npm ERR cb() never called

Question

I have a Node.js app hosted on Heroku. Every time I do a git push heroku I get the following error:

Counting objects: 14, done.
Delta compression using up to 6 threads.
Compressing objects: 100% (12/12), done.
Writing objects: 100% (12/12), 1.20 KiB, done.
Total 12 (delta 8), reused 0 (delta 0)

-----> Node.js app detected
-----> Resolving engine versions
       Using Node.js version: 0.6.20
       Using npm version: 1.2.12
-----> Fetching Node.js binaries
-----> Vendoring node into slug
-----> Installing dependencies with npm
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/pg/0.6.15
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/socket.io
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/pg/0.6.15
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/pg/-/pg-0.6.15.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/socket.io
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/socket.io/-/socket.io-0.9.13.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/pg/-/pg-0.6.15.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/socket.io/-/socket.io-0.9.13.tgz
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/socket.io-client/0.9.11
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/policyfile/0.0.4
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/base64id/0.1.0
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/redis/0.7.3
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/generic-pool/1.0.9
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/policyfile/0.0.4
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/policyfile/-/policyfile-0.0.4.tgz

       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/base64id/0.1.0
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/base64id/-/base64id-0.1.0.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/generic-pool/1.0.9
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/generic-pool/-/generic-pool-1.0.9
.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/socket.io-client/0.9.11
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/socket.io-client/-/socket.io-clie
nt-0.9.11.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/redis/0.7.3
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/redis/-/redis-0.7.3.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/policyfile/-/policyfile-0.0.4.tgz

       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/base64id/-/base64id-0.1.0.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/generic-pool/-/generic-pool-1.0.9
.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/socket.io-client/-/socket.io-clie
nt-0.9.11.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/redis/-/redis-0.7.3.tgz

       > pg@0.6.15 install /tmp/build_36us8733h7kkr/node_modules/pg
       > node-waf configure build || (exit 0)

       Checking for program g++ or c++          : /usr/bin/g++
       Checking for program cpp                 : /usr/bin/cpp
       Checking for program ar                  : /usr/bin/ar
       Checking for program ranlib              : /usr/bin/ranlib
       Checking for g++                         : ok
       Checking for node path                   : not found
       Checking for node prefix                 : ok /tmp/node-node-nNUw
       Checking for program pg_config           : /usr/bin/pg_config
       'configure' finished successfully (0.058s)
       Waf: Entering directory `/tmp/build_36us8733h7kkr/node_modules/pg/build'
       [1/2] cxx: src/binding.cc -> build/Release/src/binding_1.o
       [2/2] cxx_link: build/Release/src/binding_1.o -> build/Release/binding.no
de
       Waf: Leaving directory `/tmp/build_36us8733h7kkr/node_modules/pg/build'
       'build' finished successfully (0.492s)
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/uglify-js/1.2.5
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/ws
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/xmlhttprequest/1.4.2
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/active-x-obfuscator/0.0.1
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/active-x-obfuscator/0.0.1
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/active-x-obfuscator/-/active-x-ob
fuscator-0.0.1.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/uglify-js/1.2.5
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/uglify-js/-/uglify-js-1.2.5.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/xmlhttprequest/1.4.2
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/xmlhttprequest/-/xmlhttprequest-1
.4.2.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/ws
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/ws/-/ws-0.4.25.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/active-x-obfuscator/-/active-x-ob
fuscator-0.0.1.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/uglify-js/-/uglify-js-1.2.5.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/xmlhttprequest/-/xmlhttprequest-1
.4.2.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/ws/-/ws-0.4.25.tgz
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/zeparser/0.0.5
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/commander
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/tinycolor
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/options
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/zeparser/0.0.5
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/zeparser/-/zeparser-0.0.5.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/options
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/options/-/options-0.0.3.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/tinycolor
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/tinycolor/-/tinycolor-0.0.1.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/commander
       npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/commander/-/commander-0.6.1.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/zeparser/-/zeparser-0.0.5.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/options/-/options-0.0.3.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/tinycolor/-/tinycolor-0.0.1.tgz
       npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/commander/-/commander-0.6.1.tgz

       > ws@0.4.25 install /tmp/build_36us8733h7kkr/node_modules/socket.io/node_
modules/socket.io-client/node_modules/ws
       > (node-gyp rebuild 2> builderror.log) || (exit 0)

       make: Entering directory `/tmp/build_36us8733h7kkr/node_modules/socket.io
/node_modules/socket.io-client/node_modules/ws/build'
         CXX(target) Release/obj.target/bufferutil/src/bufferutil.o
         SOLINK_MODULE(target) Release/obj.target/bufferutil.node
         SOLINK_MODULE(target) Release/obj.target/bufferutil.node: Finished
         COPY Release/bufferutil.node
         CXX(target) Release/obj.target/validation/src/validation.o
         SOLINK_MODULE(target) Release/obj.target/validation.node
         SOLINK_MODULE(target) Release/obj.target/validation.node: Finished
         COPY Release/validation.node
       make: Leaving directory `/tmp/build_36us8733h7kkr/node_modules/socket.io/
node_modules/socket.io-client/node_modules/ws/build'
       npm ERR! cb() never called!
       npm ERR! not ok code undefined
       npm ERR! cb() never called!
       npm ERR! not ok code 1
 !     Failed to install --production dependencies with npm
 !     Heroku push rejected, failed to compile Node.js app

To git@heroku.com:still-chamber-1286.git
 ! [remote rejected] master -> master (pre-receive hook declined)
error: failed to push some refs to 'git@heroku.com:still-chamber-1286.git'

The error is in the last few lines:

npm ERR! cb() never called!
           npm ERR! not ok code undefined
           npm ERR! cb() never called!
           npm ERR! not ok code 1
     !     Failed to install --production dependencies with npm
     !     Heroku push rejected, failed to compile Node.js app

    To git@heroku.com:still-chamber-1286.git
     ! [remote rejected] master -> master (pre-receive hook declined)
    error: failed to push some refs to 'git@heroku.com:still-chamber-1286.git'

I have had no problems with pushing my code to Heroku before; only since Monday have I had this error.

I have seen similar posts on the web referring to slightly different errors, but haven't seen one with ! [remote rejected] master -> master (pre-receive hook declined) before.

I'm getting the same error when pushing my node app to heroku today: `! [remote rejected] master -> master (pre-receive hook declined)` — smithclay, Mar 13 '13 at 18:59
Strangely, adding `"engines": { "node": "0.8.x" }` to my `package.json` fixed that error for me. — smithclay, Mar 13 '13 at 20:16
It worked, thanks a lot :) Although it should be noted that I already had `"engines": { "node": "0.6.x" }` in `package.json`, I simply had to change it from `0.6.x` to `0.8.x` — Louise K, Mar 14 '13 at 14:04
There is currently an open issue about this error with npm and node 0.10.0: https://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues/2907 — jonathancardoso, Mar 15 '13 at 12:49
I fixed this for myself by simply updating npm ( `$> npm install -g npm` )since I was getting warnings that packages expected a higher version of it anyways in the console output. — racl101, Oct 02 '15 at 15:14
made a PR to start a troubleshooting doc on this: https://github.com/npm/npm/pull/21005 — Ben Creasy, Jun 17 '18 at 07:19
avoid using sudo with npm. If you get errors check if any directories are owned by root in your npm cache dir (~/.npm on ubuntu) if they are delete them and it should start afresh and have no errors on your next `npm install` command. — Paul Rooney, Jan 24 '19 at 23:41
i had fixed same issue. see this link https://stackoverflow.com/questions/52467848/npm-err-cb-never-called-error-when-trying-to-run-npm-install-command/58089750#58089750 — kumar chandraketu, Sep 25 '19 at 00:52

score 366 · Answer 1 · edited Jul 28 '18 at 00:03

366

If you have npm version 5 or above, try this first:

$ sudo npm cache verify

Otherwise:

$ sudo npm cache clean

My node and npm versions are:

$ node -v
v0.10.0

$ npm -v
1.2.14

https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/cache

edited Jul 28 '18 at 00:03

MAZux

751
1
15
26

answered Mar 18 '13 at 18:11

Alberto

3,811
1
11
6

1

Workaround helped, but for the same error but during module installation (grunt-contrib-yuidoc), thanks. – Wiseman Jul 22 '13 at 13:39
Isn't this solution for local runs and not on Heroku? For Heroku this solution seems does not work. – Valentyn Shybanov Sep 26 '13 at 22:57
14

Ugh. I tried proposing an edit to this answer but evidently has to be at least 6 characters. Anyway, it should be `clean` not `clear`. https://npmjs.org/doc/cache.html – Tyler Hayes Oct 11 '13 at 04:03
Got this error after building a postgres native extension, rm -fr $HOME/.node-gyp do the trick. – Giovanni Toraldo Jul 24 '14 at 09:20
I got the error when trying to install cordova. I did the cache clean method and tried the install again and it worked. Thanks alot. – Ads Oct 09 '14 at 23:34
2

