Node and npm throw error when executing JS file?

Question

I have a simple js file:

const bodyParser = require("body-parser");
const express = require("express");

const app = express(); 

// Set bodyparser
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended : true }));
app.use(express.static('public'));
// Set ejs
app.set('view engine', 'ejs');

app.get("/", (req, res)=>{
    console.log("an incoming request...");
    
    res.render("index");
    
});
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;
app.listen(PORT, ()=>{
    console.log("Listening...");
});

When I try to execute it with node server.js, this appears:

SyntaxError: Invalid or unexpected token
    at wrapSafe (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:979:16)
    at Module._compile (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:1027:27)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:1092:10)
    at Module.load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:928:32)
    at Function.Module._load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:769:14)
    at Function.executeUserEntryPoint [as runMain] (internal/modules/run_main.js:72:12)
    at internal/main/run_main_module.js:17:47

and with npm start this happens:

> practice@1.0.0 start C:\Users\Youssef\Documents\Practice
> node server.js

C:\Users\Youssef\Documents\Practice\server.js:1
��c


SyntaxError: Invalid or unexpected token
    at wrapSafe (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:979:16)        
    at Module._compile (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:1027:27)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:1092:10)
    at Module.load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:928:32)
    at Function.Module._load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:769:14)
    at Function.executeUserEntryPoint [as runMain] (internal/modules/run_main.js:72:12)
    at internal/main/run_main_module.js:17:47
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! practice@1.0.0 start: `node server.js`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the practice@1.0.0 start script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     C:\Users\Youssef\AppData\Roaming\npm-cache\_logs\2020-12-31T21_42_52_634Z-debug.log

I don't understand why this happens, there isn't a syntax error in the code and i tested removing the get route. I cleaned npm cache, reinstalled node modules like in other stackoverflow questions: How to solve npm error "npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE" I even reinstalled nodejs and no good.

Thanks in advance.

Try deleting the first (or maybe second) line of `server.js` and writing it again — CertainPerformance, Dec 31 '20 at 21:49
You definitely have some garbage characters on the top line of `server.js`. Node gacks on them. Notepad++ is good for finding that kind of junk. — O. Jones, Dec 31 '20 at 22:11
Maybe your editor is writing the [Byte order mark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byte_order_mark). — Hernán Alarcón, Dec 31 '20 at 22:28
What is the encoding of your file. The two �� characters you see in the error from `npm start` might be a byte-order mark. Try saving the file as for instance UTF-8 — derpirscher, Dec 31 '20 at 22:28
It works. I opened it with notepad and copied its content into a new file. Have you got any idea why did that error occur? Why was there garbage characters in the file? — Eye Patch, Dec 31 '20 at 22:28

Node and npm throw error when executing JS file?

0 Answers0