Running Python on Windows for Node.js dependencies

Question

I am getting into a Node.js codebase which requires that I download a few dependencies via NPM, namely jQuery.

In attempting to run npm install jquery, I keep getting this error:

Your environment has been set up for using Node.js 0.8.21 (x64) and NPM

C:\Users\Matt Cashatt>npm install jquery
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/jquery
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/jquery
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/jsdom
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/xmlhttprequest
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/htmlparser/1.7.6
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/location/0.0.1
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/navigator
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/contextify
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/htmlparser/1.7.6
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/xmlhttprequest
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/location/0.0.1
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/navigator
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/jsdom
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/contextify
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/bindings
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/cssom
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/cssstyle
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/request
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/bindings

> contextify@0.1.4 install C:\Users\Matt Cashatt\node_modules\jquery\node_module
s\contextify
> node-gyp rebuild


C:\Users\Matt Cashatt\node_modules\jquery\node_modules\contextify>node "C:\Progr
am Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\bin\node-gyp-bin\\..\..\node_modules\node-gyp\b
in\node-gyp.js" rebuild
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/cssstyle
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/cssom
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/request
gyp ERR! configure error
gyp ERR! stack Error: Can't find Python executable "python", you can set the PYT
HON env variable.
gyp ERR! stack     at failNoPython (C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\nod
e_modules\node-gyp\lib\configure.js:113:14)
gyp ERR! stack     at C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\node
-gyp\lib\configure.js:82:11
gyp ERR! stack     at Object.oncomplete (fs.js:297:15)
gyp ERR! System Windows_NT 6.1.7601
gyp ERR! command "node" "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\node_modu
les\\node-gyp\\bin\\node-gyp.js" "rebuild"
gyp ERR! cwd C:\Users\Matt Cashatt\node_modules\jquery\node_modules\contextify
gyp ERR! node -v v0.8.21
gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v0.8.4
gyp ERR! not ok
npm ERR! error rolling back Error: ENOTEMPTY, rmdir 'C:\Users\Matt Cashatt\node_
modules\jquery\node_modules\jsdom\node_modules\request\tests'
npm ERR! error rolling back  jquery@1.8.3 { [Error: ENOTEMPTY, rmdir 'C:\Users\M
att Cashatt\node_modules\jquery\node_modules\jsdom\node_modules\request\tests']
npm ERR! error rolling back   errno: 53,
npm ERR! error rolling back   code: 'ENOTEMPTY',
npm ERR! error rolling back   path: 'C:\\Users\\Matt Cashatt\\node_modules\\jque
ry\\node_modules\\jsdom\\node_modules\\request\\tests' }
npm ERR! contextify@0.1.4 install: `node-gyp rebuild`
npm ERR! `cmd "/c" "node-gyp rebuild"` failed with 1
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the contextify@0.1.4 install script.
npm ERR! This is most likely a problem with the contextify package,
npm ERR! not with npm itself.
npm ERR! Tell the author that this fails on your system:
npm ERR!     node-gyp rebuild
npm ERR! You can get their info via:
npm ERR!     npm owner ls contextify
npm ERR! There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! System Windows_NT 6.1.7601
npm ERR! command "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\\\node.exe" "C:\\Program Files\\nod
ejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js" "install" "jquery"
npm ERR! cwd C:\Users\Matt Cashatt
npm ERR! node -v v0.8.21
npm ERR! npm -v 1.2.11
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! Error: ENOENT, lstat 'C:\Users\Matt Cashatt\node_modules\jquery\node_mo
dules\jsdom\node_modules\request\tests\test-pipes.js'
npm ERR! If you need help, you may report this log at:
npm ERR!     <http://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues>
npm ERR! or email it to:
npm ERR!     <[e-mail]>

