If you want to enable it, you can do it by exporting the `NVM_COMPLETION` environment variable and setting it to `true`. It must be set before `zsh-nvm` is loaded.
For example, if you are using antigen, you would put the following in your `.zshrc`:
```bash
# Export nvm completion settings for zsh-nvm plugin
If you find `nvm` adds too much lag to your shell startup you can enable lazy loading by exporting the `NVM_LAZY_LOAD` environment variable and setting it to `true`. It must be set before `zsh-nvm` is loaded.
Lazy loading is around 70x faster (874ms down to 12ms for me), however the first time you run `nvm`, `npm`, `node` or a global module you'll get a slight delay while `nvm` loads first. You'll only get this delay once per session.
By default lazy loading nvm is triggered by running the `nvm`, `node`, `npm` commands or any installed npm global binaries.
If you want to trigger the lazy loading via extra arbitrary commands you can define `NVM_LAZY_LOAD_EXTRA_COMMANDS` and set it to an array of commands as strings.
This can be usefull if programs are not in the above list of binaries but do depend on the availability of `node`, e.g. a vim plugin.
By default when `nvm` is loaded it'll automatically run `nvm use default` and load your default `node` version along with `npm` and any global modules. You can disable this behaviour by exporting the `NVM_NO_USE` environment variable and setting it to `true`. It must be set before `zsh-nvm` is loaded.
If you enable this option you will then need to manually run `nvm use <version>` before you can use `node`.
For example, if you are using antigen, you would put the following in your `.zshrc`:
If you have lots of projects with an `.nvmrc` file you may find the auto use option helpful. If it's enabled, when you `cd` into a directory with an `.nvmrc` file, `zsh-nvm` will automatically load or install the required node version in `.nvmrc`. You can enable it by exporting the `NVM_AUTO_USE` environment variable and setting it to `true`. It must be set before `zsh-nvm` is loaded.
If you enable this option and don't have `nvm` loaded in the current session (`NVM_LAZY_LOAD` or `NVM_NO_USE`) it won't work until you've loaded `nvm`.
For example, if you are using antigen, you would put the following in your `.zshrc`:
To run the tests you'll need to install [Urchin](https://github.com/tlevine/urchin#install). You'll also need to run the tests in an environment that doesn't already have `node` or `nvm` loaded.
You can remove `nvm` from the existing session with:
