npm command not available in Docker container

Question

I use this:

RUN sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

and then we link nodejs executable to node like so:

RUN sudo ln -s `which nodejs` /usr/bin/node

that's all well and good, but for some reason the "npm" command is not available after installing nodejs.

Why would that be? I thought npm was always bundled with nodejs? What do I need to do to get npm installed too? I am certain that nodejs is installed, but npm does not appear to be present, $(which npm) yields nothing.

Using sudo in docker tends to be a bad practice (see docs.docker.com/engine/userguide/eng-image/…) — β.εηοιτ.βε
– β.εηοιτ.βε, Commented May 3, 2017 at 21:16
LOL by the way, this install Node.js version 0.10, what the heck, Node is on version 7, almost 8 — Alexander Mills
– Alexander Mills, Commented May 3, 2017 at 21:29

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 11:47:08Z

3

If you are using my solution from here (and it indeed looks as you do), then you should know, that Java image is based on Debian Jessie.

If you take a look at Jessie packages, then you will see, that Jessie has npm as a separate package

edited May 23, 2017 at 11:47

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answered May 3, 2017 at 21:34

Kevin Kopf

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1 Comment

Natim Over a year ago

Let's mark this answer as solving the issue :) Thanks

Vlad Holubiev · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-03 22:07:37Z

So as you already mentioned, your docker base image is openjdk:latest

No surprise when you run apt-get install nodejs it installs version 0.10. Since that's what's available in Debian repos at the time. And as @nordenheim correctly pointed - npm wasn't included into node.js distribution.

So based on your comments looks like you want to install a fresh node.js, like 7.x.

You have 3 options:

Base your Dockerfile on openjdk:latest + install node.js on your own. Just copy a few lines from official node.js Dockerfile - https://github.com/nodejs/docker-node/blob/master/7.10/wheezy/Dockerfile
Base your Dockerfile on node:latest + install OpenJDK. Just another way around.
Use something already built, like docker image with both openjdk + node - https://hub.docker.com/r/silas/openjdk-node/~/dockerfile/

Alexander Mills · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-03 21:15:29Z

1

it might be a documentation bug:

https://nodejs.org/en/download/package-manager/

looks like to install npm along with nodejs, we need to use:

 sudo apt-get install -y nodejs npm

this is

a bit surprising (although it's good that npm is now decoupled from nodejs)
a lot more deps are being installed now, which sucks

answered May 3, 2017 at 21:15

Alexander Mills

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2 Comments

β.εηοιτ.βε Over a year ago

Looks like the apt-cache depends nodejs could also answer your question stackoverflow.com/a/22112729/2123530. Thanks to you, I learned an new OPS trick today :)

Alexander Mills Over a year ago

if you like what you see, give a thumbs up :)

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