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Rebekah Shaw
18,687 Points-bash: http-server: command not found
I have been trying to to run http-server in my terminal on mac but every time I type it I get the following
-bash: http-server: command not found
I tried to install it with the following command
npm install http-server -g
This didn't fix the problem. I also tried the following command but it also didn't fix the problem.
sudo npm install http-server -g
I am so confused as to what is going on because other questions say that if I install it using sudo then it should work.
5 Answers
Neil McPartlin
14,662 PointsHi Rebekeh. I did this course a few months back but I use Windows, and not a Mac, but I follow your logic in trying to resolve this. I see this same video has several other community posts from other users encountering the same problem.
1: As suggested in the video, make sure you have NPM and Node installed by typing which node followed by which npm. If successful, you should be shown the location of each installation.
2: Type again sudo npm install http-server -g like you did before, but copy/paste here what is returned to your console. There may be some mention of a problem within the text.
3: Type npm list -g http-server
If your installation had been successful, this command should simply return which version of http-server has been installed globally.
Tuan Phan
10,825 PointsHi Neli, I follow your instructions and I got this. Both "npm list -g http-server" and "npm list -g npm" output
--(empty)
Could you tell me what should I do please.
Neil McPartlin
14,662 PointsHi Steve. As mentioned, I'm primarily a Windows user and maybe I got lucky when I installed node and npm on my Mac some 2 years ago now. So I'm really hoping a knowledgeable Mac user can step in and offer advice. That said, when you tried typing both 'which node' and 'which npm' and these too failed to show signs of an installation, then maybe, just maybe, node is not installed.
I googled 'how to install npm on a mac' and by coincidence, the first match (for me) was a blogpost by one of my favourite teachers on Treehouse, Dave McFarland.
http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/install-node-js-npm-mac
In it, he explains why he recommends Mac users install an app called Brew. Not only can Brew be used to install Node, it can then be used to install Node packages (like http-server etc.). He observes that if you visit this link on a Mac...
...you do get offered a download for a Mac but he describes 3 reasons why using Brew is the better way forward.
Good luck.
Tuan Phan
10,825 PointsHi Neli,
Thank you so much for taking your time for helping me. I am really appriciated.
I will check it out.
Christian Higgins
15,758 PointsHi, Neil, Windows 7 Pro user:
$ which node
/c/Program Files/nodejs/node
$ which npm
/c/Program Files/nodejs/npm
$ npm list -g http-server
C:\Program Files\Git\usr\local
`-- (empty)
$ env|grep PATH
HOMEPATH=\Users\Millionaire
MANPATH=/mingw64/share/man:/usr/local/man:/usr/share/man:/usr/man:/share/man:
PATH=/c/Users/Millionaire/bin:/mingw64/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/mingw64/bin:/usr/bin:/c/Users/Millionaire/bin:/c/Program Files/nodejs:/c/Users/Millionaire/AppData/Roaming/npm:/c/Program Files/nodejs/node_modules/npm/bin:/usr/bin/vendor_perl:/usr/bin/core_perl
EXEPATH=C:\Program Files\Git
NODE_PATH=C:\Users\Millionaire\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules
PATHEXT=.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC
PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/mingw64/lib/pkgconfig:/mingw64/share/pkgconfig
ACLOCAL_PATH=/mingw64/share/aclocal:/usr/share/aclocal
INFOPATH=/usr/local/info:/usr/share/info:/usr/info:/share/info:
Any ideas?
Christian Higgins
15,758 PointsOH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! I FINALLY GOT THE RIGHT PATH FOR THE ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE. THANK YOU, NEIL!!!
Routine Poutine
26,050 PointsSudo. As a mac user I forgot that simple command, delaying the lesson by about 20 minutes:
sudo npm install http-server -g
not
npm install http-server -g
TARIQ ALREHILY
14,822 PointsHad same problem, and this sudo npm install http-server -g solved it, thanks.
Rebekah Shaw
18,687 PointsRebekah Shaw
18,687 PointsI have both node and npm install and did what you said and I am still having the same problem
Neil McPartlin
14,662 PointsNeil McPartlin
14,662 PointsI wasn't offering a solution but I am encouraging you to show us what you actually see when you type in these commands. I'm not a Mac expert but others who are, may be able to suggest the best way forward. I have since tried this on a Mac and it worked first time for me, but I have Googled about this and you are definitely not alone. One popular observation is that there may be a problem with your NPM installation and it is not successfully placing newly installed packages where they can be found in your $PATH. For comparison, here is what i see when i type in some specific commands...
npm -v
5.7.1npm list -g http-server
echo $PATH
/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbinhttp-server
npm list -g npm
As you see with my own installation, both NPM and http-server are located in the /usr/local/lib folder and yet this folder is not listed within my own $PATH, so I cannot explain why mine works.
That said, it will definitely help if you post your responses too so that others can help.
Adam Beer
11,314 PointsAdam Beer
11,314 PointsHi Neil! Thank you so much! Now working my http-server command in git.