"message failed to fetch from registry" while trying to install any module

I had this issue with npm v1.1.4 (and node v0.6.12), which are the Ubuntu 12.04 repository versions.

It looks like that version of npm isn't supported any more, updating node (and npm with it) resolved the issue.

First, uninstall the outdated version (optional, but I think this fixed an issue I was having with global modules not being pathed in).

sudo apt-get purge nodejs npm

Then enable nodesource's repo and install:

curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup | sudo bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Note - the previous advice was to use Chris Lea's repo, he's now migrated that to nodesource, see:

https://chrislea.com/2014/07/09/joining-forces-nodesource/

https://nodesource.com/blog/chris-lea-joins-forces-with-nodesource

From: here

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https://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues/2119

I had to execute the command below:

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

However, that will make npm install packages over an insecure HTTP connection. If you can, you should stick with

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

instead to install over HTTPS.

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I'm on Ubuntu. I used apt-get to install node. Npm was not included in that package, so it had to be installed separately. I assumed that would work, but apparently the npm version in the Ubuntu distribution was outdated.

The node wiki has this instruction:

Obtaining a recent version of Node or installing on older Ubuntu and other apt-based distributions may require a few extra steps. Example install:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python-software-properties python g++ make
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:chris-lea/node.js
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nodejs

After that, npm was already included and worked perfectly.

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For me, it's usually a proxy issue, and I try everything:

npm config set registry http://registry.npmjs.org/
npm config set strict-ssl false

npm config set proxy http://myusername:mypassword@proxy.us.somecompany:8080
npm config set https-proxy http://myusername:mypassword@proxy.us.somecompany:8080
set HTTPS_PROXY=http://myusername:mypassword@proxy.us.somecompany:8080
set HTTP_PROXY=http://myusername:mypassword@proxy.us.somecompany:8080
export HTTPS_PROXY=http://myusername:mypassword@proxy.us.somecompany:8080
export HTTP_PROXY=http://myusername:mypassword@proxy.us.somecompany:8080
export http_proxy=http://myusername:mypassword@proxy.us.somecompany:8080

npm --proxy http://myusername:mypassword@proxy.us.somecompany:8080 \
--without-ssl --insecure -g install

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You also need to install software-properties-common for add-apt-repository to work. so it will be

sudo apt-get purge nodejs npm
sudo apt-get install -y python-software-properties python g++ make software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:chris-lea/node.js
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nodejs

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One thing that has worked for me with random npm install errors (where the package that errors out is different under different times (but same environment) is to use this:

npm cache clean

And then repeat the process. Then the process seems to go smoother and the real problem and error message will emerge, where you can fix it and then proceed.

This is based on experience of running npm install of a whole bunch of packages under a pretty bare Ubuntu installation inside a Docker instance. Sometimes there are build/make tools missing from the Ubuntu and the npm errors will not show the real problem until you clean the cache for some reason.

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This problem is due to the https protocol, which is why the other solution works (by switching to the non-secure protocol).

For me, the best solution was to compile the latest version of node, which includes npm

apt-get purge nodejs npm
git clone https://github.com/nodejs/node ~/local/node
cd ~/local/node
./configure
make
make install

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There are now official instructions from joyent (primary nodejs backer). For Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get purge nodejs npm
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup | sudo bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

For other unix distributions, osx and windows see the link. Note this will install both node and npm.

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The only thing that worked for me on Elementary OS Luna, a Ubuntu Fork. I am on x86 architecture. I tried all the answers here but finally decided to install it from source.

First, make sure its not installed using the package manager:

sudo apt-get purge nodejs npm -y

I went to the download page to lookup the latest source & download it, http://nodejs.org/download/. You can use curl, wget or your browser to get it:

wget http://nodejs.org/dist/v0.10.34/node-v0.10.34.tar.gz
tar -xvf node-v0.10.34.tar.gz 
cd node-v0.10.34
./configure
make
sudo make install

The make might take a while. When done, you should have node and npm installed and working in your /usr/local/bin directory which should be already on your path. You should verify where it lives:

which npm node

I also had to change the permissions to get it to work:

sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local

If it didn't work check your path:

echo $PATH

Note that installing it this way, it will not be managed by apt-get package manager. Cheers!

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The below method worked for me, Kudos to github user : midnightcodr

Make sure You remove any nodejs/npm packages already installed.

sudo apt-get purge nodejs

sudo apt-get purge npm

Now Install Node js using the command below( Thanks to midnightcodr on github)

curl -L https://raw.github.com/midnightcodr/rpi_node_install/master/setup.sh | bash -s 0.10.24

Note that you can invoke node with command node and not nodejs.

Once node is installed , Install npm

sudo apt-get install npm

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Recently I had this problem after upgrading node.js (and inevitably npm) to the newest version:

> npm --version < 2.0.0-alpha-5

Note: I didn't ask for an unstable version, I just got it after brew install npm on OSX.

Downgrading npm fixed the problem for me.

The easiest way to install the stable npm is npm install -g npm but it might not work under some circumstances and downgrade of node.js might be needed then.

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It could be that the npm registry was down at the time or your connection dropped.

Either way you should upgrade node and npm.

I would recommend using nave to manage your node environments.

https://npmjs.org/package/nave

It allows you to easily install versions and quickly jump between them.

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for raspberry pi I found and modified a solution I found
here is what I ran

sudo su -
cd /opt
wget http://nodejs.org/dist/v0.10.28/node-v0.10.28-linux-arm-pi.tar.gz
tar xvzf node-v0.10.28-linux-arm-pi.tar.gz
ln -s node-v0.10.28-linux-arm-pi node
chmod a+rw /opt/node/lib/node_modules
chmod a+rw /opt/node/bin
echo 'PATH=$PATH:/opt/node/bin' > /etc/profile.d/node.sh

the only mod I did was change all 10.25 to 10.28 which was the latest linux-arm-pi at the time

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@therefromhere's answer is the best one. However Node versions have moved ever onwards and upwards, and the versioning was complicated by the remerge of io.js. Following the steps in his answer, you will end up with Node version 0.10.25 - not the most recent version.

You should still purge any existing node/npm packages with

sudo apt-get purge nodejs npm

and then go and look at the nodesource deb install page at https://github.com/nodesource/distributions#debinstall.

All Node.js versions are listed on the above page with the Linux commands to install them. And these packages will work on both Debian and Ubuntu.

P.S. If you want to run Node v4.4 or higher on Ubuntu Precise or Debian Wheezy, you should review the information about running on older distros.

P.P.S. If your apt-get is failing, the script will not complete (Google references were failing my apt-get update). You should see messages about the NodeSource signing key being added to your keyring and a final message instructing you to Run 'apt-get install nodejs' to install Node.js.

P.P.P.S. npm is installed with node. Once installed, you can update to the latest npm with sudo npm install npm -g

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