Node.js

ApplicationOpenJS Foundation

Also called node, node.js, nodejs runtime

OpenJS FoundationProductivity

A JavaScript runtime from the OpenJS Foundation. The official Windows installer puts node.exe under Program Files\nodejs and includes npm.

What you need to know

Node.js runs JavaScript. npm comes with the official installer.

node.exe is the Node.js runtime. The official Windows installer also puts npm on PATH. python.exe is CPython. A node.exe inside a project folder is often a local or nvm install.

What is it?: A JavaScript runtime with npm
Same as Python?: No. Different language
node.exe in a project?: Often a local or nvm copy

Feex says

If node.exe is sitting on a leftover dev server, I would read the command line for server.js or npm. I would not uninstall Python to quiet it.

What is Node.js?

Node.js is the OpenJS JavaScript runtime. Official builds live under Program Files\nodejs or an nvm folder. It is not Python and not a Windows component.

If you have never used it

If a README said install Node, get the LTS installer from nodejs.org. That package includes npm. You do not need Python for a basic Node app. node.exe in Program Files\nodejs is the global runtime. A node.exe next to a project is often nvm-windows or a vendored copy.

What is it used for?

Run JavaScript tools

Dev servers, CLIs, and scripts start as node.exe. That is not python.exe.

npm installs

npm.cmd ships with the official installer. Composer is the PHP analog, not this.

Version managers

nvm-windows keeps extra node.exe copies. Those are still Node, not a System32 file.

Who is it for?

People whose tools assume npm
Users who found node.exe in a project and thought it was malware
Anyone who confused it with Python because both say runtime

Current status

Actively developed. OpenJS ships Current and LTS trains. This article is the Windows desktop runtime, not Node inside WSL.

How old is it?

Ryan Dahl released Node.js in 2009. It is younger than Python (1991) and older than most Electron editors. Current Windows work uses an LTS from nodejs.org, not the 0.x era.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

LTS

Current

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per nodejs.org
RAM	The runtime is small. Bundlers and node_modules decide memory

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
node.exe	Node.js runtime for that install

Startup components

A Startup npm script can start it. That is you or a vendor, not an inbox Windows service named Node.

File locations

Common Node.js locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\nodejs\

File formats

JSMJSpackage.json

Common problems

A leftover localhost server

npm start can keep node.exe alive after you close the editor. End that command line, not python.exe.

Project-local node.exe

Some tools vendor a runtime. Open file location. Program Files\nodejs is the official install.

Getting unstuck

where.exe node and node -v

Confirm Program Files\nodejs versus nvm versus a project copy. where.exe python is a different install.

If the work was inside Ubuntu, this exe is the wrong one

WSL Node lives in the distro. Ending a Windows node.exe will not stop Linux Node.

Reinstall from nodejs.org, not a random Node pack

The official LTS installer includes npm. A search-ad bundle is junk.

Alternatives

Python is a different language. Bun and Deno overlap for some JS work.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	nodejs.org/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	nodejs.org/docs Vendor support
Official site	nodejs.org/ Start here, not a random exe host
Release index	nodejs.org/en/download/releases When a project pins an older major

Related hardware

The runtime itself is light. Large TypeScript projects want RAM and an SSD for node_modules.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Node.js official site · Vendor product page
Node.js help · Vendor support
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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