`npm cache clean` works for me as I constantly switch between different npm registries. – qmmr Jan 27 '15 at 14:38
See also [nmp cache location](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/19874582/change-default-global-installation-directory-for-node-js-modules-in-windows) in general and [under system account on windows](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/31342624/teamcity-with-npm-error-enoent-stat-c-windows-system32-config-systemprofil). – Vadzim May 18 '16 at 15:06
As of npm@5, the npm cache self-heals from corruption issues and data extracted from the cache is guaranteed to be valid. If you want to make sure everything is consistent, use 'npm cache verify' instead. – Ivan Rave Jun 26 '17 at 10:32
Heard a lot of folks say its better to install and use NPM without sudo and it has been working well for me since I stopped – light24bulbs Apr 20 '18 at 13:57
you need to hit, sudo npm cache clean --force – Rahul Dudhane Jun 30 '20 at 14:38
`npm cache clean` doesn't work anymore from npm 5 and above as is considered self healing – eKelvin Mar 03 '21 at 08:58
I got this error when I clone my personal repo and did a npm install. $ npm install npm ERR! cb() never called! npm ERR! This is an error with npm itself. Please report this error at: npm ERR! Running sudo npm cache verify worked for me in this answer – utkarsh-k Mar 21 '21 at 08:52

score 144 · Answer 2 · edited Oct 02 '13 at 09:59

144

For anyone hitting this page around Sept 29th, 2013, there's a closed bug in Node.js 0.10.19 which is causing this error.

https://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues/2907#issuecomment-15215278 https://github.com/joyent/node/issues/6263#issuecomment-25113849

If you're on Heroku you should upgrade to 0.10.20

"engines": {
    "node": "0.10.20"
}

edited Oct 02 '13 at 09:59

Thomas Grainger

1,525
17
29

answered Sep 26 '13 at 18:28

Mark Percival

1,413
1
9
8

Thanks. I am trying to build rippled and ran into this exact error. Your answer helped. (Note: it seems that re-running the command multiple times eventually gets it to succeed. In my case it was "npm install") – DV. Sep 26 '13 at 20:23
Having the same problem. (npm ERR! cb() never called!) running Node 0.1.19/NPM 1.3.11. Im trying to install cordova with "sudo npm install -g cordova" – Fredric Berling Sep 26 '13 at 20:48
42

Sept 29th? Is this error from the future? :) Thanks for the solution! – JBCP Sep 26 '13 at 21:09
Not sure if it applies. But when trying to install (wintersmith) with `-g` it failed with this error. If I first installed without the global option, and then installed with it, I did not get the error. – Chris Rockwell Sep 27 '13 at 01:03
1

Thanks! Definitely what I was looking for – Kyle Hotchkiss Sep 27 '13 at 02:37
3

You posted from the future! This was a serious bug indeed. ;/ – juanpaco Sep 27 '13 at 12:36
2

45 upvotes (at the time of this writing) in the span of 22 hours :) Brilliant of you to preemptively post a new & current answer for an old but similar question. The Internet rocks! – meetamit Sep 27 '13 at 16:59
*This* is the power of StackOverflow – iono Sep 29 '13 at 08:16
Node 0.10.18 is available now (was probably downgraded from .19) – Matej Sep 29 '13 at 20:42
He said "around" Sept 29th, not on. – Alex V Sep 30 '13 at 18:36
1

I had this very error yesterday, and re-installed node today (Oct 1st) and it's working again - it seems to be fixed in v0.10.20. Thanks for this thread, saved me a lot of time. – dirkk0 Oct 01 '13 at 05:24
I had the same error in v0.10.36. Updated to v0.12.3 and fixed. – cespon May 17 '15 at 11:02

score 53 · Answer 3 · edited Aug 03 '20 at 12:10

53

Try

sudo npm cache clean --force

More info refer: https://reactgo.com/npm-err-cb-never-called/

edited Aug 03 '20 at 12:10

Marwan Salim

642
6
14

answered Dec 19 '17 at 20:34

SanS

700
6
6

To anyone trying this, I was doing this in my local Angular project directory (VS code terminal) and 'sudo' did not work. However, using just `npm cache clean --force` worked for me in my local instance and resolved this error message. Thanks! – Kyle Vassella Aug 10 '20 at 21:07
working fir me without "sudo" – Muhammad Bilal Apr 27 '21 at 04:46

codewithfeeling · Answer 4 · 2020-03-29T11:32:48.963

IMPORTANT! The solution below is now regarded as unstable, and you should use Node Version Management instead: Node Version Manager on Github. David Walsh also has a good introduction to NVM. NVM works beautifully and I've been using it to manage legacy WordPress projects for a few years.

Please don't use this - use NVM

I just had this exactly issue when trying to install the Sage theme for WordPress. When I ran npm install on the theme directory, it failed.

Looking in the dependencies in package.json, I could see that the engine I was running for Node was out of date. Running node -v on the command line showed that I was on v0.10.9, and the latest version of Sage requires >= 0.12.0

So here's the fix for that. These steps are from David Walsh's blog

Clear your npm cache: sudo npm cache clean -f
Install the latest version of the Node helper: sudo npm install -g n
Tell the helper (n) to install the latest stable version of Node: sudo n stable

You should then get a progress display, after which you will be up to date.

