Trying to understand `npm` install errors

Question

I am new to node. Can someone please tell me why this is failing?

sudo su
nvm use 0.10
git clone https://github.com/bitpay/insight.git && cd insight
npm install

...output omitted...

> leveldown@0.10.2 install /insight/node_modules/insight-bitcore-api/node_modules/leveldown
> node-gyp rebuild

gyp: Call to 'node -e "require('nan')"' returned exit status 1. while trying to load binding.gyp
gyp ERR! configure error 
gyp ERR! stack Error: `gyp` failed with exit code: 1
gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.onCpExit (/usr/share/node-gyp/lib/configure.js:431:16)
gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.EventEmitter.emit (events.js:98:17)
gyp ERR! stack     at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (child_process.js:797:12)
gyp ERR! System Linux 3.11.0-19-generic
gyp ERR! command "nodejs" "/usr/bin/node-gyp" "rebuild"
gyp ERR! cwd /insight/node_modules/insight-bitcore-api/node_modules/leveldown
gyp ERR! node -v v0.10.25
gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v0.10.10
gyp ERR! not ok

...

npm ERR! Error: ENOENT, lstat '/insight/node_modules/insight-bitcore-api/node_modules/bitcore/node_modules/browserify/node_modules/crypto-browserify/test/vectors/byte0002.dat'
npm ERR! If you need help, you may report this *entire* log,
npm ERR! including the npm and node versions, at:
npm ERR!     <http://github.com/npm/npm/issues>

npm ERR! System Linux 3.11.0-19-generic
npm ERR! command "/root/.nvm/v0.10.26/bin/node" "/root/.nvm/v0.10.26/bin/npm" "install"
npm ERR! cwd /insight
npm ERR! node -v v0.10.26
npm ERR! npm -v 1.4.3
npm ERR! path /insight/node_modules/insight-bitcore-api/node_modules/bitcore/node_modules/browserify/node_modules/crypto-browserify/test/vectors/byte0002.dat
npm ERR! fstream_path /insight/node_modules/insight-bitcore-api/node_modules/bitcore/node_modules/browserify/node_modules/crypto-browserify/test/vectors/byte0002.dat
npm ERR! fstream_type File
npm ERR! fstream_class FileWriter
npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! errno 34
npm ERR! fstream_stack /root/.nvm/v0.10.26/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/fstream/lib/writer.js:284:26
npm ERR! fstream_stack Object.oncomplete (fs.js:107:15)
npm ERR! error rolling back Error: ENOTEMPTY, rmdir '/insight/node_modules/insight-bitcore-api/node_modules/bitcore/node_modules/browserify/node_modules/timers-browserify/node_modules/process'
npm ERR! error rolling back  insight-bitcore-api@0.1.9 { [Error: ENOTEMPTY, rmdir '/insight/node_modules/insight-bitcore-api/node_modules/bitcore/node_modules/browserify/node_modules/timers-browserify/node_modules/process']
npm ERR! error rolling back   errno: 53,
npm ERR! error rolling back   code: 'ENOTEMPTY',
npm ERR! error rolling back   path: '/insight/node_modules/insight-bitcore-api/node_modules/bitcore/node_modules/browserify/node_modules/timers-browserify/node_modules/process' }
npm ERR! leveldown@0.10.2 install: `node-gyp rebuild`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! Failed at the leveldown@0.10.2 install script.
npm ERR! This is most likely a problem with the leveldown package,
npm ERR! not with npm itself.
npm ERR! Tell the author that this fails on your system:
npm ERR!     node-gyp rebuild
npm ERR! You can get their info via:
npm ERR!     npm owner ls leveldown
npm ERR! There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! System Linux 3.11.0-19-generic
npm ERR! command "/root/.nvm/v0.10.26/bin/node" "/root/.nvm/v0.10.26/bin/npm" "install"
npm ERR! cwd /insight
npm ERR! node -v v0.10.26
npm ERR! npm -v 1.4.3
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE

Any insight into this is appreciated! I'm only listing the first ERR blocks...

Do you have the correct permissions in the directory you're trying to install the module in? — mscdex, Apr 22 '14 at 18:34
No longer an issue. I stopped trying to install as the root user in my VM. — jcalfee314, Apr 23 '14 at 18:49

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 22 '14 at 17:57

3

This line:

/bin/sh: 1: node: not found

leads me to believe node isn't properly installed.. What happens when you type 'node' on a command line?

answered Apr 22 '14 at 17:57

XeroxDucati

5,130
2
37
66

1

This particular error was that node was not accessible only when using `sudo`. This is entirely possible depending on how node was installed. – mscdex Apr 22 '14 at 18:33
`apt-get install node` did take care of this error. I'm upvoting this answer, thank you. Unfortunately, this still leaves the next error: `gyp: Call to 'node -e "require('nan')"' returned exit status 1`. I have updated the error above (although it looks like nothing else changed). – jcalfee314 Apr 22 '14 at 19:26
The require 'nan' error may be related to the npm version: https://github.com/bitpay/insight/issues/461 – jcalfee314 Apr 22 '14 at 19:40
I have had much better luck with various node apps by using Ubuntu 14.04 LTS instead of 12.04 LTS. I used Lxc to figure this out. I often use the lxc to work in just making the files public to my host. – jcalfee314 Jul 25 '14 at 17:51

score 3 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 11:51

You need to have nodejs to be accessible with node in the command line.

But: In the Ubuntu repos there is a confusion/conflict between nodejs and ax25-node, the latter occupying the /usr/bin/node path. When you never installed node aka ax25-node you can simply

sudo aptitude install nodejs-legacy

This installs nodejs and creates a symbolic link to /usr/bin/node.

Now npm installs run without any error messages.

In my case the same error as yours appeared when trying to

npm install -g Haraka

The solution is from a fairly unrelated stackoverflow post: nodejs vs node on ubuntu 12.04

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 25 '14 at 13:20

1

I ran npm install node (even though it was already installed to some degree) and the issue was resolved.

answered Jul 25 '14 at 13:20

rabbitfeetz

87
7

Trying to understand `npm` install errors

3 Answers3