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Check Installed Versions

Generate Markdown-ready tables of version information only for your OS, developer tools, package managers, browsers, and runtimes in one run.

Summary​

The version command standardizes results for quick copy and paste into issues or docs. It collects version data for developer tools, operating systems, major browsers, and language runtimes.

Filing a GitHub Issue?

Paste the tables as is. The output is Markdown-ready for quick reports.

Why Use This Command?​

Manually checking version numbers across multiple tools is slow and error-prone. This command provides a single, reliable snapshot by:

  • Checking multiple categories at once (Node.js, package managers, OS, browsers, interpreters).
  • Producing uniform tables so no details are missed.
  • Working across macOS, Windows, and Linux with platform-specific detection.
  • Giving maintainers a clear system profile when you report a bug.

Use it whenever you need to share system information without running several commands.

Use Cases​

  • Bug reporting — Quickly attach system information to GitHub issues without manually running multiple commands.
  • Team collaboration — Share consistent system snapshots with teammates for debugging or onboarding.
  • CI/CD pipelines — Record system information in build logs or artifacts for reproducibility.
  • System verification — Confirm that required tools are installed and up to date before starting development.

Requirements​

  • Supported systems — macOS, Windows, and Linux are fully tested.
  • Permissions — Runs under standard user accounts; no elevated privileges required.
  • Network access — Not needed; all checks are performed locally.

Usage​

You can run this command in two ways:

# Original
nova utility version

# Shorthand
nova util ver

Note: If Nova is installed only locally (inside a project), the command will work only within that project's directory. See the npm docs for details.

Options​

FlagDescription
-a, --allShow all available versions
-b, --browserShow web browser versions
-e, --envShow environment manager versions
-i, --interpreterShow interpreter / runtime versions
-n, --nodeShow Node.js and related package manager versions
-o, --osShow operating system details

Categories​

Each option enables checks for a specific category of tools or system information.

Node.js + Tools​

  • Node.js
  • Node Package Manager (npm)
  • Yarn
  • Performant Node Package Manager (pnpm)
  • Bun
How Node.js tool version detection works
  • Node.js: Read from node --version.
  • npm: Read from npm --version.
  • Yarn: Read from yarn --version.
  • pnpm: Read from pnpm --version.
  • Bun: Read from bun --version.

Environment Managers​

  • Node Version Manager (nvm)
  • NVM for Windows
  • Volta

Note: On Windows, NVM for Windows is identified separately from Node Version Manager, since the original nvm only works in POSIX-compliant shells (macOS / Linux).

How environment manager version detection works
  • nvm (POSIX): Read from nvm --version.
  • nvm (Windows): Read from nvm --version.
  • Volta: Read from volta --version.

Operating System​

  • OS Name (e.g., macOS, Windows, Linux distros)
  • OS Version (if available)
  • OS Architecture (e.g., x64, arm64)
  • OS Build number (if available)
  • OS Kernel
How OS version detection works
  • macOS: Read from the sw_vers command.
  • Windows: Read from the CurrentVersion key inside Windows Registry.
  • Linux: Read from the /etc/os-release file.

Web Browsers​

macOSWindowsLinux
Chrome✅✅✅
Safari✅N/AN/A
Edge✅✅✅
Firefox✅✅✅
Opera✅✅✅
Brave✅✅✅
Vivaldi✅✅✅
LibreWolf✅⚠️✅
Legend
  • ✅ — Detected on this platform
  • N/A — Not available on this operating system
  • ⚠️ — Intentionally excluded
How browser version detection works
  • macOS: Read from *.app/Contents/Info.plist using CFBundleShortVersionString.
  • Windows: Read from the executable's file metadata VersionInfo.ProductVersion via Windows Registry App Paths.
  • Linux: Parsed from the output of running the binary on PATH with --version.

Interpreters / Runtimes​

  • Java (version, distribution, build info)
  • Rust (version, build hash, build date, source)
How interpreter version detection works
  • Java: Parsed from java --version.
  • Rust: Parsed from rustc --version.

Examples​

All
# Original
nova utility version --all

# Shorthand
nova util ver -a
Operating System
# Original
nova utility version --os

# Shorthand
nova util ver -o
Node.js + Tools
# Original
nova utility version --node

# Shorthand
nova util ver -n
Web Browsers
# Original
nova utility version --browser

# Shorthand
nova util ver -b
Interpreters / Runtimes
# Original
nova utility version --interpreter

# Shorthand
nova util ver -i
Environment Managers
# Original
nova utility version --env

# Shorthand
nova util ver -e

Output Examples​

Terminal output preview

Troubleshooting​

  • Empty categories — If a tool is not installed on your system, it will not appear in the output table.
  • Permission issues — Elevated privileges are not required. If errors occur, check your PATH instead of using sudo.
  • Browser detection — Certain browsers (e.g., LibreWolf) are platform-specific or may not be supported. Refer to the table above to confirm availability.

Security / Privacy​

  • Operates entirely on the local machine; no data is sent externally.
  • Collects only tool names, versions, and OS metadata (e.g., architecture, build, kernel).
  • Does not expose sensitive files, credentials, or environment variables.