How to fix npm ERR! code EPARSE npm ERR! Error parsing configuration in npm

Open your package.json file and validate it using jsonlint.com or similar.

Example of invalid syntax (trailing comma):

{
  "name": "my-app",
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.18.0",
  }
}

Correct syntax:

{
  "name": "my-app",
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.18.0"
  }
}

If you have a .npmrc file, verify its syntax (ini-format, not JSON):

Correct .npmrc syntax:

@my-org:registry=https://npm.pkg.github.com/
//npm.pkg.github.com/:_authToken=YOUR_TOKEN
registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/

Common mistakes:
- Using @scope=url instead of @scope:registry=url
- Using registry.com:authToken instead of //registry.com/:_authToken

Ensure the file is saved as UTF-8, not UTF-16.

In VS Code:
1. Open the file
2. Click the encoding selector in the bottom-right corner
3. Select "UTF-8"
4. Save the file

A corrupted package-lock.json can also cause parsing errors:

rm package-lock.json
npm install

Clear the npm cache to remove any cached corrupt configuration:

npm cache clean --force

Instead of manually editing .npmrc, use npm config:

npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/
npm config set //npm.pkg.github.com/:_authToken=YOUR_TOKEN

Verify your configuration:

npm config list