[`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 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:
