Summary

We learned a lot in this chapter, about installing Node, using its command-line tools, and how to run a Node server. We also breezed past a lot of details that will be covered later in the book, so be patient.

Specifically, we covered:

• Downloading and compiling the Node source code

• Installing Node either for development use in your home directory, or for deployment in system directories

• Installing Node Package Manager (npm), the de-facto standard package manager used with Node

• Running Node scripts or Node servers

• What's required to use Node for a reliable background process

Now that we've seen how to set up the basic system, we're ready to start working on implementing applications with Node. First we must learn the basic building block of Node applications, modules, which is the topic of the next chapter.