How to fix npm ERR! code EAI_AGAIN in npm

Try resolving the exact hostname from the error message:

nslookup registry.npmjs.org
# or
dig registry.npmjs.org

If resolution fails or times out, DNS is the problem. Also check which registry npm is using, in case it is a private one that your network cannot resolve:

npm config get registry

Because EAI_AGAIN means a *temporary* resolution failure, simply re-running the command after a moment frequently works:

npm install

If you are behind a slow or congested DNS server, increasing npm's network timeout can also help:

npm install --fetch-timeout=60000

If it succeeds intermittently, the underlying issue is a flaky resolver or network rather than a hard misconfiguration.

Verify you have connectivity and that DNS specifically is the failing layer:

# Connectivity to a known IP (bypasses DNS)
ping -c 3 1.1.1.1

# Name resolution + HTTPS to the registry
curl -I https://registry.npmjs.org

If ping 1.1.1.1 works but curl https://registry.npmjs.org fails on name resolution, the problem is DNS. If even ping 1.1.1.1 fails, fix the network/VPN connection first.

A stale cache can keep a failed lookup around. Clear it for your OS:

# macOS
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

# Windows
ipconfig /flushdns

# Linux (systemd-resolved)
sudo resolvectl flush-caches   # older systemd: sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches

If your ISP/corporate resolver is the culprit, point your system at a public resolver such as Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8).

Important: do not hand-edit /etc/resolv.conf on most modern Linux systems — it is auto-generated and will be overwritten by NetworkManager, systemd-resolved, or your DHCP client on the next network change or reboot. Configure DNS through the manager that owns it so the change persists:

# NetworkManager (find your connection name with: nmcli connection show)
sudo nmcli connection modify "<connection-name>" ipv4.dns "1.1.1.1 8.8.8.8"
sudo nmcli connection modify "<connection-name>" ipv4.ignore-auto-dns yes
sudo nmcli connection up "<connection-name>"

# systemd-resolved (global): edit /etc/systemd/resolved.conf, set
#   DNS=1.1.1.1 8.8.8.8
# then
sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved

On macOS: System Settings > Network > your interface > Details > DNS. On Windows: change the DNS servers in the adapter's IPv4 properties (or Set-DnsClientServerAddress in PowerShell). These survive reboots, unlike a manual /etc/resolv.conf edit.

On a corporate network or VPN you may be required to use an internal DNS server and an HTTP proxy. Make sure npm is configured for the proxy:

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

If you previously set a proxy that no longer applies (e.g. after leaving the VPN), clear it:

npm config delete proxy
npm config delete https-proxy

Confirm with your network admin that outbound DNS (UDP/TCP 53, or DoH/DoT) and access to the registry host are permitted.

If the error only happens inside Docker or WSL2, the container/VM DNS config is usually the cause.

# Docker: run with explicit resolvers
docker run --dns 1.1.1.1 --dns 8.8.8.8 ...

Or set DNS persistently in Docker's /etc/docker/daemon.json:

{
  "dns": ["1.1.1.1", "8.8.8.8"]
}

then sudo systemctl restart docker. For Kubernetes, check CoreDNS/kube-dns pod health (kubectl get pods -n kube-system). For WSL2, see the Advanced notes below.