Fail to deploy node.js application to heroku

I am trying to deploy a simple node.js express-based application to heroku, something which is apparently very basic: https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/nodejs

Here is my package.json: 

{
  "name": "cours-lic3-blois",
  "version": "0.0.1",
  "private": true,
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node app"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "*",
    "ejs": "*",
    "github-flavored-markdown": "*",
    "less-middleware": "*"
  },
  "engines": {
    "node": "0.8.8",
    "npm": "1.1.65"
  }
}

When I git push heroku master I got the following trace:

 -----> Heroku receiving push
 -----> Node.js app detected
 -----> Resolving engine versions
        Using Node.js version: 0.8.8
        Using npm version: 1.1.65
 -----> Fetching Node.js binaries
 -----> Vendoring node into slug
 -----> Installing dependencies with npm
        npm ERR! Error: ENOENT, chmod '/tmp/build_1suuxlhd9s8n6/node_modules/express/bin/express'
        npm ERR! If you need help, you may report this log at:
        npm ERR!     <http://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues>
        npm ERR! or email it to:
        npm ERR!     <npm-@googlegroups.com>

        npm ERR! System Linux 2.6.32-348-ec2
        npm ERR! command "/tmp/node-node-tonf/bin/node" "/tmp/node-npm-NG88/cli.js" "rebuild"
        npm ERR! cwd /tmp/build_1suuxlhd9s8n6
        npm ERR! node -v v0.8.8
        npm ERR! npm -v 1.1.65
        npm ERR! path /tmp/build_1suuxlhd9s8n6/node_modules/express/bin/express
        npm ERR! code ENOENT
        npm ERR! errno 34
        npm ERR!
        npm ERR! Additional logging details can be found in:
        npm ERR!     /tmp/build_1suuxlhd9s8n6/npm-debug.log
        npm ERR! not ok code 0
  !     Failed to rebuild dependencies with npm
  !     Heroku push rejected, failed to compile Node.js app

 To git@heroku.com:fast-everglades-2007.git
  ! [remote rejected] master -> master (pre-receive hook declined)
 error: failed to push some refs to 'git@heroku.com:fast-everglades-2007.git'

I tried to tweak various versions in my package.json but to no avail. I am developing on windows and it might be possible this ENOENT issue is due to some filemode issue.

I got this fixed by:

  • Making sure Procfile is committed into git

  • Removing the node_modules/ folder and committing that into git (git rm -r node_modules/)

Afterwards, I did the git push heroku master then the error disappeared.

I had this problem, and it was because:

  1. I keep node_modules in version control
  2. I had bin in my .gitignore file

npm was attempting to chmod express/bin/express, but due to my .gitignore this file wasn't in git and thus was not being cloned during the deploy, so it failed. I didn't notice it because a local npm install would create the bin/express file as usual.

Removing bin from .gitignore and committing the missing files solved the problem for me.

Heroku team, could you please consider configuring npm to use npm install --no-bin-links --production by default, or creating an environment variable to let users set that flag. This is a serious bug in node installs. Removing the bin directory from my .gitignore (as suggested below) enabled me to deploy, but it breaks using git effectively in a cross-platform development environment, requiring an explicit npm rebuild on every git pull where node_modules might have changed.

NPM best practice is to avoid having node_modules in .gitignore (see http://www.futurealoof.com/posts/nodemodules-in-git.html ).

I believe --no-bin-links will provide the best of both worlds, enabling deploys of node_modules where the bin directory has been excluded, supporting npm rebuild, but not failing when a bin link is created.

I submitted a pull request here: https://github.com/heroku/heroku-buildpack-nodejs/pull/33

Thanks!

similar issue was fixed by renaming gruntfile.js to Gruntfile.js