Error on the new version of NPM

[GuriZenit]

I'm getting this error on the version 9.1.2 of npm:

npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! syscall link
npm ERR! path /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.npm/_cacache/tmp/4f642a1f
npm ERR! dest /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.npm/_cacache/content-v2/sha512/be/ab/0cbc90e0f25082fb10a4b6cbae24791280fb9c61657faeea92f50ace86a920874b1dc0377c202e3e1b25d5067bbb2f526e14d1d0e5c7aa146dbbcb0ed718
npm ERR! errno EACCES
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Your cache folder contains root-owned files, due to a bug in
npm ERR! previous versions of npm which has since been addressed.
npm ERR!
npm ERR! To permanently fix this problem, please run:
npm ERR!   sudo chown -R 10413:10413 "/data/data/com.termux/files/home/.npm"

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.npm/_logs/2022-11-19T20_47_59_413Z-debug-0.log

As I don't have root , I can't solve it with what is indicated in the log

This happens with anything I try, like

npm install package
npm install -g npm

[Grimler91]

It tries to make a hardlink, which is not allowed on android. Same issue as in #11293, where npm install -g package worked as a work around

[truboxl]

I think we should patch this, if this version of npm is what we provide

[licy183]

Maybe we should report this issue to https://github.com/npm/cacache? We have patched it using https://github.com/termux/termux-packages/blob/master/packages/nodejs/deps-npm-node_modules-cacache-lib-util-move-file.js.patch, but if user tries to update npm or cacache, the patch will not work.

[thunder-coding]

@GuriZenit, we are talking about native Termux environment and not proot based distributions (including third party ones).

[xtkoba]

We really need a gimmick that forbids users' updating npm, if the patch is not likely to be merged upstream. Could be just a matter of documentation though.

[thunder-coding]

Yeah sure @xtkoba, we can add a notice to the npm's global install script when installing npm. Just wait for some time though. My main device is for repair so I can't test the binaries built by CI. Once it comes, will look into it

[licy183]

It seems that npm@9.2.0 has fixed this.

[GuriZenit]

It seems that npm@9.2.0 has fixed this.

Still have the error, both now and when testing in v9.2.0 release. does it work for you?

[licy183]

Emmm... It seems to work on Bluestacks, but not on my real device. I will record it and report upstream.

[ginger-tek]

It seems that npm@9.2.0 has fixed this.

Still have the error, both now and when testing in v9.2.0 release. does it work for you?

Same here :/

[OurCodeBase]

Use yarn to install npm packages !

[thunder-coding]

Just pushed 6b05a8e. Will now include an error message when trying to install npm globally. Also using --force will allow to install it anyway (provided for people who know what they are doing)

[elenakrittik]

So, uh, any other way to upgrade npm?

[Alex1Sturm]

Error;-;

ERR! Can't install npm globally as it will very likely break installation of global packages using npm. See #13293

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR! /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.npm/_logs/2023-03-12T00_03_10_133Z-debug-0.log

[marktforsyth]

So, uh, any other way to upgrade npm?

@ItsAleph I think I may have found a way!

Ironically, the suggestion by @OurCodeBase works perfectly for this: using yarn. Even though I've been getting the same errors as everyone else, this did the trick:

npm i -g yarn (if not already installed)
yarn global add npm

Oh my machine, this runs without errors. After installation, npm -v gives the expected result. Does this work for any of you too?

[joshcangit]

No, yarn global add npm only installed under the home directory.

But leaving the system-wide npm module alone is the only option.
Overwriting it in any way will cause this issue.

If I need a more up-to-date npm, best is to get it with yarn or pnpm.

[OurCodeBase]

Hello @joshcangit
If you are facing issues with yarn then reset everything and install yarn using package manager pkg install yarn.
This will install yarn, npm, and nodejs automatically.
And then you can run yarn command anywhere.

[joshcangit]

Hello @joshcangit
If you are facing issues with yarn then reset everything and install yarn using package manager pkg install yarn.
This will install yarn, npm, and nodejs automatically.
And then you can run yarn command anywhere.

Um actually, the issue is with npm.

I updated it by installing under the home directory then copying it over.
I don't think it matters which package manager I used to do this.

[joshcangit]

Why are you using npm when yarn is much stable than it.

My idea is npm for system-wide packages.
But yarn or pnpm for packages in current working directory.

[Leif-W]

Using yarn to install npm globally, initially seems to work, but upon closer examination, using a tool like npm-check-updates, reveals that it doesn't completely work as expected. ncu -g will show the old (no longer installed 9.6.3) version as installed, and the currently installed (9.6.7) as available for install. 'yarn' != 'npm', therefore, yarn is not updating the same (config?) files as npm, thus, issues remain. It's a quick and dirty workaround, which may be sufficient for some scenarios and/or people, and not sufficient for others. Nothing beats a proper fix.

[phanirithvij]

This has been fixed in npm/cacache#195, it works now

[thunder-coding]

This has been fixed in npm/cacache#195, it works now

Thanks for pointing out, this issue will be closed as completed once we have upgrade to a version of nodejs which comes with this fix for npm. LTS should not be much of a problem, but the latest version will take some time to catch up

[varxez]

You can try this:
https://github.com/varxez/termux-npm-updater

[joshcangit]

https://github.com/varxez/termux-npm-updater

Not sure if this works.
I've tried copying npm from node_modules in the home folder.
The error still occured.

