firebase-tools "-bash: firebase: command not found"

Question

Excited that Firebase's hosting is now out of beta. Trying to get going with with the firebase-tools package and I've successfully installed it:

npm install -g firebase-tools

Trying to run any tool fails with

-bash: firebase: command not found

I've tried putting the following command in my .bash_profile without any luck

export PATH=/usr/local/share/npm/bin:$PATH

Any ideas? Pretty new to the command line in general.

Thanks!

Normally, CLIs that come with global packages are symlinked into a directory that is expected to be in your `$PATH` already - perhaps this will help: http://stackoverflow.com/a/22767508/45375 — mklement0, May 14 '14 at 05:16
My pleasure; *if* you found that linked answer helpful, you can up-vote it too (disclaimer: I wrote it). — mklement0, May 15 '14 at 03:32
Restarting Terminal on Mac did it for me (not just reset, but close and reopen). This is probably because Terminal reads .bash_profile when it starts. If you can read .bash_profile directly with another command that might be better. — intcreator, Oct 06 '17 at 04:21
It is very likely that ```firebase``` was installed under different version of npm. For example, I was using npm 12.19.0, but firebase was installed to npm 10.10.0. I had to ```nvm use 10.10.0```, then firebase was recognized as command. — Danyu, Nov 14 '20 at 19:02
put 'sudo' in the start, solved my problem: sudo npm i -g firebase-tools — Diego Venâncio, Jul 04 '23 at 14:09

score 163 · Answer 1 · answered May 15 '17 at 21:43

163

Run code below with terminal,

alias firebase="`npm config get prefix`/bin/firebase"

answered May 15 '17 at 21:43

Durul Dalkanat

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it worked but I must repeat this all the time I reboot my computer – Christophe Chenel May 18 '18 at 14:54
This worked for me... i don't know what was happened, yesterday i installed CLI successfully and today it failed. – Vatsal Shukla Oct 24 '18 at 06:23
2

@ChristopheGudlake could just add it to your `.bash_profile` – nicklocicero Feb 11 '19 at 05:28
who to cancel this command? – Felipe Sales Mar 13 '22 at 12:56

score 73 · Answer 2 · edited Dec 02 '17 at 17:02

73

Installing firebase-tools globally did the trick for me :

npm install -g firebase-tools

edited Dec 02 '17 at 17:02

slfan

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answered Dec 02 '17 at 16:44

rsd96

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that did the trick for me. finally i dont have to add the alias all the time anymore... – David Seek May 07 '19 at 00:38

score 42 · Answer 3 · edited May 05 '22 at 14:28

42

You should add the npm bin folder to your bash PATH variable. To do that, run:

npm get prefix

And it should output something like /home/your-username/npm-global or /home/your-username/npm-packages.

Then in your ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile (if you're in a Mac) file, add:

export PATH="/home/your-username/npm-global/bin:$PATH" # Add npm bin PATH

Note the "/bin" after the npm get prefix result.

edited May 05 '22 at 14:28

WhooNo

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answered Jan 27 '16 at 12:31

Bruno Peres

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Adding the `bin` file is a critical step. – Jacob May 03 '17 at 16:29
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it's " .npm-global " – arora Jun 12 '18 at 04:54
this worked for me, adding to the `~/.bash_profile`. Thanks ! – Shudy Jan 24 '19 at 08:14
Also for anyone in Ubuntu, I'm initializing zsh in my .bashrc, make sure you `export PATH=...` before initializing zsh, or you can put it in the .zshrc file aswell if you want. – jmoore255 May 09 '19 at 18:11
It's not ".npm-global" for everyone. Always run `npm get prefix` to determine PATH prefix. See this post: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/67134511/bash-firebase-command-not-found – WhooNo May 03 '22 at 19:14

score 25 · Accepted Answer · answered May 14 '14 at 06:41

25

@mklement0 That answer looks good, but I'm worried it will be intimidating to someone who is so new to the command line. So I'm going to cherry-pick the most relevant piece of it.

