I’m encountering an issue when running npm install in the command prompt with NodeJS. I receive an error stating that the ‘semver’ module is missing. Here’s the error message I see:
module.js:339
throw err;
^
Error: Cannot find module 'semver'
at Function.Module._resolveFilename (module.js:337:15)
at Function.Module._load (module.js:287:25)
at Module.require (module.js:366:17)
at require (module.js:385:17)
at Object.<anonymous> (C:\Users\admin\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\npm\lib\config\defaults.js:6:14)
at Module._compile (module.js:435:26)
at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:442:10)
at Module.load (module.js:356:32)
at Function.Module._load (module.js:311:12)
at Module.require (module.js:366:17)
This error appears every time I try to install new packages. Has anyone else encountered this problem? What could be the reason for this issue, and how do I resolve it?
had the same problem last week. quick fix that worked for me: run npm config get prefix to check your npm path, then go to that folder and manually install semver with npm install semver. global modules folder gets corrupted sometimes, but this skips the broken npm install process. try it before doing a full reinstall!
The issue you’re encountering typically arises when npm’s core modules become corrupted or are missing entirely from your installation. The semver module is crucial for npm’s functionality, particularly in managing package versions. Instead of immediately opting for a full reinstall, it’s worthwhile to attempt updating npm directly with the command npm install -g npm@latest, which may restore the necessary semver module. If that still doesn’t resolve the issue, you could try installing semver globally using npm install -g semver, though this is more of a temporary measure. Often, these problems can originate from a disruption during an update or an incomplete installation.
Hit this exact error about six months ago - super frustrating. The semver module error usually means your npm installation got corrupted or you’re missing core dependencies. I fixed it by completely reinstalling Node.js and npm from scratch. Uninstalled Node.js through control panel, grabbed the latest LTS version from the official site, and reinstalled. That got semver properly included with npm and everything worked again. Also clear your npm cache with npm cache clean --force before trying new installs. Fixed it permanently for me - haven’t seen it since.