How to Diagnose `vite: not found` After `npm ci` in a Container Build
I recently worked on a project where a Node.js application used Vite to compile its frontend. It worked in a browser-hosted development environment, but its image build failed after the move to Azure Container Registry. The build reported a missing Vite executable after an earlier dependency install had failed.
The container build ended with a simple error:
sh: 1: vite: not found
Vite already appeared in devDependencies. The build stage had run npm ci before calling the build script. The Dockerfile looked ordinary, so the first explanations all pointed at dependency selection or NODE_ENV.
The missing binary came from an earlier failure. npm ci had tried to download hundreds of tarballs from a package host that only existed inside the browser-based development environment. It printed Exit handler never called!, left node_modules empty, and didn't give Docker a clear failure status. The following layer reached npm run build and reported the first missing executable it needed.
The lockfile pointed npm at an unreachable host. This tutorial shows how to check whether the install completed, find the affected tarball URLs, and check the dependency layer before compiling the application. The repair changes the public-package URL prefix and adds build checks. Package versions, integrity values, application code, and Vite configuration stay the same.
Table of Contents
- Before You Begin
- How the Build Reached the Failure
- Step 1: Check Whether
npm ciInstalled Anything - Step 2: Find Where the Lockfile Would Download Packages
- Step 3: Rewrite Only the Known Public Package...
via FreeCodeCamp