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5 Major Features of Node.js 18
Details of Node.js 18 new features, including experimental fetch API and test runner, along with V8 JavaScript engine 10.1 features
Node.js major release is updated every six months. The new release becomes the Current release for six months, which gives library authors time to add support for them.
After six months, odd-numbered releases, such as 17, become unsupported, and even-numbered releases, such as 16, move to the Active LTS (long-term support) status and are ready for general use. LTS release typically guarantees that critical bugs will be fixed for a total of 30 months. Production applications should only use Active LTS or Maintenance LTS releases.
Node.js 18 was released on April 19, 2022. It becomes the Current release. It comes with 5 major features:
- Experimental fetch API
- Web Streams API
- HTTP Timeouts
- Experimental test runner
- V8 JavaScript engine is updated to V8 10.1
Let’s explore what they are and how to use them.
Use NVM to Explore Node
In a previous article, we provided instructions on using NVM (Node Version Manager) to manage Node.js and NPM versions.
Run the command to install node 18.0.0:
On any window, run the command to use node 18:
Now we’re ready to explore:
