🐞 [BUG] npm@7 is broken on node@8 or older

[jcuna]

Current Behavior:

Running npm install -g npm@7.5.1
Running npm install -g npm on version 7.5.2

produces the following output.

TypeError: Cannot destructure property `stat` of 'undefined' or 'null'.
--
92 | at Object.<anonymous> (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/node-gyp/lib/index.js:2:29)
93 | at Module._compile (module.js:652:30)
94 | at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:663:10)
95 | at Module.load (module.js:565:32)
96 | at tryModuleLoad (module.js:505:12)
97 | at Function.Module._load (module.js:497:3)
98 | at Module.require (module.js:596:17)
99 | at require (internal/module.js:11:18)
100 | at Object.<anonymous> (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/run-script/lib/run-script-pkg.js:4:55)
101 | at Module._compile (module.js:652:30)
102 | /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/config/lib/index.js:163
103 | throw new Error('call config.load() before reading values')
104 | ^
105 |  
106 | Error: call config.load() before reading values
107 | at Config.get (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/config/lib/index.js:163:13)
108 | at process.errorHandler (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/utils/error-handler.js:171:32)
109 | at emitOne (events.js:116:13)
110 | at process.emit (events.js:211:7)
111 | at process._fatalException (bootstrap_node.js:375:26)

Expected Behavior:

Packages installed successfully

Steps To Reproduce:

ex. steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. aws/codebuild/nodejs:8.11.0
2. With this config...
3. Run '...'
4. See error...

Environment:

• OS: Amazon Linux 2 | aws/codebuild/amazonlinux2-aarch64-standard:1.0
• Node: 8.11.0
• npm: 7.5.1 and 7.5.2

[wraithgar]

If you are still running node 8 you are going to want to use npm v6, You can use the latest-6 tag to install the latest version of 6.

$ npm install npm@latest-6

If you have installed npm 7 on node 8 you can run this command to get back to a working npm 6

$ curl -qs https://www.npmjs.com/install.sh|npm_install=6.14.11 sh

[joshuasaunders]

Running into the exact same issue and installing latest version of 6 isn't working for me with node 8. When I run npm install npm@latest-6 or npm install -g npm@latest-6 I still get the same error TypeError: Cannot destructure property 'stat' of 'undefined' or 'null'. Any ideas?

[ljharb]

If you're using nvm, you can also nvm install-latest-npm, and you'll always be guaranteed to get the latest working version (but you have to start with a working node/npm, ofc)

[tuchidoghostmaster]

Hi all,

I have the same error,

I deployed from Gitlab to Heroku and had the same error,

Is there a way to fix it?

[slavoroi]

We have the same issue in our Jenkins pipilines.
Running npm i -g npm installs npm 7.5.2 when i'm on node 8.
It also breaks our usage of nvm in our local computers (nvm 33).
Also I tried using npm 7 and it failed on many libraries, like rollup and many more!
Didn't you promise npm 7 would be for node 15+, no?

[eAi]

I'm also having this error when I upgraded from 5.6.0 to 7.5.2. Reinstalling node from nodejs.org (with npm 6.14.10) fixed this.

[guilhermesad]

Getting same error trying to deploy to Heroku:

[ljharb]

@slavoroi #2599 (comment)

[joshuasaunders]

I am really stuck here and this is on my production server. I can't get nvm installed, get the same error installing nvm TypeError: Cannot destructure property stat of 'undefined' or 'null'. I can't figure out a way to upgrade node, and npm isn't working for anything. Can't even tpye npm -v without the error. I don't want to uninstall npm completely to reinstall it, as that may take down my production server in the process. Anyone have any other ideas to fix this problem?

[tekstrand]

We're seeing this issue in our pipeline. As far as I can tell downgrading to npm 6 does fix it, but that is quite a pain.

[joshuasaunders]

Yeah, thanks. Had to manually do the install of lower version of npm. Then upgrade node. Then was able to update npm.

[wraithgar]

If you have installed npm 7 on node 8 you can run this command to get back to a working npm 6

$ curl -s https://www.npmjs.com/install.sh|npm_install=6.14.11 sh

[zenigate]

If you have installed npm 7 on node 8 you can run this command to get back to a working npm 6

$ curl -s https://www.npmjs.com/install.sh|npm_install=6.14.11 sh

Thank you, This help me fix this issue

[ljharb]

@wraithgar heads up that that's not working for me; curl doesn't output anything to the pipe unless i add -o-, and inside the script, the curl to get the tarball URL has the same problem.

[wraithgar]

@ljharb that sounds like a curl version issue maybe? If I remember correctly older versions of curl didn't automatically handle being piped correctly.

The readme example has -L as a parameter but that's only for following redirects, of which there aren't any on that url.

What version of curl were you using? I am on curl 7.64.1

[ljharb]

@wraithgar i'm using whatever curl comes with Mac OS Big Sur, which is indeed v7.64.1. Do you perhaps have a ~/.curlrc that is altering how curl behaves?

[wraithgar]

Nope, no curlrc, and same version but I'm not on Big Sur, still on Catalina.

[nlf]

I just tried on Big Sur in both fish and the default zsh and had no issues, also with no curlrc

fwiw I tested on an m1 mbp and in both rosetta and with a native node, no issues anywhere for me

[ljharb]

oooops, lol, i had a curlrc with --remote-name-all, specifically to trigger this scenario for when nvm forgets to use -q (to bypass the curlrc). Perhaps the curls inside the script could use that?

[nlf]

we can patch the script to pass a -q in the calls there and change our advised command to install to include it

[tuchidoghostmaster]

Getting same error trying to deploy to Heroku:

Hi, I have solved it.

• In the filepackage.json please using :

...
"engines": {
    "node": "8.11.3",
    "npm": "6.14.11"
 },
...

Then it will work for you.

[ljharb]

@tuchidoghostmaster the npm >= 3.10 is what's broken - npm 7+ can't ever work on node 8. Try fixing the "engines" field's "npm" property in your package json to be ^3 || ^4 || ^5 || ^6, for example.

[tuchidoghostmaster]

@ljharb yes, i'm updated, using node 8 and npm 6+ working for me now. see comment #2599 (comment)

[phil-warner]

I'm getting the exact same error. I was running Node 12.18 and tried upgrading to 14.15.4, which came with npm 6.14.1, which didn't fix it. Then tried to upgrade npm, but got the error again.

[valdiss]

I don't know if this is allowed or not to talk about third party packages but I discovered npm-check-updates today, it solves the npm update problem for me... If that can help anyone!