Supported Version Managers

nvb works with any of the following Node.js version managers. It auto-detects which one is available, or you can force one with NVB_MANAGER.

Auto-detection Order

When NVB_MANAGER is not set, nvb checks for managers in this order and uses the first one found:

1. nvm
2. fnm
3. mise
4. asdf
5. n

Manager Details

nvm

• Detection: checks if nvm shell function exists
• Command: nvm use <version>
• Notes: nvm is a shell function, not a binary — this is why nvb uses the eval pattern

fnm

• Detection: checks if fnm binary is in $PATH
• Command: fnm use <version>

mise

• Detection: checks if mise binary is in $PATH
• Command: eval "$(mise shell node@<version>)"

asdf

• Detection: checks if asdf command is available
• Command: export ASDF_NODEJS_VERSION=<version>
• Notes: uses environment variable override rather than asdf shell for better compatibility

n

• Detection: checks if n binary is in $PATH
• Command: n <version>
• Notes: n switches the global Node version; it doesn't support per-shell versions

Forcing a Manager

export NVB_MANAGER="fnm"

This skips auto-detection and always uses the specified manager.