How to install an npm package from GitHub directly

Question

Trying to install modules from GitHub results in this error:

ENOENT error on package.json.

Easily reproduced using express:

npm install https://github.com/visionmedia/express throws error.

npm install express works.

Why can't I install from GitHub?

Here is the console output:

npm http GET https://github.com/visionmedia/express.git
npm http 200 https://github.com/visionmedia/express.git
npm ERR! not a package /home/guym/tmp/npm-32312/1373176518024-0.6586997057311237/tmp.tgz
npm ERR! Error: ENOENT, open '/home/guym/tmp/npm-32312/1373176518024-0.6586997057311237/package/package.json'
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!     <[email protected]>

npm ERR! System Linux 3.8.0-23-generic
npm ERR! command "/usr/bin/node" "/usr/bin/npm" "install" "https://github.com/visionmedia/express.git"
npm ERR! cwd /home/guym/dev_env/projects_GIT/proj/somename
npm ERR! node -v v0.10.10
npm ERR! npm -v 1.2.25
npm ERR! path /home/guym/tmp/npm-32312/1373176518024-0.6586997057311237/package/package.json
npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! errno 34
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Additional logging details can be found in:
npm ERR!     /home/guym/dev_env/projects_GIT/proj/somename/npm-debug.log
npm ERR! not ok code 0

Answer 1

Because https://github.com/visionmedia/express is the URL of a web page and not an npm module. Use this flavor: git+{url}.git

git+https://github.com/visionmedia/express.git

or this flavor if you need SSH:

git+ssh://[email protected]/visionmedia/express.git

Answer 2

You can also do npm install visionmedia/express to install from GitHub.

Or

npm install visionmedia/express#branch

There is also support for installing directly from a Gist, Bitbucket, GitLab, and a number of other specialized formats. Look at the npm install documentation for them all.

Answer 3

If Git is not installed, we can try:

npm install --save https://github.com/Amitesh/gulp-rev-all/tarball/master

Answer 4

As of September 2016, installing from vanilla HTTPS GitHub URLs now works:

npm install https://github.com/fergiemcdowall/search-index.git

You can't do this for all modules because you are reading from a source control system, which may well contain invalid/uncompiled/buggy code. So to be clear (although it should go without saying): given that the code in the repository is in an npm-usable state, you can now quite happily install directly from GitHub.

In October 2019, we are now living through "peak TypeScript/React/Babel", and therefore JavaScript compilation has become quite common. If you need to take compilation into account, look into prepare. That said, NPM modules do not need to be compiled, and it is wise to assume that compilation is not the default, especially for older node modules (and possibly also for very new, bleeding-edge "ESNext"-y ones).

Answer 5

There's also npm install https://github.com/{USER}/{REPO}/tarball/{BRANCH} to use a different branch.

Answer 6

The methods are covered pretty well now in npm's install documentation as well as the numerous other answers here.

npm install git+ssh://[email protected]:<githubname>/<githubrepo.git[#<commit-ish>]
npm install git+ssh://[email protected]:<githubname>/<githubrepo.git>[#semver:^x.x]
npm install git+https://[email protected]/<githubname>/<githubrepo.git>
npm install git://github.com/<githubname>/<githubrepo.git>
npm install github:<githubname>/<githubrepo>[#<commit-ish>]

However, something notable that has changed recently is npm adding the prepare script to replace the prepublish script. This fixes a long-standing problem where modules installed via Git did not run the prepublish script and thus did not complete the build steps that occur when a module is published to the npm registry. See Run prepublish for Git URL packages #3055.

Of course, the module authors will need to update their package.json file to use the new prepare directive for this to start working.

Answer 7

The current top answer by Peter Lyons is not relevant with recent NPM versions. For example, using the same command that was criticized in this answer is now fine.

npm install https://github.com/visionmedia/express

If you have continued problems it might be a problem with whatever package you were using.

Answer 8

The general form of the syntax is

<protocol>://[<user>[:<password>]@]<hostname>[:<port>][:][/]<path>[#<commit-ish> | #semver:<semver>]

which means for your case it will be

npm install git+ssh://[email protected]/visionmedia/express.git

From npmjs docs:

npm install :

Installs the package from the hosted git provider, cloning it with git. For a full git remote url, only that URL will be attempted.

<protocol>://[<user>[:<password>]@]<hostname>[:<port>][:][/]<path>[#<commit-ish>

| #semver:] is one of git, git+ssh, git+http, git+https, or git+file.

If # is provided, it will be used to clone exactly that commit. If the commit-ish has the format #semver:, can be any valid semver range or exact version, and npm will look for any tags or refs matching that range in the remote repository, much as it would for a registry dependency. If neither # or

semver: is specified, then master is used.

If the repository makes use of submodules, those submodules will be cloned as well.

If the package being installed contains a prepare script, its dependencies and devDependencies will be installed, and the prepare script will be run, before the package is packaged and installed.

The following git environment variables are recognized by npm and will be added to the environment when running git:

• GIT_ASKPASS
• GIT_EXEC_PATH
• GIT_PROXY_COMMAND
• GIT_SSH
• GIT_SSH_COMMAND
• GIT_SSL_CAINFO GIT_SSL_NO_VERIFY

See the git man page for details.

Examples:

npm install git+ssh://[email protected]:npm/npm.git#v1.0.27
npm install git+ssh://[email protected]:npm/npm#semver:^5.0
npm install git+https://[email protected]/npm/npm.git
npm install git://github.com/npm/npm.git#v1.0.27
GIT_SSH_COMMAND='ssh -i ~/.ssh/custom_ident' npm install git+ssh://[email protected]:npm/npm.git npm install

Answer 9

You can do:

npm install git://github.com/foo/bar.git

Or in package.json:

"dependencies": {
  "bar": "git://github.com/foo/bar.git"
}

Answer 10

Install it directly:

npm install visionmedia/express

Alternatively, you can add "express": "github:visionmedia/express" to the "dependencies" section of package.json file, then run:

npm install

Answer 11

You could also do

npm i alex-cory/fasthacks

or

npm i github:alex-cory/fasthacks

Basically:

npm i user_or_org/repo_name

Answer 12

Simple:

npm install *GithubUrl*.git --save

Example:

npm install https://github.com/visionmedia/express.git --save

Answer 13

You can directly install a GitHub repository by the npm install command, like this:

npm install https://github.com/futurechallenger/npm_git_install.git --save

NOTE: In the repository which will be installed by npm command:

1. maybe you have to have a dist folder in you repository, according to Dan Dascalescu's comment.
2. You definitely have to have a package.json in your repository! Which I forget add.

Answer 14

I tried npm install git+https://github.com/visionmedia/express but that took way too long and I wasn't sure that would work.

What did work for me was - yarn add git+https://github.com/visionmedia/express.

Answer 15

If you get something like this:

npm ERR! enoent undefined ls-remote -h -t https://github.com/some_repo/repo.git

Make sure you update to the latest npm and that you have permissions as well.

Answer 16

Try this command:

 npm install github:[Organisation]/[Repository]#[master/BranchName] -g

This command worked for me:

 npm install github:BlessCSS/bless#3.x -g