npm install doesn't create node_modules directory

Question

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' 

Answer 1

npm init

It is all you need. It will create the package.json file on the fly for you.

Answer 2

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.