When I ran npm install after doing this, everything worked fine, and I was able to run gulp to build the initial dist directory.

According to your source link, this solution is "unstable" and Node Version Manager is better https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/blob/master/README.md — PJ Brunet, Mar 29 '20 at 07:55

score 23 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 30 '13 at 07:09

23

Do you have a specific version of "npm" specified under "engines" in your package.json? Sounds like NPM v1.2.15 resolved the issue (and Heroku has available). I was getting the same problem with "1.1.x".

answered Mar 30 '13 at 07:09

Aidan Feldman

4,263
32
44

Fantastic. That was bugging me for sure. Specified my npm version and it worked like a charm. – Eric H. Jul 04 '13 at 01:46
31

IF YOU ARE EVER IN AUSTIN,TX, PLEASE LET ME BUY YOU A PIZZA! I'm sorry for the all caps, but it captures my current state of joy as a result of your answer. I would never have suspected that having that version specification for NPM was the culprit. Aidan, I hope you have a wonderful day. – juanpaco Jul 25 '13 at 14:01
1

@juanpaco, you are too funny. – Daniel Sep 16 '19 at 22:14
Yeach I remove this "engines" sheet from package.json and it works :) – Kamil Kiełczewski Oct 09 '19 at 19:24

score 18 · Answer 6 · edited Mar 06 '18 at 14:59

18

If you have updated angular cli, npm, node, you don't need to do anything more. Just run the command below to resolve the issue. This command also resolves the issue of "unexpected end of line".

npm install --no-package-lock

edited Mar 06 '18 at 14:59

Cristik

24,833
18
70
97

answered Mar 06 '18 at 14:39

chetan shah

181
1
4

run this command in the same workspace where you are working. – chetan shah Mar 06 '18 at 14:40

score 17 · Answer 7 · answered Oct 07 '18 at 12:45

17

Run npm install -g npm
Then run npm install

answered Oct 07 '18 at 12:45

Shujat Munawar

1,289
16
22

Doesn't work when npm throws `cb() never called!`. – mcv Apr 28 '21 at 15:21

score 15 · Answer 8 · answered Dec 31 '16 at 18:56

15

Updating the NodeJS https://nodejs.org/en/ Fixed My Issue.

Run npm install -g npm & npm cache clean

answered Dec 31 '16 at 18:56

Srinivas

657
8
12

Yes. Actually it worked this way for me. First I updated my Node & run those commands it worked. May be another way of getting it worked. Hope it helps some one. – Srinivas Jan 01 '17 at 12:12

score 10 · Answer 9 · answered Oct 10 '19 at 08:47

10

For me none of the above solutions worked (reinstalling, clearing cache, folders etc.).

My problem was solved with:

npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/

answered Oct 10 '19 at 08:47

Bubiec

183
1
10

Sven Viking · Answer 10 · 2013-09-25T14:45:32.547

9

I had the same problem with NPM version 1.3.11, and solved it simply by re-running the exact same command multiple times ("npm update -g" in my case). The error popped up for a different package on each subsequent run and eventually everything updated successfully.

For me at least, it seems like it was being caused by a network issue (corrupted downloads). I was also getting an error about an invalid package, which I was able to resolve by deleting all instances of "tmp.tgz".

Edit: (Probably unrelated, but in case this helps anyone: I was using Windows, and started a command prompt as an Administrator after receiving the initial error).

edited Sep 25 '13 at 14:45

answered Sep 25 '13 at 14:26

Sven Viking

1,852
16
21

1

Since posting this I've seen a lot of people saying they've had the same experience on Unix and Mac (multiple attempts eventually bypass the issue). Don't know if the problem is networking related or not, but it seems widespread. – Sven Viking Sep 27 '13 at 06:58
Apparently this bug is now fixed in v0.10.20: http://blog.nodejs.org/2013/09/30/node-v0-10-20-stable/ – Sven Viking Oct 01 '13 at 07:05

score 9 · Answer 11 · answered Apr 17 '16 at 17:57

9

I had the same problem while installing ionic@beta. I tried the following items and they didn't help me.

npm cache clean
Manually delete cache from %temp%\npm-*
Command prompt "Run As Administrator"

I solved the problem by installing node-v5.10.1-x64.msi (Previous version was node-v5.9.0-x64.msi) and run an npm cache clean before installing ionic@beta

It worked!