@cienki Run this command to see what you should be putting in that PATH prefix in your .bash_profile file:

npm get prefix

answered May 14 '14 at 06:41

Flortify

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Thanks @Flortify, I found my npm prefix and was able to put it in my PATH. Another newbie question though: I tried putting it in my .bash_profile but it didn't work when I placed it there. I had to run `export PATH=/Users//npm/bin:$PATH` from the command line when in the directory I'm working out of for it to work. What did I do wrong? Thanks! – cienki May 15 '14 at 00:57
@cienki `.bash_profile` is only read when the shell starts. So you can either (1) open a new Terminal window (which will start a new instance of `bash`, which will read `.bash_profile` (in other words: if you logout of your machines tonight, it'll suddenly work right in the morning!), or, if you're impatient, (2) you can invoke `source .bash_profile` on the command line, to read/execute it, which is functionally equivalent to invoking that self-same `export`, manually, on the command line, like you did. Cheers! – Flortify May 15 '14 at 01:58
+1; note, however, that the `~/.bash_profile`-related advice is **OSX**-specific (on Linux, it would be `~/.bashrc`). – mklement0 May 15 '14 at 02:42
1

Good point. The Mac OS X `Terminal.app` starts a login shell for each terminal window/tab. And `bash` runs `.bash_profile` for every login shell. But on Linux, opening a new `xterm` does not create a login shell and therefore only runs `.bashrc`. To smooth out the differences, you usually put a `source .bashrc` inside your `.bash_profile`. – Flortify May 24 '14 at 00:45
I follow those steps but have same problem – Aug 12 '16 at 07:29
SIMPLY RUNNING THE COMMAND WITH '--save flag' APPENDED TO THE END OF THE LINE SOLVES THE ISSUE. `npm install -g firebase-tools --save` – Collins USHI Feb 15 '21 at 05:04
Try this: https://stackoverflow.com/a/67724810/10124696 – Steven Ogwal May 27 '21 at 15:03

score 17 · Answer 5 · answered May 27 '21 at 14:57

17

On macOS: Use

curl -sL firebase.tools | upgrade=true bash

It worked for me

firebase -V

answered May 27 '21 at 14:57

Steven Ogwal

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Works for macOS. Thanks. – Taady Jul 04 '22 at 12:22

score 13 · Answer 6 · answered Jan 19 '21 at 09:33

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by chance if you are using macOS with m1 chip

arch -x86_64 npm i -g firebase-tools

assuming that you haven't set the PATH

export PATH="`npm config get prefix`/bin:$PATH"

That's all and enjoy

answered Jan 19 '21 at 09:33

Aung Thiha

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This was the only one that worked! THank you. – Andrew Bregman Dec 03 '21 at 16:53
Totally saved me hours! Thanks! – rsp1984 Aug 22 '22 at 15:26

score 10 · Answer 7 · answered Oct 11 '19 at 21:06

Using Windows 10, Bash
This worked for me:

npm get prefix // to find Path which for me it was C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\npm
search "Environment Variables" which located in "System Properties".
Under "System Variables", find the PATH variable, select it, and click "Edit". Click "New" and add the path found with the "npm get prefix" command earlier (which was for me C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\npm) Then click "Ok"
Restart Bash

firebase --version //to check firebase version

score 6 · Answer 8 · answered Aug 23 '17 at 15:25

6

Bruno's answer did the trick, I only needed to add a dot at npm-global in Ubuntu in .bashrc:

export PATH="/home/your-username/.npm-global/bin:$PATH" # Add npm bin PATH

answered Aug 23 '17 at 15:25

redderblock

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score 6 · Answer 9 · answered May 23 '20 at 07:05

6

Below command works for me on terminal

curl -sL firebase.tools | upgrade=true bash

This command install firebase tool for me

answered May 23 '20 at 07:05

Avijit Nagare

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score 6 · Answer 10 · answered Jun 24 '20 at 10:30

After installing:
$ npm install -g firebase-tools
$ firebase init
-bash: firebase: command not found
"If you are getting the above output then follow the below steps:"

For Windows Users: type this cmd :
$ npm get prefix
C:\Users\Jeet\AppData\Roaming\npm [this is the location]

Now you have to set in enviorenment variable -> (windows+r) -> sysdm.cpl -> Advanced(tab) -> Environment Variables -> under the System Variables -> click on path -> edit -> C:\Users\Jeet\AppData\Roaming\npm [paste] the above location -> apply - ok - ok.

Restart your bash terminal
Thanks!!!

score 4 · Answer 11 · edited Jan 03 '19 at 15:25

4

For Mac OS Sierra:

$ sudo npm install -g firebase-tools
To stop other Node process use $ ps aux | grep node
If needed to upgrade or install emulator - $ npm install -g @google-cloud/functions-emulator
Ready to go $ firebase --version

edited Jan 03 '19 at 15:25

Mark Cooper

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answered Jun 03 '18 at 15:32

diayn geogiev

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score 4 · Answer 12 · answered Jan 20 '20 at 00:06

For anyone using MacOS Catalina 10.15.2 getting the bash PATH variable fixed the issue for me.

