About npm CLI versions

The npm command line interface (CLI) is released on a regular cadence. We recommend installing the release that supports your workflow:

The latest release of npm

The latest release of npm is the most recent stable version. When you install Node.js, npm is automatically installed. However, npm is released more frequently than Node.js, so to install the latest stable version of npm, on the command line, run:

npm install npm@latest -g

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https://docs.npmjs.com/about-npm-versions