See also an updated version, which shows how to install node.js 0.10.1 from experimental repos. (This guide uses Debian unstable, which has currently node.js 0.6.19.)

Installation🔗

Node.js is currently available in Debian unstable (sid) repositories. You can add sid repositories to wheezy without mixing too much packages using apt-pinning.

/etc/apt/preferences.d/999-pinning🔗

# Packages from wheezy get priority 900
Package: *
Pin: release n=wheezy
Pin-Priority: 900

# Well, I have also squeeze repositories enabled, but I prefer wheezy
Package: *
Pin: release n=squeeze
Pin-Priority: 600

# Other packages are installed only when forced (ie. apt-get -t unstable install <package>)
Package: *
Pin: release o=Debian
Pin-Priority: -10

/etc/apt/sources.list🔗

deb http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main non-free contrib
#deb-src http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main non-free contrib

deb http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main contrib non-free

deb http://ftp.se.debian.org/debian/ sid main non-free contrib
#deb-src http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ sid main non-free contrib

deb http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free

deb http://security.debian.org/ squeeze/updates main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://security.debian.org/ squeeze/updates main contrib non-free

deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ squeeze-updates main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ squeeze-updates main contrib non-free

Then, complete installation by running apt-get apt-get -t unstable install nodejs npm

Link to /usr/bin/node🔗

Currently nodejs package in Debian sid provides only /usr/bin/nodejs, and there exists lots of scripts which depend on /usr/bin/node, so they break when using node.js in Debian w/ default installation. Binary naming is caused by package node (Amateur Packet Radio Node program), which also provides /usr/bin/node. Debian package policy forbids conflicting binary naming, so node.js is renamed.

You can fix this in a Debian way by using update-alternatives.

update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/node node /usr/bin/nodejs 10

Now node.js binary is linked to /usr/bin/node.

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