Run:

npm get prefix

Then run:

export PATH=/Users/userid/.npm-global/bin:$PATH

Note: I recently upgraded from my old High Sierra MacBook Pro, and was confused as well.

score 3 · Answer 13 · answered Apr 16 '19 at 18:42

For anyone using nvm the error could arise because you are on a different nvm version than you were on when you first installed firebase tools globally. That's what it was for me. When I restarted webstorm nvm switched to a different version.

Run nvm list to check the version you are on and run nvm use x.x.x to switch to the right version where you installed firebase tools originally.

score 3 · Answer 14 · answered Jul 17 '19 at 14:47

This worked for me on Mac (same thing the others have been posting above, just for Mac):

go to your home folder in Finder (named after your user name, in my case "macbook")
press cmd+shift+dot (will reveal hidden files)
go the .npm-global/bin folder and copy its path (Finder menu -> View -> Show Path Bar, right click on the bin folder in the path bar -> "Copy 'bin' as Pathname")
open Terminal (by default the home folder) and go nano ~/.bash_profile
at the top of the file add export PATH="<cmd+v>:$PATH" (will look similar to this: export PATH="/Users/macbook/.npm-global/bin:$PATH")
save .bash_profile changes and restart Terminal, firebase command should work now

score 3 · Answer 15 · answered Apr 17 '20 at 06:21

3

if you installing firebase-tools using

yarn global add firebase-tools

i got same error then i got answer and execute this

export PATH="$(yarn global bin):$PATH"

and then i can do firebase login pretty well

answered Apr 17 '20 at 06:21

red

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score 3 · Answer 16 · answered Jul 14 '20 at 19:17

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I am on Linux and installing the package with admin privileges resolved the problem:

sudo npm i -g firebase-tools

answered Jul 14 '20 at 19:17

Aniruddha

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score 2 · Answer 17 · edited Feb 02 '17 at 05:03

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Simply reinstall node.js. This worked for me and fire command was recognized.

edited Feb 02 '17 at 05:03

Satan Pandeya

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answered Feb 02 '17 at 03:07

emmanue bernard

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up voted because this solution worked for me. I believe the problem started after a Visual Studio update that included Node. – Yogi Nov 30 '19 at 22:42

score 2 · Answer 18 · answered Jan 16 '20 at 19:44

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This is for updated mac mac Os Catalina(10.15.1+) & on zsh.

Go to Terminal (vim .zprofile)
add this export PATH="/Users/Your Username/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"

Works for me!

answered Jan 16 '20 at 19:44

Al Mamun

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score 2 · Answer 19 · answered May 24 '21 at 07:09

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You forgot sudo type this

sudo npm install -g firebase-tools

problem solved.

answered May 24 '21 at 07:09

Bbub Mum

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score 2 · Answer 20 · answered Jun 20 '21 at 06:50

I know most answers work for all generic 'command not found' errors. Basically by manually setting PATH variable but there's an easier way for this specific problem relating 'firebase command not found':

Try this cURL command and it will fix this issue for good and will minimise any user errors.

Install the Firebase CLI using the automatic install script Run the following cURL command (Mac or Windows):

curl -sL https://firebase.tools | bash

Source: https://firebase.google.com/docs/cli#install-cli-windows, https://firebase.google.com/docs/cli#install-cli-mac-linux

score 1 · Answer 21 · answered Aug 05 '20 at 05:16

Faced the same issue, am a newbie backend guy. Used npm install firebase-tools It doesn't install and you can't run. I tried looking at the forums and here's what worked for me: sudo npm install -g firebase-tools. Then it asks for Permissions when you firebase login. Am using Ubuntu.

score 1 · Answer 22 · answered Oct 26 '20 at 21:21

After trying pretty much everything, only one worked for me (I'm on MacOs Catalina):

Try the following in your terminal:

curl -sL https://firebase.tools | bash
This will check the OS of your machine and then install everything else automatically and properly.

The command is from the official Firebase Documentation.

https://stackoverflow.com/a/60474459/1245341

score 1 · Answer 23 · answered Nov 10 '20 at 04:32

After installing

$ npm install -g firebase-tools

Note the directory where it istalled What I did was locate the directory where firebase was installed. In my case C:\usr\local then I copied the three firebase files. I also went into the node_modules folder and copied the firebase tools folder. Then I went to my app directory in file manager and pasted the firebase files, then created a new node_modules folder and pasted the firebase-tools folder.

