What is the process for installing an npm package directly from GitHub?

Other Questions NPM
1

I’m encountering issues when attempting to install Node.js modules directly from GitHub. Specifically, I’m getting this error message:

ENOENT error on package.json.

For example, when using the command:

npm install https://github.com/visionmedia/express

it returns an error, whereas the command:

npm install express

works without any issues. Can someone explain why I’m unable to perform the installation directly from GitHub? Here’s the output from my terminal:

npm http GET https://github.com/visionmedia/express.git
npm http 200 https://github.com/visionmedia/express.git
npm ERR! not a package /home/guym/tmp/npm-32312/.../tmp.tgz
npm ERR! Error: ENOENT, open '/home/guym/tmp/npm-32312/.../package/package.json'
... (additional log details)

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

2

Hey DancingBird,

To install an npm package directly from GitHub, use:

npm install git+https://github.com/user/repo.git

Make sure the repo contains a package.json at the root. The error suggests it's missing or misplaced. Double-check the structure and try again.

3

Hi DancingBird,

When you install a package directly from a GitHub repository, it's crucial that the repository contains a package.json file at its root. This file provides npm the necessary details about the package. The error you're seeing indicates that the package.json file is missing or not located at the expected path in the GitHub repository.

Here’s how you can install a package directly from GitHub:

  1. Ensure the repository URL points to the correct one and that it contains a package.json file at the root.
  2. Use the correct URL pattern. For GitHub, append #branch-name if you want to specify a branch, otherwise it will default to the master/main branch:
npm install git+https://github.com/user/repo.git

For example:

npm install git+https://github.com/expressjs/express.git

This should resolve your issue if the repository is correctly structured. If the problem persists, double-check the repository to make sure everything is correctly set up.

Efficiency is key, so always make sure the root package.json is correctly configured to avoid wasting time.

Best of luck and feel free to reach out if you have more questions!