npm ERR! System Windows_NT 6.1.7601
npm ERR! command "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\\\node.exe" "C:\\Program Files\\nod
ejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js" "install" "jquery"
npm ERR! cwd C:\Users\Matt Cashatt
npm ERR! node -v v0.8.21
npm ERR! npm -v 1.2.11
npm ERR! path C:\Users\Matt Cashatt\node_modules\jquery\node_modules\jsdom\node_
modules\request\tests\test-pipes.js
npm ERR! fstream_path C:\Users\Matt Cashatt\node_modules\jquery\node_modules\jsd
om\node_modules\request\tests\test-pipes.js
npm ERR! fstream_type File
npm ERR! fstream_class FileWriter
npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! errno 34
npm ERR! fstream_stack C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\fst
ream\lib\writer.js:284:26
npm ERR! fstream_stack Object.oncomplete (fs.js:297:15)
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Additional logging details can be found in:
npm ERR!     C:\Users\Matt Cashatt\npm-debug.log
npm ERR! not ok code 0

C:\Users\Matt Cashatt>

It looks like the failure is due to a missing Python installation. Well, I have installed Python, set the variable, and rebooted and still the error.

Any clue as to what I am missing?

Answer 1

I had the same issue and none of these answers did help. In my case PYTHON variable was set correctly. However python was installed too deep, i.e. has too long path. So, I did the following:

1. reinstalled python to c:\python
2. set environmental variable PYTHON to C:\python\python.exe

And that’s it!

Answer 2

One and/or multiple of those should help:

1. Add C:\Python27\ to your PATH variable (considering you have Python installed in this directory)
   How to set PATH env variable: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000549.htm
   Restart your console and/or Windows after setting variable.

2. In the same section as above ("Environment Variables"), add new variable with name PYTHON and value C:\Python27\python.exe
   Restart your console and/or Windows after setting variable.

3. Open Windows command line (cmd) in Admin mode.
   Change directory to your Python installation path: cd C:\Python27
   Make symlink needed for some installations: mklink python2.7.exe python.exe

Please note that you should have Python 2.x, NOT 3.x, to run node-gyp based installations!

The text below says about Unix, but Windows version also requires Python 2.x:

You can install with npm:

$ npm install -g node-gyp
You will also need to install:

On Unix:
python (v2.7 recommended, v3.x.x is not supported)
make
A proper C/C++ compiler toolchain, like GCC

This article may also help: https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp#installation

Answer 3

For me after installing windows-build-tools with the below comment

npm --add-python-to-path='true' --debug install --global windows-build-tools

running the code below

npm config set python "%USERPROFILE%\.windows-build-tools\python27\python.exe"

has worked.

Answer 4

The following worked for me from the command line as admin:

Installing windows-build-tools (this can take 15-20 minutes):

 npm --add-python-to-path='true' --debug install --global windows-build-tools

Adding/updating the environment variable:

setx PYTHON "%USERPROFILE%\.windows-build-tools\python27\python.exe"

Installing node-gyp:

npm install --global node-gyp

Changing the name of the exe file from Python to Python2.7.

C:\Users\username\.windows-build-tools\python27\Python2.7

npm install module_name --save

Answer 5

TL;DR Make a copy or alias of your python.exe with name python2.7.exe

My python 2.7 was installed as

D:\app\Python27\python.exe

I always got this error no matter how I set (and verified) PYTHON env variable:

gyp ERR! stack Error: Can't find Python executable "python2.7", you can set the PYTHON env variable.
gyp ERR! stack     at failNoPython (C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\lib\configure.js:103:14)

The reason for this was that in node-gyp's configure.js the python executable was resolved like:

var python = gyp.opts.python || process.env.PYTHON || 'python'

And it turned out that gyp.opts.python had value 'python2.7' thus overriding process.env.PYTHON.

I resolved this by creating an alias for python.exe executable with name node-gyp was looking for:

D:\app\Python27>mklink python2.7.exe python.exe

You need admin rights for this operation.

Answer 6

i can't help but to mention this. If you're using Python3 and failing with node-gyp, then i'm sad to tell you node-gyp currently doesn't support python3.

Here is a link for you: https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp/issues/1268 https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp/issues/193