Now go to your cmd and run

$ firebase init

It should work

Ac Hybl · Answer 24 · 2023-01-17T19:44:01.230

I tried a lot of things from here and from other forums, but what ended up working for me (and this is more of a work-around) was to download the binary and then open it and it set up all the firebase stuff for me. However, I found that if I moved it after opening it once, it did not work. So first move it to wherever you want to leave it and then run the .exe.

This allowed me to skip configuring the PATH variable which was nice.

I'm on a Windows 10 Pro Education. Hope this helps someone who has a similar struggle.

score 0 · Answer 25 · answered Oct 21 '20 at 19:35

Adding to Durul Dalkanat's answer,

Assuming you have executed npm install firebase-tools -g

Firstly get the output of the command of npm get prefix.
Open .bashrc file which is in the home directory and add alias <output of npm get prefix>/bin/firebase at the end of the file.
Run source .bashrc in the home directory.

Enjoy!

The alias of firebase will be the actual firebase path in the main system and this solution should work flawlessly.

score 0 · Answer 26 · edited Dec 28 '20 at 17:06

if you're windows 8 user, one possible solution is to put the PATH in environment variables manualy...

On the Windows desktop, right-click My Computer.
In the pop-up menu, click Properties.
In the System Properties window, click the Advanced tab, and then click Environment Variables.
In the System Variables window, highlight Path, and click Edit.
In the Edit System Variables window, insert the cursor at the end of the Variable value field.
If the last character is not a semi-colon (;), add one.
After the final semi-colon, type the full path to the file you want to find.

For me it was: C:\Users\ 'username' \AppData\Roaming\npm To get your path put this string in you command line:

$ npm get prefix

Click OK in each open window

score 0 · Answer 27 · answered Feb 03 '21 at 05:37

I tried all the answers above, other SO answers, and GitHub answers but nothing worked. The only thing that worked for me was to save whatever was inside my index.js file temporarily somewhere else, delete the entire cloud functions folder, then reinstall and start everything from the very beginning.

score 0 · Answer 28 · answered Jan 23 '22 at 09:02

0

After many hours trying everything the only thing what helped (on windows) was downloading and installing node again.

answered Jan 23 '22 at 09:02

Julian

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score 0 · Answer 29 · answered Jul 26 '22 at 05:25

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I found a solution.

npm i express firebase-tools

answered Jul 26 '22 at 05:25

Alexandr Amarzaya Benjamin

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score 0 · Answer 30 · answered Jan 26 '23 at 19:26

If you are admin on your PC, installing firebase and firebase-tools with -g flag should resolve the issue (the path will added to the global PATH variable) but if you are an admin, you may have to add that path yourself.

Seeking help from one of the top answer, issue this command will return the path where firebase is installed

npm config get prefix /bin/firebase

In my case the following is returned.

C:\Users\*user_name*\AppData\Roaming\npm

Copy that path (from first line) and visit this page on how to update path variable (Window + x then visit systems > Advance Settings). Here add a new entry in path and past that path there. Firebase command should work from command prompt every time without the use of alias required.

score 0 · Answer 31 · answered Jun 23 '23 at 10:11

If you are still experiencing difficulties and none of the provided solutions have resolved your issue, it might be worth considering the following:

I consistently encountered the same error message:

firebase: command not found

or

C:\Users\[USER]\AppData\Roaming\npm/node_modules/node/bin/node: No such file or directory

within the Windows bash environment.

In my case, the problem arose because I failed to properly read the repository instructions for NVM in order to delete all Node.js files. Unfortunately, I had both NVM and Node.js installed simultaneously. Additionally, I deleted the entire

C:\Users\[USER]\AppData\Roaming\npm

and

C:\Users\[USER]\AppData\Roaming\npm-cache

folders and reinstalled everything.

And then it worked.

score 0 · Answer 32 · edited Aug 12 '23 at 07:24

0

On your CLI run this command:

alias firebase="`npm config get prefix`/bin/firebase"

edited Aug 12 '23 at 07:24

Eric Aya

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answered Aug 12 '23 at 07:18

Umer Baba

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score -1 · Answer 33 · answered May 17 '20 at 03:06

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None of above solutions worked, since I was using nvm for node versions

so instead of npm i -g firebase-tools

Use sudo npm i -g firebase-tools

Done!

answered May 17 '20 at 03:06

Akshay Vijay Jain

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score -1 · Answer 34 · answered Jan 24 '22 at 05:39

-1

npx firebase login worked for me.

answered Jan 24 '22 at 05:39

Shivanee Jadav

19

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer). – Community Jan 24 '22 at 16:02

firebase-tools "-bash: firebase: command not found"

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