answered Apr 17 '16 at 17:57

Sen Jacob

3,025
3
31
52

2

This worked for me, thanks! Must be something wrong with 5.9.x. – Nick George Nov 14 '16 at 15:29
Installing node may have installed a new npm, which could be the cause of this working as a fix. – mikemaccana Jul 09 '19 at 10:56

score 8 · Answer 12 · answered Apr 12 '20 at 20:17

8

UPDATED: The problem is pretty common here is the new fix npm cache verify run that you will be good to go!

answered Apr 12 '20 at 20:17

James Christian Kaguo

648
7
9

1

Don't know what was the exact problem, but this solution worked for me. Thanks! – Anup Bangale May 13 '21 at 13:12

score 6 · Answer 13 · answered Sep 07 '17 at 03:31

6

I just globally installed the newest version of NPM and it worked for me. I guess Clearing npm cache is optional.

npm install -g npm

answered Sep 07 '17 at 03:31

Akash Tantri

728
8
15

score 6 · Answer 14 · answered Aug 24 '18 at 23:55

For me on npm 6.4.0 and node 10.9.0 none of the answers worked. Reinstalled node, npm, cleaned cache, removed folders ...

After some debugging it turned out I used npm link for two of my modules under development to link to each other. Once I removed and redid some linking I was able to get it all working again.

score 6 · Answer 15 · answered Jul 31 '19 at 09:03

I had the cb() never called! error, and none of the answers here directly worked for me. I was running Node v8.11.2, and I had to manually delete the package-lock.json file to get anywhere. After doing this, I ran npm cache verify per what some of the answers recommended. Then, running npm i yielded the following result:

npm notice created a lockfile as package-lock.json. You should commit this file.
npm WARN securities-stub@1.0.0 No description
npm WARN securities-stub@1.0.0 No repository field.

up to date in 5.118s

score 5 · Answer 16 · answered Nov 24 '16 at 03:32

5

sudo npm cache clean didn't work out for me. Update to the latest version of node helps.

I had node v.5.91 and updated to v6.9.1

answered Nov 24 '16 at 03:32

h--n

5,529
4
27
30

2

it seems like a returning problem, I had the same problem with 10.15.0 and 11.6.0, and I had to downgrade 9.11.2, it worked. – CsBalazsHungary Jan 14 '19 at 14:11

score 5 · Answer 17 · edited Jul 22 '20 at 16:35

Knowing that this is an old question and many of you had provided your answers. Just to share my experience with this error and how I fixed.

This all started after I upgrade my Node version to > 12, I did go through all the answers and try to follow steps clearing npm Cache, deleting the node_modules folder. No one of them resolve my problem.

The root cause in my case was proxy restricting installation. I deleted the proxy settings to fix the problem.

Check if you have any proxy config
```
npm config list
```

Delete them by

npm config delete proxy
npm config delete http-proxy
npm config delete https-proxy

Now try
```
npm install
```

score 4 · Answer 18 · answered Mar 28 '17 at 13:18

It appears that particular dependency versions can cause this issue. For example, gulp-uglifycss 1.0.7 has this problem (see https://github.com/rezzza/gulp-uglifycss/issues/15).

If you are allowing major or minor version updates in your packages.json via ^ or ~, remove those characters thoughout the file and try another npm install. If it works that time then you'll be alright after you have the fun of narrowing down which package is causing the problem.

Benja · Answer 19 · 2018-05-14T19:46:35.053

4

I had the same issue while trying to install firebase-tools in my windows laptop. this is how i solved it.

I downloaded kaspersky and installed it. then i disabled kaspersky secure connections
i opened cmd and run this command npm cache clean --force
i then run this command npm install npm@latest -g
i then run the firebase cli command npm install -g firebase-tools

edited May 14 '18 at 19:46

answered May 14 '18 at 13:42

Benja

81
2

in this command `npm cache clean --force` **--force** helped to clean cache – WasiF Aug 03 '18 at 18:18
@Benja - Kaspersky is an anti virus and it has nothing to do in your installation or issues of NPM. if you have issues with that, at max it can be for Proxy settings , or for any one of the reasons mentioned here – Ritumoni Sharma Oct 16 '19 at 14:22
You literally saved my life man. thanks! – fotiecodes Mar 28 '21 at 14:08

score 4 · Answer 20 · edited Jul 22 '20 at 16:39

4

[Works] try

npm config delete https-proxy

it would have conflicted with proxy.

edited Jul 22 '20 at 16:39

BuZZ-dEE

3,875
7
48
76

answered Sep 28 '18 at 09:27

KrtkNyk

71
3

score 4 · Answer 21 · answered Feb 26 '19 at 00:12

4

I suggest: Switch to Yarn! - Yarn is a package manager which uses the same package.json file and node_modules folder as npm.

With npm I had the same problem: On a CentOS 6 install I got the ERR cb() never called error repeatedly and could not find a way to make npm reliably complete installation of some packages (like webpack for example). - Yarn works flawlessly, even on flaky network connections.

