How to install npm -g on offline server

Question

I need to install a "global" npm applications on an offline server.

It is easy to install a normal application:

npm install

and then pack up the resulting files. Either manually or using npm pack.

However, how can I install global application (that has a install script of some sort) such as forever without Internet?

npm install -g forever

Answer 1

Using Yarn:

1. On the internet machine (configure local cache location):

   yarn config set yarn-offline-mirror ~/yarn-offline-mirror/
   

2. On the offline machine (configure local cache location):

   yarn config set yarn-offline-mirror ~/yarn-offline-mirror/
   

3. On the offline machine, Find out where is the global installation location:

   yarn global bin
   

   (Or set it with yarn config set prefix <file_path>)

4. On the offline machine, add it to your path. E.g.:

   echo 'export PATH=$PATH:'"$(yarn global bin)" >> ~/.bashrc  
   source ~/.bashrc # reload
   

5. On the internet machine, download forever's dependencies:

   mkdir new-cli-forever/
   cd new-cli-forever/
   yarn add forever
   

   Then copy new-cli-forever/yarn.lock and ~/yarn-offline-mirror/ to the offline machine. (rm -rf new-cli-forever/ is ok now.)

6. On the offline machine, install forever from local cache:

   cp /path/to/imported/yarn.lock .
   cp -n /path/to/imported/yarn-offline-mirror/* ~/yarn-offline-mirror/
   yarn global add --offline forever
   rm -f ./yarn.lock
   

For more info, see my post here: https://assafmo.github.io/2018/04/11/yarn-offline.html

Answer 2

INSTALL PM2 OFFLINE:-

Tested on Node-v6.10.3 and Npm-3.10.10 on RHEL-7

Go to machine with internet connection:-

#npm install -g npmbox
#npmbox npmbox
#scp npmbox.npmbox root@offline-server-ip:.

Go to machine without internet connection :-

#ssh  root@offline-server-ip 
#tar --no-same-owner --no-same-permissions -xvzf npmbox.npmbox
#npm install --global --cache ./.npmbox.cache --optional --cache-min 99999999999 --shrinkwrap false npmbox

Go to machine with internet connection:-

#npm install pm2 -g
#npmbox pm2
#scp pm2.npmbox root@offline-server-ip:.

Go to machine without internet connection :-

#npmunbox pm2.npmbox --global
#pm2 ls

Answer 3

Well.... after a day trying to make it work with above references (npmbox or offline-npm) came up with something way much simpler. Thanks to npmbox I have to say. The idea is the keep the cache from the instance that has online access and then use it in the one offline.

In machine with internet:

1 - clear npm cache: npm cache clear

2 - install package, lets say its x.y.z: npm install -g **package.x.y.z**

3 - copy cache in to a folder... let's call it whatever (I assume npm cache is in root folder, not absolutely sure about that): cp -R /.npm/* **/cache-whatever-folder**

In machine with no internet:

4 - take this cache-whatever-folder to the instance with no internet and after that, clean cache and install with it (I won't indicate how to copy the folder :)

npm cache clear

npm install --global --cache **/cache-whatever-folder** --optional --cache-min 99999999999 --shrinkwrap false **package.x.y.z**

Done

Answer 4

try npmbox, it is the new name of npmzip which will allow you to install offline npm packages by one file

Answer 5

List the dependencies in bundledDependencies in your package.json, and then run npm pack to create a tarball. Get that over to the other machine, and either npm install <tarball>, or just crack it open manually.

https://github.com/npm/npm/issues/1349

Answer 6

I created offline-npm for getting all the dependencies installed in a clean way. For modules without the use of node-gyp everything should work as described.

If you require node-gyp (which is usually installed online) consider copying ~/.node-gyp to that offline machine.