How to fix npm ERR! code E403 npm ERR! 403 Forbidden - GET https://registry.npmjs.org/package in npm

First, verify your registry configuration is correct:

npm config get registry

If it doesn't show https://registry.npmjs.org/, reset it:

npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/

Also check for any project-level .npmrc file that might override settings:

cat .npmrc

A corrupted cache can sometimes cause authentication issues:

npm cache clean --force

After clearing the cache, try your command again.

If you're on a corporate network or VPN, this is often the cause:

Test by temporarily disconnecting from VPN

If that works, you may need to configure npm proxy settings:

npm config set proxy http://your-proxy.company.com:8080
npm config set https-proxy http://your-proxy.company.com:8080

Or if proxy is causing issues, remove the settings:

npm config delete proxy
npm config delete https-proxy

For some corporate proxies, using HTTP instead of HTTPS for the registry works:

npm config set registry http://registry.npmjs.org/

If you're publishing or accessing private packages, your token may be expired:

# Check if you're logged in
npm whoami

# If not logged in or getting errors, login again
npm login

After logging in, verify your authentication:

npm whoami

This should display your npm username without errors.

If you're trying to publish, verify the package name isn't taken:

npm view <package-name>

If the package exists, you have two options:

1. Use a scoped package name (recommended):

{
     "name": "@your-username/package-name"
   }

2. Choose a different package name

npm requires email verification before you can publish packages:

1. Log in to https://www.npmjs.com
2. Go to your account settings
3. Check if your email is verified
4. If not, click "Resend verification email"

Once verified, try publishing again.

If using automation tokens (CI/CD), ensure the token has publish permissions:

1. Go to https://www.npmjs.com/settings/~/tokens
2. Check if your token is "Read-only" or "Automation"
3. For publishing, you need a token with publish permissions

Create a new token with the correct scope:

npm token create

Then update your .npmrc:

//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=YOUR_TOKEN_HERE

If nothing else works, reset npm configuration completely:

# Backup current config
cp ~/.npmrc ~/.npmrc.backup

# View current config to diagnose
npm config list

# Remove potentially problematic settings
npm config delete registry
npm config delete proxy
npm config delete https-proxy
npm cache clean --force

# Set registry to default
npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/

Then log in again:

npm login