A Step-by-Step Guide to Installing Node.js and Configuring the Development Environment

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment based on Chrome's V8 engine, supporting backend development and extending JavaScript to server, desktop, and other domains, making it suitable for full-stack beginners. Installation varies by system: for Windows, download the LTS version installer and check "Add to PATH"; for Mac, use Homebrew; for Linux (Ubuntu), run `apt update` followed by `apt install nodejs npm`. VS Code is recommended for environment configuration—install the Node.js extension, create an `index.js` file, input `console.log('Hello, Node.js!')`, and execute `node index.js` in the terminal to run. npm is a package manager; initialize a project with `npm init -y`, install dependencies like `lodash` via `npm install lodash`, and use `require` in code. After setup, you can develop servers, APIs, etc., with regular practice recommended.