Migration to Yarn is easy. Most subcommands are the same. They have a good Migration guide. Read on to the handy CLI commands comparison at the end.

answered Feb 26 '19 at 00:12

halloleo

6,554
6
46
88

I've often had problems with `npm install` inside a Docker container (typically running on an Ubuntu host). `yarn install` has unblocked me in two different projects when `npm install` has failed! Wish I could know why, however... – Jamie Birch Apr 04 '19 at 16:00
Yes, I can confirm I had no problems with Yarn. Unfortunately npm is a crap nowadays. Package lock file generation is broken in some random moments. Nothing like that happens in Yarn. Its yarn.lock file is always fine – Nickon Mar 19 '20 at 15:51

score 4 · Answer 22 · answered Mar 07 '19 at 09:40

4

For Ubuntu Users, the given below method worked for me.

Firstly, perform this : sudo npm cache verify

Then go to Home->.npm and delete the _cache folder by : sudo rm -rf _cacache/

go and check, maybe you found the solution.

answered Mar 07 '19 at 09:40

Jaymeen_JK

212
3
5

score 4 · Answer 23 · edited Jul 22 '20 at 16:38

4

I too faced the same problem today as I force stopped the npm package download in between due to internet issues.

I tried various things like,

Running sudo npm cache clean -f - which did not work as expected
Clean uninstalling node and reinstalling it - which as well didn't work

I finally tried to delete the folder containing the npm cache that was creating the problem. I ran the following command,

sudo rm -rf /Users/{user_system_user}/.npm/

Then I tried installing the package that was stuck and everything worked like a charm.

P.S: replace {user_sytem_user} according to the current user of your system.

edited Jul 22 '20 at 16:38

BuZZ-dEE

3,875
7
48
76

answered Mar 26 '19 at 19:21

Sulokit

137
3

I think with the latest npm versions, your solution is the only one that is working. – Jorge Valvert Apr 18 '19 at 02:47
Yeah I tried a bunch of other things but yours was the one that sealed the deal – logos_164 Dec 23 '20 at 08:43

score 4 · Answer 24 · answered Jan 26 '21 at 13:41

4

I have the same error in my project. I am working on isolated intranet so my solution was following:

run npm clean cache --force
delete package-lock.json
in my case I had to setup NPM proxy in .npmrc

answered Jan 26 '21 at 13:41

Kacpers

105
1
6

1

Proxy configuration solved my issue – superbob Mar 17 '21 at 10:13

score 4 · Answer 25 · answered Mar 01 '21 at 13:41

4

As of March 2021 the new NPM version fixes many of those issues.

So calling npm i -g npm@latest fixes this again (In between this did not work).

answered Mar 01 '21 at 13:41

Obiwahn

1,784
1
14
25

what was your latest version when you did this? – Winnemucca Apr 13 '21 at 16:06
Sorry. I don't remember. – Obiwahn Apr 15 '21 at 07:43

Just Shadow · Answer 26 · 2021-03-25T11:28:11.340

4

Since NPM 6 you can do clean install.
That was the only solution which worked for me.

Just run the following:

npm clean-install

Notes:

You might also manually remove the node_modules folder and try again in case the command above failed.
If still doesn't work, the global cache might be broken, try running npm cache clean --force and then do clean install.
Clean install command works on npm 6 and above. For older versions consider checking the other answers below.

edited Mar 25 '21 at 11:28

answered Mar 25 '21 at 11:07

Just Shadow

7,001
2
40
51

1

This solution worked for me – Malith Senanayake May 27 '21 at 17:05

score 3 · Answer 27 · edited Jul 22 '20 at 16:38

3

In my case i couldnt install a VueJS plugin and i had to:

Changing the ownership of files:

sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.npm
sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/lib
sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/bin

And then made sure to ahve latest npm:

npm install -g npm@latest

Then installed my plugin and in your case probably your command isntead.

edited Jul 22 '20 at 16:38

BuZZ-dEE

3,875
7
48
76

answered Apr 11 '19 at 13:48

FBC

807
6
15

score 3 · Answer 28 · answered Aug 16 '20 at 08:35

3

What worked for me was: delete the package-lock.json file and run the following command:

npm cache clean --force

answered Aug 16 '20 at 08:35

joe hoeller

653
7
17

score 3 · Answer 29 · answered Mar 30 '21 at 18:04

Try switching your network, somehow switching network worked for me.

