npm not working for root with version 16.15

[circleci-public]

npm not working for root with version 16.15

[JalexChen]

@createthis thanks for bringing it up. i think i've found the issue and it's being merged right now. i'll be cutting new images now

[JalexChen]

Hi @createthis, there have definitely been quite a few changes to the image recently as a result of transitioning over to nvm, however, it is ultimately best practice to not utilize sudo npm for a variety of reasons. currently, any npm commands, such as the topic of this issue, can be executed without the need for sudo and we would recommend phasing that practice out.

[JalexChen]

@armordog - Totally understandable and the intentions were to help improve the image by giving options. One thing to note is that we have reimplemented vanilla node very recently. While it's still strongly implied and recommended to not use sudo, there is a need when installing things globally.

I hope this is helpful in the long run!

[createthis]

@JalexChen we're running into this with the 16.15.0 image. Will there be an updated image?

[createthis]

@createthis thanks for bringing it up. i think i've found the issue and it's being merged right now. i'll be cutting new images now

Hey @JalexChen, we re-tested 16.15.0 today and still saw the same failure, unfortunately. Do we have to clear a cache or something to ensure the build pulls the new image?

[armordog]

Why make the images worse than the old ones?

[JalexChen]

Why make the images worse than the old ones?

Hi @armordog - understanding there were potential issues that could arise, but overall functionality was pretty much unchanged, could you please elaborate a bit more on what is worse so that the team and myself can take this into consideration and avoid pitfalls in the future?

[armordog]

Hey @JalexChen,
I'm sorry, it wasn't fair of me to say that.

I'm just frustrated because I was only using sudo npm because the old images wouldn't work without it.

And when I upgraded to the new images, sudo npm gives me an error strongly implying that npm is not installed.