The apt package manager shows me an older version of Node.js:
sudo apt list nodejs
nodejs/noble 18.19.1+dfsg-6ubuntu5 amd6
The current LTS version of Node.js is v20.17.0. There I have found two ways to install it. The first option is using nvm (Node Version Manager) and the second option is for Debian and Ubuntu based Linux distributions > NodeSource.
Does it matter which variant you use here? Or are there advantages or disadvantages to one of the two variants?
I would suggest using NVM, because it would simplify updates, and generally having multiple versions installed (and switching).
You can choose which version you want upon install (lts, latest etc.)
That's the way I have been using it for at least a year, no problems so far.