Workers Builds finally defaults to Node.js 24!

Hi, it's Shii! Today I've got a small but relevant update from the Cloudflare Changelog for everyone using Workers. It looks minor, but it actually touches every deploy. Let's take a look!

Cloudflare Changelog developers.cloudflare.com

What was announced?

According to the Cloudflare Changelog, the default Node.js version used when running builds in Workers Builds has switched to 24.18.0. The latest Node.js 24 line is now the standard, replacing whatever version was the default before.

The story so far

Until now, Workers Builds used a default Node.js version that was different from 24.18.0. You could always switch to whichever version you wanted through environment variables or version files, but if you didn't specify anything, the build would still run on the older default.

What changes

From now on, even projects in Workers Builds that don't set NODE_VERSION or anything similar will automatically build with Node.js 24.18.0. That means you get the newer Node.js runtime features and performance improvements without any extra configuration, which is a nice win.

On the other hand, some projects may still assume Node.js 22 behavior. For those, this default switch could change how builds behave, so it's worth being aware that the default has moved.

Dive Deep

Here are a few more technical details.

• The build image preinstalls two Node.js versions, 22.23.2 and 24.18.0, and as of this change the default used is 24.18.0
• You can still override the default version the same way as before
  • Set the NODE_VERSION environment variable
  • Add an .nvmrc file at your project root
  • Add a .node-version file at your project root
• Detailed override instructions are covered on the "Override default versions" page in the Cloudflare Docs

This is a simple announcement, and the original post didn't include further details beyond this.

Wrap-up

• Workers Builds now defaults to Node.js 24.18.0
• The build image preinstalls both Node.js 22.23.2 and 24.18.0
• You can still pin your version with the NODE_VERSION environment variable, an .nvmrc file, or a .node-version file

If your Workers Builds project doesn't set a version explicitly, it's worth double-checking that this default change hasn't affected your build behavior!