npm node-gyp build failed — how to fix

Q: Use a pre-built binary if available

Some packages offer pre-built binaries via node-pre-gyp that skip compilation. ``` npm install --ignore-scripts # skip build step (may break native addons) # Or try the @next or community fork that dropped native deps # e.g. bcryptjs instead of bcrypt (pure JS) ```

Quick Answer

# macOS — install Xcode Command Line Tools
xcode-select --install

# Ubuntu/Debian — install build tools
sudo apt install -y build-essential python3

# Windows — install Windows Build Tools
npm install -g windows-build-tools
# or in PowerShell (admin):
npm install --global --production windows-build-tools

When this happens

gyp ERR! build error
gyp ERR! stack Error: `make` failed with exit code: 2
gyp ERR! System    Darwin 23.0.0
gyp ERR! command   "node" "/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js" "build" "--fallback-to-build"

node-gyp compiles native Node.js addons. It requires Python (2.7 or 3.x), make, and a C++ compiler.

Other causes & fixes

Specify Python version

npm install --python=/usr/bin/python3

# Or set globally
npm config set python python3

Use a pre-built binary if available

Some packages offer pre-built binaries via node-pre-gyp that skip compilation.

npm install --ignore-scripts   # skip build step (may break native addons)

# Or try the @next or community fork that dropped native deps
# e.g. bcryptjs instead of bcrypt (pure JS)

Verify environment

node -e "require('node-gyp').find()" 2>&1 || true
python3 --version
which make
which gcc