[node.js] npm install doesn't create node_modules directory

I am trying to do a homework for a mongodb uni course. They gave us some files, instructions are:

run npm install mongodb then node app.js

for some reason npm install does not create a node_modules directory but I don't see any build errors:

mongo-uni/hw1-2$ npm install mongodb
npm WARN package.json [email protected] path is also the name of a node core module.
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/mongodb
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/mongodb
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/bson/0.2.5
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/kerberos/0.0.3
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/kerberos/0.0.3
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/bson/0.2.5

> [email protected] install /home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/kerberos
> (node-gyp rebuild 2> builderror.log) || (exit 0)

make: Entering directory `/home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/kerberos/build'
  SOLINK_MODULE(target) Release/obj.target/kerberos.node
  SOLINK_MODULE(target) Release/obj.target/kerberos.node: Finished
  COPY Release/kerberos.node
make: Leaving directory `/home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/kerberos/build'

> [email protected] install /home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/bson
> (node-gyp rebuild 2> builderror.log) || (exit 0)

make: Entering directory `/home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/bson/build'
  CXX(target) Release/obj.target/bson/ext/bson.o
make: Leaving directory `/home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/bson/build'
[email protected] ../../../node_modules/mongodb
+-- [email protected]
+-- [email protected]
mongo-uni/hw1-2$ node app.js
Failed to load c++ bson extension, using pure JS version
'No document found'

If you have a package-lock.json file, you may have to delete that file then run npm i. That worked for me

I ran into this trying to integrate React Native into an existing swift project using cocoapods. The FB docs (at time of writing) did not specify that npm install react-native wouldn't work without first having a package.json file. Per the RN docs set your entry point: (index.js) as index.ios.js

As soon as you have run npm init and you start installing npm packages it'll create the node_moduals folder after that first install

e.g

npm init

(Asks you to set up your package.json file)

npm install <package name here> --save-dev

installs package & creates the node modules directory

my problem was to copy the whole source files contains .idea directory and my webstorm terminal commands were run on the original directory of the source
I delete the .idea directory and it worked fine

NPM has created a node_modules directory at '/home/jasonshark/' path.

From your question it looks like you wanted node_modules to be created in the current directory.

For that,

1. Create project directory: mkdir <project-name>
2. Switch to: cd <project-name>
3. Do: npm init This will create package.json file at current path

4. Open package.json & fill it something like below

   {
       "name": "project-name",
       "version": "project-version",
       "dependencies": {
           "mongodb": "*"
       }
   }
   

5. Now do : npm install OR npm update

Now it will create node_modules directory under folder 'project-name' you created.

For node_modules you have to follow the below steps

1) In Command prompt -> Goto your project directory.

2) Command :npm init

3) It asks you to set up your package.json file

4) Command: npm install or npm update

See @Cesco's answer: npm init is really all you need

I was having the same issue - running npm install somePackage was not generating a node_modules dir.

I created a package.json file at the root, which contained a simple JSON obj:

{
    "name": "please-work"
}

On the next npm install the node_modules directory appeared.