[thunder-coding]

You can try this:
https://github.com/varxez/termux-npm-updater

That script ain't going to work, you are just replacing the npm binary and the node_modules directory without actually applying the fix which we have in our packaged version of node

[varxez]

You can try this:
https://github.com/varxez/termux-npm-updater

That script ain't going to work, you are just replacing the npm binary and the node_modules directory without actually applying the fix which we have in our packaged version of node

Bro, how about if you personally check the functionality of the script?

[GuriZenit]

You can try this:
https://github.com/varxez/termux-npm-updater

That script ain't going to work, you are just replacing the npm binary and the node_modules directory without actually applying the fix which we have in our packaged version of node

Bro, how about if you personally check the functionality of the script?

This script does the same job as

npm i -g npm@latest --force

[Leif-W]

This seems to have gone off topic. The name has nothing to do with the functionality. Nor does bickering about a script.

For me, the patched npm was available in a nodejs update in my Termux some time ago. At some later time, npm was independently updated upstream somewhere, so that the version installed was out of date. npm i -g npm worked flawlessly, and npm updated without any errors. I verified new version with npm -v.

If some people are still having a bug, then let them please continue to explore that here. To troubleshoot, I think it might be reasonable to uninstall nodejs then verify the old npm is truly gone, then reinstall nodejs and verify it has the patched npm. Then wait for a new npm to be released upstream, and try to self-update.

Only people still kbserving the initial problem should be posting here. Otherwise, if others confirm this is now working and nobody reports errors, close this. Probably any other bug is a new bug and deserves a new issue.

Thanks to all who got this working for us.

[n-ce]

same Issue on latest LTS.

[Leif-W]

npm -g i npm worked for me. So people will need more details to reproduce. Like which version of nodejs is installed? I've got node v20.2.0. Did you uninstall and reinstall nodejs? What is the LTS version? nodejs-lts is v18.16.1? Did the patch get backported upstream? Will it ever? Did you try nodejs (current)? Is upgrading nodejs possible? IDK what else to try, that's all I did and things worked since the upstream patch landed.

[Leif-W]

nodejs-lts has nodejs v18.16.1 and npm v9.5.1. The fix landed in cacache v17.0.7. npm v9.5.1 is using cacahe v17.0.4. cacache v17.0.7 doesn't land in npm until npm v9.6.6, which doesn't land in node until node v18.17.0, which is the very next release after node v18.16.1. Can nodejs-lts simply be bumped up to v18.17.0 to fix npm self-updates?

[Leif-W]

Now when I uninstall nodejs-lts and reinstall nodejs which has the upstream-fixed npm v9.6.6, I can't upgrade because the outdated Termux patch which references this issue 13293 is still applied. (Edit: I may have previously upgraded using yarn but then forgot. See workaround below.)

So 2 things:

1. For nodejs package, remove the unneeded packages/nodejs/deps-npm-lib-commands-install.js.patch as nodejs npm v9.6.6 includes cacache v17.0.7 which was fixed for this issue upstream in cacache v17.0.4.

2. For nodejs-lts package, can we bump up one release, from 18.16.1 to 18.17.0 to include npm v9.6.6? If yes, then likewise delete the cruft deps-npm-lib-commands-install.js patch.

As a workaround, use yarn or possibly another package manager (pnpm gave me a problem which I've not yet diagnosed), to install npm globally. yarn global add npm Then use npm to install itself globally to the same version (npm -g i npm), to clobber any cruft left behind by yarn which may cause discrepancies in reported (i.e. npm v9.6.6) vs installed version (i.e. npm v9.8.1). (I use npm-check-updates which shows the discrepancy.)

[GuriZenit]

Now when I uninstall nodejs-lts and reinstall nodejs which has the upstream-fixed npm v9.6.6, I can't upgrade because the outdated Termux patch which references this issue 13293 is still applied. (Edit: I may have previously upgraded using yarn but then forgot. See workaround below.)

So 2 things:

1. For nodejs package, remove the unneeded packages/nodejs/deps-npm-lib-commands-install.js.patch as nodejs npm v9.6.6 includes cacache v17.0.7 which was fixed for this issue upstream in cacache v17.0.4.

2. For nodejs-lts package, can we bump up one release, from 18.16.1 to 18.17.0 to include npm v9.6.6? If yes, then likewise delete the cruft deps-npm-lib-commands-install.js patch.

As a workaround, use yarn or possibly another package manager (pnpm gave me a problem which I've not yet diagnosed), to install npm globally. yarn global add npm Then use npm to install itself globally to the same version (npm -g i npm), to clobber any cruft left behind by yarn which may cause discrepancies in reported (i.e. npm v9.6.6) vs installed version (i.e. npm v9.8.1). (I use npm-check-updates which shows the discrepancy.)

It happened to me, I was wondering why it worked at first, but not on reinstallation, but I used npm i -g npm --force instead.