I have tried many things mentioned in other answers, like:

npm cache clean --force
Delete existing node_modules, delete package-lock.json, and reinstall using - npm i
npm cache verify
npm clean-install

None of the above worked for me, might work for you. Try your luck.

score 2 · Answer 30 · answered Sep 27 '13 at 08:40

2

Picking up where mdp left, the problem is with node 0.10.19 and npm 1.3.11

I found the easiest way to manage the downgrade to keep things going smoothly to be NVM, here is a nice tutorial on how to use it. I had my server environment modified and running correctly downgrading from 0.10.19 to 0.10.18 in a matter of minutes with NVM.

answered Sep 27 '13 at 08:40

Joe Minichino

2,658
17
20

NVM is very useful. I had so many issues with version conflicts and these were resolved only by installing and using NVM. It's awesome! Thanks. – Ken J Nov 25 '14 at 03:17

score 2 · Answer 31 · answered Oct 24 '16 at 20:29

2

Do npm install npm@latest -g to update npm to the latest version. This fixed the problem for me. I did do npm cache clean first

answered Oct 24 '16 at 20:29

Sukhdeep Singh

31
3

score 2 · Answer 32 · answered Apr 06 '18 at 06:31

I encountered the same problem on my Mac and I have tried all methods I can find: upgrade to latest Node, clean cache, remove _node_mudules_ directory, but all have no effect. Eventually, I believed it was the problem of Node environment, so I degraded my Node to an old LTS version 6.14.1, then the problem disappeared. This is what I do:

Install NVM (To get a brand new isolated node environment, you'd better use NVM to manage your multiple Node environments, go to here for details)

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.8/install.sh | bash
Install Node.js 6.14.1

nvm install 6.14.1
Switch to the specific Node environment you install above

nvm use 6.14.1
Install create-react-app

npm install -g create-react-app
Create your react app

create-react-app appname

score 2 · Answer 33 · answered Apr 11 '18 at 18:03

npm install would result in:

npm ERR! cb() never called!

npm ERR! This is an error with npm itself. Please report this error at:
npm ERR!     <https://github.com/npm/npm/issues>

In my case, this error started happening when I upgraded to Node.js version 8.11.1. Previously using Node.js version 6.12.x and NPM version 5.8.0.

In addition to that, my test scripts would not find AVA:

sh: ava: command not found
npm ERR! Test failed.  See above for more details.

The solution was to downgrade NPM to 5.7.1

Jason Foglia · Answer 34 · 2019-02-20T21:50:59.803

For anyone who has upgraded recently from 6.x to 6.7.0.

Deleting the /Users/{YOUR USERNAME}/.npm folder solved my issues with npm install.

I also, ran some of these commands suggested by https://npm.community/t/crash-npm-err-cb-never-called/858/93?u=jasonfoglia

sudo npm cache clean -f
sudo npm install -g n

But I'm not sure which actually worked until I deleted the folder. So if you experience this issue and just delete the .npm folder fixing your issue please note that in the comments.

score 2 · Answer 35 · edited Jul 22 '20 at 16:33

I tried many things from internet. Only below method worked for me. If every answer in this question don't work, try below steps in below order. Note :

Reboots required
Use cmd to execute code (VSCode didn't worked for me)

Delete local node module folder
Delete local package-lock file
Uninstall node.js
Reboot
Delete the folders: "C:\Users\ YOUR LOGIN NAME \AppData\Roaming\npm" and "C:\Users\ YOUR LOGIN NAME \AppData\Roaming\npm-cache"
Look for other npm folders under AppData and delete them too.
Reboot
Reinstall node.js
Reboot
npm cache clean --force
npm cache verify
npm install --force

score 1 · Answer 36 · answered Sep 30 '13 at 20:37

1

brew uninstall node
cd /usr/local
git checkout f7bbdcc /usr/local/Library/Formula/node.rb
brew install node

Find other versions like so:

brew versions node

answered Sep 30 '13 at 20:37

Alex V

17,468
5
32
34

score 1 · Answer 37 · answered Nov 14 '20 at 22:37

1

Turns out I was out of space! Deleting files on the drive allowed for normal startup and running.

answered Nov 14 '20 at 22:37

user3413723

8,503
4
47
56

score 1 · Answer 38 · answered Dec 16 '20 at 10:30

1

What helped me get over that error - cb() never called... is downgrading my NPM version. I had version 6.14.9, and I downgraded to version 6.14.6 by typing:

    npm install -g npm@6.14.6

note: nothing seemed to help. I tried many of the suggested solutions, including "npm cache clean" or uninstalling NPM and reinstalling.

answered Dec 16 '20 at 10:30

Niv

21
2

For those who are still struggling with this problem and have not yet found a solution, maybe this link will help them. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/40461439/error-installing-sqlite3-in-node-js/65329644#65329644 – Shamshirsaz.Navid Dec 16 '20 at 19:12
I’m using NPM v6.14.11 and deleting `package-lock.json` worked just fine - don’t worry `package-lock.json` will be generated again. – S. Esteves Jan 10 '21 at 02:23

score 1 · Answer 39 · answered May 27 '21 at 18:14

1

If the bug persists even after running npm cache clean --force, try to rerun npx create-react-app my-app after switching to a different network. This error could also cause due to slow and unstable networks...

answered May 27 '21 at 18:14

Malith Senanayake

182
8

score 0 · Answer 40 · answered Jan 27 '15 at 12:21

It seems like this issue is not occurring with a specific configuration or node version. We experienced it a couple of times when redeploying and suspect the npm servers to cause this issue.

