Jabba vs nvm
Jabba
github.comnvm
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Jabba | nvm |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Runtime Version Managers | 8.5 (#3) | 8.5 (#4) |
| Spec score · Development Environment Managers | 8.5 (#8) | 8.4 (#10) |
| License | The repository is licensed under Apache License 2.0. | nvm is distributed under the MIT License, permitting use, modification, distribution and sale subject to retaining notices. |
| Project configuration | A `.jabbarc` file can specify a JDK version for Jabba to use, and a default alias can select the version used in new terminals. | nvm can use an .nvmrc file to specify a Node.js version for a project, with shell snippets documented for automatic switching. |
| Purpose | Jabba is a Java version manager inspired by nvm and written in Go. | nvm lets users install and use different Node.js versions from the command line. |
| Security | GitHub reports that the project has no SECURITY.md policy and no published security advisories. | The GitHub repository links to a security policy, but the README does not state a security certification or compliance standard. |
| Shell support | The README gives shell integration instructions for bash, zsh, and fish. | It works on POSIX-compliant shells including sh, dash, ksh, zsh, and bash. |
| Version switching | Users can install JDKs, switch among installed versions, set a default version, and select a project version through a .jabbarc file. | nvm use changes the active Node version in the current shell. |
Plans
In their own words
Jabba
Jabba is a free Java version manager written in Go for installing and switching among JDK versions on macOS, Linux and Windows. Its JDK index, powered by DiscoAPI, lists versions for the user's operating system and architecture. The README names distributions including Oracle, Adopt OpenJDK, Zulu, IBM SDK, GraalVM, OpenJDK, Liberica and Amazon Corretto. Users can list remote JDKs, filter versions with semantic version ranges, install versions and switch among those installed. A `.jabbarc` file can specify a project's JDK, while a default alias can select the version used in new terminals. Jabba can link to a system JDK and coexist with an existing Java installation. The README documents shell integration for bash, zsh and fish, plus installation through Homebrew, shell scripts, PowerShell, Scoop or Docker. Custom JDK downloads are also supported. Jabba does not switch Java globally on its own; the README gives manual platform-specific snippets instead. The repository describes Jabba as a community fork that is a work in progress and warns that some README instructions may be outdated. It is licensed under Apache-2.0.
nvm
nvm is a free, MIT-licensed command-line tool for installing and managing Node.js versions. It is designed for installation per user and invocation per shell, and works in POSIX-compliant shells including sh, dash, ksh, zsh, and bash. Users can install specific versions, switch between them, set aliases such as a default, and use LTS aliases and commands to select long-term support versions. A project can specify its Node.js version in an.nvmrc file; documented shell snippets can support automatic switching. During installation, nvm can reinstall global npm packages from another installed Node.js version. With the --offline flag, it can install a version that was previously downloaded or cached without network access. The project documents use in Docker, including an example for CI/CD jobs. On Windows, nvm can work through WSL and may work with Git Bash or Cygwin depending on the environment. Fish shell is not supported, and the project points users to community alternatives. The project states that only the latest nvm version is supported.