I keep running into problems when I try to install dependencies for my project. Every time I use npm install to get my packages, the process fails with dependency tree conflicts.
I already tried a few things to fix this. First, I completely removed Node.js from my system and installed it again. Then I cleared the proxy settings by running these commands:
unset HTTP_PROXY
unset HTTPS_PROXY
But nothing worked so far. The error keeps showing up no matter what I do.
I also attempted using the legacy peer dependencies flag like this:
npm install --legacy-peer-deps
This approach also resulted in errors and did not solve my problem. Has anyone faced similar issues before? What steps should I take to resolve this dependency conflict?
try deleting package-lock.json and node_modules, then go with npm ci instead of npm install. Sometimes the lock file gets corrupted - npm ci gives you a fresh install. also, make sure you’re all using the same Node version, it can cause issues if different.
Check your package.json for version ranges that are too restrictive or conflicting. Usually, it’s packages needing different major versions of the same dependency. I hit this with React and some older UI libraries that hadn’t updated their peer dependencies. Run npm ls to see exactly which packages are causing conflicts in your dependency tree. You can try npm install --force as a last resort, but it bypasses safety checks. What worked for me was removing the problematic packages from package.json, installing core dependencies first, then adding back the conflicting ones one by one. That way you can isolate which combo breaks things.
Dependency conflicts can indeed be frustrating. I faced a similar situation with a React project recently where npm was persistently showing version errors. What finally helped was completely removing the node_modules folder and the package-lock.json file. The lock file can sometimes retain conflicting versions, even after reinstalling Node. After removing those, I executed npm cache clean --force to eliminate any cached packages that might be causing issues, followed by a fresh npm install. If conflicts still arise, pay close attention to the error messages; they often point to the specific packages in conflict. You might need to revise version ranges in your package.json or consider replacing some packages for better compatibility. In certain cases, temporarily downgrading dependencies can provide a quick fix while you await updates from maintainers.
Been there countless times. Dependency hell is brutal when you’re managing multiple projects with different requirements.
The manual fix - deleting files and clearing cache - sometimes works, but it doesn’t scale when you’ve got multiple environments.
I automated the whole dependency resolution process with Latenode. Built a workflow that catches failed npm installs, backs up package.json, then tries different strategies like switching between npm, yarn, or pnpm. It even tests compatibility across Node versions.
The workflow handles cleanup automatically - nukes node_modules, clears cache, tries installation with various flags until something works. One approach fails? It moves to the next without me touching anything.
Saved me hours of debugging. Now my whole team uses it for consistent setups.