How to fix npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE npm ERR! errno 139 npm ERR! Exit status 139 in npm | DevErrors

How to fix "npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE npm ERR! errno 139 npm ERR! Exit status 139"

1Rebuild native modules for target platform

Force rebuild native modules from source:

bash

# Rebuild all native modules
npm rebuild

# Rebuild specific problematic package
npm rebuild bcrypt --build-from-source
npm rebuild node-sass --build-from-source

2Clean install from scratch

Remove all cached binaries and reinstall:

bash

# Remove everything
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json

# Clear npm cache
npm cache clean --force

# Reinstall
npm install

3Install build dependencies (Docker/Linux)

Native modules need build tools to compile from source:

Alpine Linux:

dockerfile

RUN apk add --no-cache python3 make g++ gcc

Debian/Ubuntu:

dockerfile

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y build-essential python3

4Use glibc-based Docker image instead of Alpine

Alpine uses musl libc which causes more segfaults:

dockerfile

# Instead of:
FROM node:18-alpine

# Use:
FROM node:18-slim
# or
FROM node:18-bullseye

glibc-based images have better native module compatibility.

5Match Node.js version with module requirements

Native modules are compiled for specific Node versions:

bash

# Check what Node version the module expects
npm view bcrypt engines

# Switch to compatible version
nvm install 18
nvm use 18

# Reinstall after switching
rm -rf node_modules && npm install

6Install node_modules inside Docker

Don't copy host node_modules into containers:

dockerfile

# Copy only package files first
COPY package*.json ./

# Install inside container
RUN npm ci

# Then copy source code
COPY . .

This ensures native modules are compiled for the container's architecture.

7Configure WSL2 for compatibility (Windows)

Some older container images need vsyscall emulation:

Create %USERPROFILE%\.wslconfig:

ini

[wsl2]
kernelCommandLine = vsyscall=emulate

Restart WSL: wsl --shutdown

Advanced notes

For debugging segfaults, use the segfault-handler module to get stack traces:

bash

npm install segfault-handler

Add to your entry file:

javascript

const SegfaultHandler = require('segfault-handler');
SegfaultHandler.registerHandler('crash.log');

For bcrypt specifically, consider using bcryptjs (pure JavaScript) in environments where native compilation is problematic. It's slower but avoids native module issues entirely.

Sharp (image processing) and canvas packages are frequent culprits. Both have specific installation instructions for different platforms in their documentation.

How to fix npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE npm ERR! errno 139 npm ERR! Exit status 139 in npm

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How to fix "npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE npm ERR! errno 139 npm ERR! Exit status 139"

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