Installing Node from GitHub

Node already has an awesome installer as well as a few version manager options (creationix/nvm, visionmedia/n). But if you just want the flexibility to stay on the bleeding edge or install from a specific commit/tag of interest, building from GitHub is a great alternative.

Clone or fork the repo

$ git clone https://github.com/joyent/node.git
$ cd node

Select a tag or commit to build

$ git tag
v0.5.6
v0.5.7
...
v0.6.1
v0.6.10
$ git checkout v0.6.10

Build

$ ./configure
$ make
$ make install
$ node -v
v0.6.10

Post install, I like to put the seat back down and checkout master so it's primed and ready to let me quickly jump back in and grab the latest goodness.

$ cd node && git pull
$ git checkout badass-newness