Retrying a couple of times did solve the issue eventually.

score 0 · Answer 41 · edited Feb 16 '17 at 10:04

0

There may be two possibilities=>

Try to update your node js and npm.
Permission issue => a. Move your solution on c drive in your respective user account b. Need to run bash or cmd as administrator.

Hope this will resolve your issue

edited Feb 16 '17 at 10:04

BWA

5,314
7
29
42

answered Feb 16 '17 at 09:42

sachin

104
2

score 0 · Answer 42 · answered Jul 16 '18 at 10:41

Check if you have multiple versions of the npm command in your system path variable.

In my case, I had a version in the Node install directory and an older one in the npm globals install directory (called prefix in the npm config file). So I checked npm config get prefix for the location and deleted the link and the npm folder from node_modules. (Deleting the other one might also work, depending on the order in your PATH variable.)

score 0 · Answer 43 · answered Apr 22 '19 at 02:22

For mac users (HighSierra), do not install node using brew. It'll mess up with npm. I had to uninstall node and install using the package in the main nodejs.org source : https://nodejs.org/en/

Here's a simple guide that doesn't use brew: https://coolestguidesontheplanet.com/installing-node-js-on-macos/

score 0 · Answer 44 · answered Jun 18 '19 at 13:39

I stumbled upon this issue when installing local packages from my computer.

I had moved the local packages to another folder. And then when I wanted to update, I started getting this error.

To resolve this, I deleted all the previously created symlinks from the following folder:

C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules

After this i could install packages like before!

score 0 · Answer 45 · edited Jul 22 '20 at 16:37

0

Run the following command which solved my issue

npm install --no-package-lock

edited Jul 22 '20 at 16:37

BuZZ-dEE

3,875
7
48
76

answered Jul 18 '19 at 13:46

Vishesh

2,798
4
18
32

score 0 · Answer 46 · answered Dec 26 '19 at 06:34

I had faced the same issue, and i spend days to get a solution for the issue. In the end, i figured it out and it was an issue with my network.

I was using corporate proxy using a script. When i opened the pac file and get the proxy from there and added, it started working and never ever i faced the same issue.

score 0 · Answer 47 · answered Nov 09 '20 at 02:20

In my case, I was running npm install from within a Docker container that was running the node:10.16.0-alpine image. The problem was triggered by package.json pointing at a package directly in GitHub:

"dependencies": {
    "gulp-sass-inline-svg": "git+https://github.com/chriswburke/gulp-sass-inline-svg.git"
}

After switching to a Docker image that had git installed, the error went away.

score 0 · Answer 48 · answered Nov 21 '20 at 11:14

0

For me helped turn off antivirus

answered Nov 21 '20 at 11:14

tomassilny

941
1
8
13

score 0 · Answer 49 · answered Jan 17 '21 at 10:09

0

Windows WSL, Ubuntu, npm install returns the error. My solution:

sudo npm install

not sure why i have to use sudo. Other solutions like clean cache didn't work for me.

answered Jan 17 '21 at 10:09

JanBrus

371
3
10

score 0 · Answer 50 · answered Jan 22 '21 at 12:57

0

Deleting package-lock.json and installing the desired package again solved the issue for me.

answered Jan 22 '21 at 12:57

jafarmlp

1,049
12
11

score 0 · Answer 51 · answered Feb 23 '21 at 05:58

0

I was using WSL2 and ubuntu. I had added a .npmrc to home/user and run sudo and then I had this issue. I realized that I had to create my project inside ~ folder ($home/user). It was not working because my project was inside /mnt/c

answered Feb 23 '21 at 05:58

Mehrdad Babaki

7,301
12
39
59

score 0 · Answer 52 · answered Apr 27 '21 at 07:16

0

I tried

npm cache verify
npm cache clean --force.
npm i -g npm

but no luck.

But uninstalling previous node version and installing latest node version worked for me.

answered Apr 27 '21 at 07:16

Kashish Dhawan

34
4

score 0 · Answer 53 · answered May 19 '21 at 11:35

0

For me was a problem package-lock.json after deleting it and running command to clean cache I was abble to run npm -i successful.

answered May 19 '21 at 11:35

DarkNominis

19
3

npm ERR cb() never called

53 Answers53

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