NPM cannot install packages EHOSTUNREACH

Question

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ npm install -g yarn
npm ERR! code EHOSTUNREACH
npm ERR! errno EHOSTUNREACH
npm ERR! request to http://registry.npmjs.ord/yarn failed, reason: connect EHOSTUNREACH 104.16.22.35:80

I have gone through every other link about this error and I have 3 factors that are different to all of them and they are important because they were the solution to everyone else's problems. Links I have read and have not solved the issue:

• How to fix npm installation issue?
• Node API failing with Error : EHOSTUNREACH
• https://groups.google.com/g/node-red/c/RVcv2GgO_Fw?pli=1
• https://stackabuse.com/npm-error-failed-to-fetch-from-registry-when-installing-module/
• https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-installing-issue/50540/3
• "message failed to fetch from registry" while trying to install any module
• https://github.com/npm/npm/issues/16098
• https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-while-installing-dashboard-on-raspberry-pi/19291
• https://groups.google.com/g/node-red/c/RVcv2GgO_Fw
• https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cloud-private/3.2.x?topic=tap-cloud-foundry-application-deployment-fails-due-ehostunreach-error
• https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=61930
• https://www.codegrepper.com/code-examples/whatever/linux+redis+connect+EHOSTUNREACH
• https://forum.ghost.org/t/second-site-on-raspberry-pi-econnrefused/1230
• https://github.com/npm/npm/issues/6820
• https://github.com/npm/npm/issues/5553
• npm ERR! Error: connect ECONNREFUSED
• Unable to install npm module on raspberry pi
• https://githubmemory.com/repo/nicoduj/homebridge-harmony/issues/290
• https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-installing-issue/50540

Still I'm struggling.

• Internet is stable and works
• I can ping registry.npmjs.org and other sites
• registry.npmjs.org isn't pointing to a local address

I have tried clearing proxy settings, I don't have proxy settings to try but is the only thing that it could be but I don't understand what to put there if needed (but considering the guides on how to clear it, they aren't required). I have no idea what to try as all of the solutions to every other instance does not apply to me.

Ubuntu 20.04.3 for Raspberry Pi

Answer 1

Problem

My setup: npm and pnpm on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on a laptop

Worked for weeks without issue. Then suddenly I couldn't install anything. Example error messages from pnpm add -D vite:

 ERR_PNPM_META_FETCH_FAIL  GET https://registry.npmjs.org/vite: request to https://registry.npmjs.org/vite failed, reason: connect EHOSTUNREACH <redacted ipv6 address>

and

 WARN  GET https://registry.npmjs.org/fsevents error (EHOSTUNREACH). Will retry in 1 minute. 1 retries left.

Was able to browse to https://registry.npmjs.org/fsevents via web browser no problem. Had internet.

Also tried installing packages with npm. That didn't work either.

npm version 8.19.2

pnpm version 7.19.0

Solution

Connecting to a VPN fixed it. Don't know why.

Speculation: Maybe it has something to do with ipv6. Events leading up to the error: 1) Connected to a VPN for the first time (new computer). 2) Disconnected from the VPN (still had internet). 3) Error struck the first time I tried installing something from NPM after disconnecting from the VPN. 4) Re-connected to VPN; error gone.