[Mac Setup] The Definitive Guide to Installing Node.js (v22) & Python (3.12) for Developers

When you get a new Mac or do a fresh reinstall, the very first thing on your to-do list is setting up your dev environment. But if you jump straight to brew install node or brew install python, you're setting yourself up for permission errors (EACCES) and version conflicts down the road.

This guide walks through the most official and reliable way to install Node.js (v22) and Python (3.12).

TL;DR

• Node.js: Install nvm via the official install script — not Homebrew.
• Python: Install pyenv via Homebrew, but install the build dependencies first.

1. Prerequisites (Terminal & Xcode Tools)

Before anything else, open Terminal and take care of the basics.

1) Check your shell Make sure you're running zsh — the default shell on macOS. You should see zsh in the terminal window title.

2) Install Xcode Command Line Tools These provide the compilers that every dev tool depends on.

xcode-select --install

(If a popup says it's already installed, you're good to go.)

2. Installing Node.js (v22) with NVM

A common mistake is running brew install nvm. The official nvm docs do not support Homebrew installation and actually recommend removing it. We'll use the official install script instead.

Step 1. Run the NVM install script

Paste the following command in your terminal to install nvm.

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash

(The version v0.40.1 may differ depending on the latest release.)

Step 2. Configure environment variables (important!)

Even after installation, the nvm command won't work right away. You need to add the configuration to your ~/.zshrc file.

# 1. Open your config file
nano ~/.zshrc

# 2. Check if the following lines exist at the bottom. If not, paste them in.
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"  # This loads nvm
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"  # This loads nvm bash_completion

# 3. Save and exit (Ctrl+O -> Enter -> Ctrl+X)

Step 3. Apply the config and install Node.js v22

# Apply the config
source ~/.zshrc

# Install Node.js v22
nvm install 22

# Set it as the default version
nvm use 22
nvm alias default 22

If node -v returns v22.x.x, you're all set!

3. Installing Python (3.12) with Pyenv

macOS ships with a system Python, but you should never touch it. Use pyenv for version management instead. Unlike nvm, pyenv is best installed via Homebrew.

Step 1. Install build dependencies (required)

Skip this step and you'll hit a "Build failed" error when installing Python.

brew install openssl readline sqlite3 xz zlib tcl-tk

Step 2. Install Pyenv

brew install pyenv

Step 3. Configure environment variables (the most critical step)

Pyenv won't be recognized by your terminal until you update ~/.zshrc.

# 1. Append environment variables to your config (paste each line into your terminal)
echo 'export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo '[[ -d $PYENV_ROOT/bin ]] && export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'eval "$(pyenv init -)"' >> ~/.zshrc

# 2. Apply the config
source ~/.zshrc

Step 4. Install Python 3.12

Install the latest stable release in the 3.12 line.

# List available 3.12 versions (optional)
# pyenv install --list | grep 3.12

# Install Python 3.12 (this may take a few minutes)
pyenv install 3.12.9

# Set it as the global default
pyenv global 3.12.9

(3.12.9 is an example at the time of writing — use the highest 3.12.x version available when you install.)

If python --version returns Python 3.12.9, you're done!

4. Wrap-up & Verification

All installations are complete. Quit Terminal entirely, reopen it, and run the following commands to verify everything.

node -v   # Should show v22.x.x
python --version  # Should show Python 3.12.x

This approach follows the officially recommended "cleanest" installation method for each language ecosystem. If different projects require different versions, you can easily switch with nvm use or pyenv local.

Happy coding with your fresh dev environment!