Can't use nvm from bash script

Question

I am trying to write a shell script to automate my dev environment set-up (install python, nvm, node, mongo etc...). I am using nvm to install Node. It tells you to close and reopen your terminal to start using the nmv command. I tried to source .bashrc and .profile to make the command available right away so I can continue running the script with nvm install, but it doesn't work.

Here is the segment of my script related to installing NVM / Node:

#install nvm and latest node version
# sourcing profile and bashrc is not working here. nvm does not execute the next two lines to install node.

wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.30.2/install.sh | bash
source ~/.profile
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install 5.0
nvm alias default node

I get these messages, but please note that I've already run the script and NVM / Node are already installed and working. I can also use nvm and node in the same terminal I run the script from after it completes. It just doesn't work in the script.

=> Downloading nvm from git to '/home/myDir/.nvm'
=> fatal: destination path '/home/myDir/.nvm' already exists and is not an empty directory.
fatal: Not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git
fatal: Not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git

=> Source string already in /home/myDir/.bashrc
=> Close and reopen your terminal to start using nvm
./install-programs.sh: line 27: nvm: command not found
./install-programs.sh: line 28: nvm: command not found

Solution 1

if you have nvm running on the main shell, you just need to add:

export NVM_DIR=$HOME/.nvm;
source $NVM_DIR/nvm.sh;

in your script

Solution 2

Here is what worked for me.

First install nvm (once and separately) using SSH or console:

$ wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.30.2/install.sh | bash

Then in your script, loading your profile as follows:

. ~/.nvm/nvm.sh
. ~/.profile
. ~/.bashrc

And with some luck nvm should become available inside the script.

nvm install 4.4.2

Tada!

Solution 3

Just put this on top of your script:

export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"  # This loads nvm
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"  # This loads nvm bash_completion

Worked like a charm here.

Solution 4

This script works fine for me:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

if [ ! -d ~/.nvm ]; then

  curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.11.1/install.sh | bash
  source ~/.nvm/nvm.sh
  source ~/.profile
  source ~/.bashrc
  nvm install 5.0
  npm install
  npm run front
fi

Solution 5

Nowadays, you can simply do this:

env NODE_VERSION=<dd> /home/<user>/.nvm/nvm-exec npm run front

Simply sourcing nvm.sh didn't work for me (from a systemd .service file), the PATH didn't include ~/.nvm...

Credit where credit is due: https://gist.github.com/joepie91/73ce30dd258296bd24af23e9c5f761aa#gistcomment-2215867

View more solutions

Comments

[Motin]

There is an equivalent question over at unix&linux: unix.stackexchange.com/questions/184508/…

[Andy]

I put that stuff in the top of my script and voila, perfect.

[tylermadison]

adding . ~/.nvm/nvm.sh before using it worked for me, thanks!

[Software Prophets]

You went to all of the trouble to create the NVM_DIR directory and then didn't use it! Might I suggest NVM_HOME and then source $NVM_HOME/nvm.sh. Worked great, by the way. Thanks.

[Jannis Ioannou]

I didn't need to export NVM_DIR. Executing just the second line from inside my bash script was enough for nvm to be accessible.

[trainoasis]

already installed node versions are not accessible from within bash scripts? i can change and use nvm, but says that not installed even though the same command works in terminal directly.

[Ryan Jenkins]

Setting NVM_DIR causes problems if nvm isn't installed into your home dir. For example brew installs nvm into /usr/local. Inheriting NVM_DIR from the parent is probably a more sound approach.

[Ray Foss]

source isn't available in POSIX... use the . if you care about portability to slim linux images like docker alpine or Android termux. This paired wit if [ -f "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ]; then helped me use .nvmrc when available. Here is the gist gist.github.com/simov/cdbebe2d65644279db1323042fcf7624