Node.js Overview
Node.js is a free, open-source JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine that lets JavaScript run outside the browser, on the server and the command line. It is the foundation for a huge ecosystem of build tools, web servers, and command-line utilities, and it ships with npm, the package manager that installs libraries from the npm registry. The official installer sets up the Node runtime, npm, and the option to add them to the system PATH; an LTS (Long Term Support) line is recommended for production stability. Most front-end build tools, bundlers, and frameworks assume Node is present, so it is a common prerequisite for modern web development. The offline installer is the complete setup and installs without a network connection, which suits developer workstations and build machines. This page links to the official Node.js download.