Node.js and npm Tips for Samplestack Development
Developers using Node.js and npm want and need stable installations of both Node.js and npm. This page is intended to help with issues concerning Node.js/npm usage, workarounds and versioning.
As of the last time this document was updated, the most recent, stable versions are:
| pkg | version |
|---|---|
| node | 0.10.33 |
| npm | 2.1.11 |
MarkLogic recommends that developers who can install specific versions use recent releases of both.
The rest of this document assumes that you have installed the latest versions or that you are unable or do not wish to do so.
If there are problems with:
- running
npm install; or - file-system errors when using
gulpcommands
then first, it is recommended to install the latest stable versions of node and npm.
If that is done (or not possible), and there is any history of errors on npm install, the npm troubleshooting wiki page should be consulted second.
Some specific workarounds that have been known to work include:
If you receive EPERM, ENOENT or other Node.js-reported errors when it is trying to read/write/delete files during processing, disable real-time virus protection on the marklogic-samplestack directory.
Sometimes a network or file- system "glitch" can, unfortunately wreak havoc on having the necessary dependencies installed.
On Windows, you can:
npm install -g rimraf # install a utility for deleting large directory trees
and then run these commands
rimraf node_modules
npm install
On Linux or Mac OS X, you can:
Run these commands
rm -rf node_modules
npm install
On any platform, the deletion of the node_modules directory followed by a re-attempt at npm install of the dependencies can help if you your machine is having trouble downloading files.
In some cases, you may end up with a corrupted installation of a particular dependency.
If your npm install command "mostly works", it may report an error with a specific dependency. In that happens, you can
rm -rf node_modules/<depname> # (or rimraf node_modules on windows)
npm install
to attempt to reinstall that specific package.
If you see the same errors on multiple attempts to npm install, you may try to clear your npm cache:
npm cache clean # (you may need 'sudo' on Linux/Mac)
If you repeatedly see the same errors from gulp commands, please file an issue.
If you see intermittent errors, they may be reduced or eradicated by updating node/npm.
Out of scope for this document but worth considering is to use a version manager for Node.js. This allows you to easily move been versions of node to find one that works for you. There are several available:
- https://github.com/isaacs/nave (linux/mac, used by some at MarkLogic)
- https://github.com/creationix/nvm (linux/mac)
- https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows (windows)
- https://github.com/tj/n (linux/mac)
- https://github.com/marcelklehr/nodist (for Windows)
In general, we love feedback of any kind. In particular, please share your experiences with us if you have trouble with node/npm so that we may improve our documentation. Thanks!