Error Installing ExpressJS via npm

Question

I am running into an issue when I try to run "npm install -g express" and "npm install -g express-generator". Here is the error message for both. I have been able to install Express in the past by using package.json, but not through npm. Any ideas? :

"npm install -g express":

npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/express
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/express
npm ERR! error rolling back Error: EACCES, unlink '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express'
npm ERR! error rolling back  express@4.3.1 { [Error: EACCES, unlink '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express']
npm ERR! error rolling back   errno: 3,
npm ERR! error rolling back   code: 'EACCES',
npm ERR! error rolling back   path: '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express' }
npm ERR! Error: EACCES, unlink '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express'
npm ERR!  { [Error: EACCES, unlink '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express']
npm ERR!   errno: 3,
npm ERR!   code: 'EACCES',
npm ERR!   path: '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express' }
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! Please try running this command again as root/Administrator.

npm ERR! System Darwin 13.2.0
npm ERR! command "node" "/usr/local/bin/npm" "install" "-g" "express"
npm ERR! cwd /Users/user/Desktop/Projects/node
npm ERR! node -v v0.10.28
npm ERR! npm -v 1.4.9
npm ERR! path /usr/local/lib/node_modules/express
npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! errno 3
npm ERR! stack Error: EACCES, unlink '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express'
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! Additional logging details can be found in:
npm ERR!     /Users/user/Desktop/Projects/node/npm-debug.log
npm ERR! not ok code 0

"npm install -g express-generator":

npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/express-generator
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/express-generator
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/express-generator/-/express-generator-4.2.0.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/express-generator/-/express-generator-4.2.0.tgz
npm ERR! error rolling back Error: EACCES, unlink '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express-generator'
npm ERR! error rolling back  express-generator@4.2.0 { [Error: EACCES, unlink '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express-generator']
npm ERR! error rolling back   errno: 3,
npm ERR! error rolling back   code: 'EACCES',
npm ERR! error rolling back   path: '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express-generator' }
npm ERR! Error: EACCES, unlink '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express-generator'
npm ERR!  { [Error: EACCES, unlink '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express-generator']
npm ERR!   errno: 3,
npm ERR!   code: 'EACCES',
npm ERR!   path: '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express-generator' }
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! Please try running this command again as root/Administrator.

npm ERR! System Darwin 13.2.0
npm ERR! command "node" "/usr/local/bin/npm" "install" "-g" "express-generator"
npm ERR! cwd /Users/user/Desktop/Projects/node
npm ERR! node -v v0.10.28
npm ERR! npm -v 1.4.9
npm ERR! path /usr/local/lib/node_modules/express-generator
npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! errno 3
npm ERR! stack Error: EACCES, unlink '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/express-generator'
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! Additional logging details can be found in:
npm ERR!     /Users/user/Desktop/Projects/node/npm-debug.log
npm ERR! not ok code 0

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered May 28 '14 at 00:42

3

Did you try with sudo? It looks like the current user does not have access to /usr/local/lib.

By the way, you want to install express-generator globally for the project generator nowadays, not the express package globally anymore.

answered May 28 '14 at 00:42

mscdex

104,356
15
192
153

Yep. All I needed to do was sudo. – cphill May 28 '14 at 01:44
sudo is all I need :) – Huynh Inc Dec 18 '15 at 22:29

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:23

0

this is permission issue..

if you use without sudo, using this commandline..

sudo chown -R `whoami` ~/.npm

npm throws error without sudo

this link is best answer to you.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:23

Community

1
1

answered May 28 '14 at 00:48

ChangJoo Park

959
1
11
29

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered May 29 '14 at 06:30

0

Run cmd as Administrator and try installing it again. It worked for me.

answered May 29 '14 at 06:30

Navya S

212
1
5

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Jun 23 '14 at 16:39

0

I had same problem. I had command "npm cache clean" -> not work ulimit -n 2560 -> not work

so I delete .npm directory and run this command "npm search -g" and removed some module -> in my case grunt*

that works for me.

answered Jun 23 '14 at 16:39

user2300434

310
2
4

Error Installing ExpressJS via npm

4 Answers4