nodejs “npm ERR! code SELF_SIGNED_CERT_IN_CHAIN”

Question

I'm new to nodejs and npm. I'm trying to install log4js and this is the command for the install:

npm install log4js

I'm running this from Windows Command Line and I after a while of a marker spinning I get the following error:

npm ERR! Windows_NT 6.3.9600
npm ERR! argv "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\\\node.exe" "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js" "install" "log4js"
npm ERR! node v0.12.0
npm ERR! npm  v2.5.1
npm ERR! code SELF_SIGNED_CERT_IN_CHAIN

npm ERR! self signed certificate in certificate chain
npm ERR!
npm ERR! If you need help, you may report this error at:
npm ERR!     <http://github.com/npm/npm/issues>

npm ERR! Please include the following file with any support request:
npm ERR!     C:\srv\npm-debug.log

I tried doing npm config set ca="" like suggested here: http://blog.npmjs.org/post/78085451721/npms-self-signed-certificate-is-no-more but I'm still getting this error.

How can I solve this and install NPMs ?

Answer 1

Use following command to disable strict ssl-mode and you will not get the error:

npm set strict-ssl false

Answer 2

While setting StrictSsl to false is an option, it compromises your npm security. I recommend not disabling it. The following instructions elaborate on Shreedhar's post to use the cafile. Though it's written from a Windows 10 machine perspective it can be adapted.

Our company uses SSL Inpsection via a proxy, so at the very least we need to include the SSL Inspection certificate. The following instructions assume you are able to use a modern web browser on the machine you are trying to use an externally reaching npm function.

1. From a command console, run the following: npm config list
2. Record the value for metrics-registry. This should be a URL.
3. Open a browser to the URL. As of writing this answer, it is https://registry.npmjs.org/
4. Open the certificate information for the site. For Chrome on Windows, this involves clicking the padlock icon to the left of the URL in the address bar and selecting the option Certificate.
5. Inspect the certification path. For me, there is our corporate CA and our SSL Inspection certificate.
6. Download each certificate as Base64 encoded into a .cer or .crt file.
7. Compile all the certificates as-is into one .cer or .crt file.
8. Place this file into a user folder. Though we have a network-based users folder I recommend and use a local machine based folder. Note the full path to this file.
9. From a command console, run the following: npm config set cafile "C:\Local\Path\To\cafile4npm.cer" modifying the path and file noted in step 8.
10. Run your npm install command.

Answer 3

As of February 27, 2014, npm no longer supports its self-signed certificates. The following options, as recommended by npm, is to do one of the following:

Upgrade your version of npm

npm install npm -g --ca=""

-- OR --

Tell your current version of npm to use known registrars

npm config set ca ""

Update: npm has posted More help with SELF_SIGNED_CERT_IN_CHAIN and npm with more solutions particular to different environments

Read more here