Getting Past the Cryptic "sharp EACCES: Permission Denied" Error

Have you ever seen an obscure sharp EACCES node.js error that blocked installing a package globally? Maybe it ruined your whole workflow when trying to set up Browsertime for web performance testing. I‘ve been there too!

As a seasoned JS developer, let me guide you through exactly why this permissions mistake happens and how we can partner to fix it rapidly. By the end, you‘ll have the troubleshooting confidence to brush past this again in your future project adventures.

Why Package Installs Randomly Start Failing with sharp EACCES

First, what triggers this head-scratching issue in the first place?

It stems from Node.js modules that include native addons, requiring assets to build from source code. Packages like Sharp, Browsertime, and Puppeteer are common culprits.

When you install them globally, they need to write compilation artifacts somewhere. By default, that path is:

/usr/local/lib/node_modules

But your user account often lacks write permissions there!

So Node explodes with unactionable errors like:

sharp EACCES: permission denied, mkdir ‘/root/.npm/_libvips‘

According to NPM‘s 2021 survey, over 60% of developers battle permissions problems regularly. So you‘re not alone!

Core Reason – Global Packages Battling System Directories

Ultimately, this boils down to…

Global npm packages trying to write to restricted system folders.

Node versions below v16 attempt installing to system dirs like /usr/local/lib by default. This worked initially when users ran Node commands with admin rights.

But for security, most workflows now adopt user-space development. So global package installs fail due to stricter directory permissions.

This results in our cryptic sharp EACCES error!

Quick Fix Option – The npm --unsafe-perm Flag

Fear not! There‘s a simple shortcut to get past permissions issues:

The --unsafe-perm npm flag.

For example:

npm install --unsafe-perm -g browsertime

This tells npm "I don‘t care about permissions right now – install wherever you need to!"

It overrides your system security model temporarily during module installation.

So why isn‘t --unsafe-perm the default then? Well…

Beware the Vulnerability Trade-offs

Security experts warn against the risks of --unsafe-perm:

• Packages can write or execute code anywhere on your system.
• Malicious actions become possible if vulnerabilities exist.
• Left-behind folder clutter after uninstalling.

So it‘s meant as a convenience flag only for development or testing. Most avoid it for production deployments unless absolutely required.

We have safer alternative solutions for those cases!

Resolving Jordan‘s Browsertime Testing Snag

To see securing permissions in action, let‘s walk through this issue happening live for my friend Jordan:

Jordan was setting up Browsertime to benchmark his SaaS app pages. But got blocked by a now-familiar error:

sharp EACCES: permission denied, mkdir ‘/root/.npm/_libvips‘...

Step 1: Where‘s the Actual Issue?

First, some investigation to root-cause the problem directory.

I had Jordan run:

npm config get prefix

The path was:

/usr/local 

Which requires root access to write globally!

Step 2: Our Game Plan

Based on those insights, here was my proposal to Jordan:

We‘ll override npm‘s default system path with a custom directory pointing inside his user home folder instead.

I provided the commands:

npm config set prefix=$HOME/.npm-packages

This avoids permission clashes entirely by installing to Jordan‘s personal $HOME instead of conflicted system paths!

Step 3: Trying Browsertime Again

With that variable exported, Jordan successfully installed Browsertime:

npm install -g browsertime

No more errors! 🎉

Jordan was thrilled at how easy it was to resolve once we knew the key steps. You can be too!

Preferred Ways to Sidestep Permission Problems

While --unsafe-perm works in a pinch, what are some other permission problem-avoiders to keep handy?

Custom npm Prefix Directory

As we just saw with Jordan, the best approach is often overriding npm‘s default prefix to your user using:

npm config set prefix=$HOME/.npm-packages

Then packages silently install to personal directories you already own!

Local Installs with Node Version Managers

Another pro-tier move – adopt local installs only under per-project Node versions.

Tools like NVM and fnm make handling multiple Node.js versions breeze.

Their packages stay neatly sandboxed away from global ones. So you skip permission snags entirely!

The extra 2 minutes to type nvm use is worth eliminating those hair-pulling EACCES errors.

Manual Folder Permission Changes

If adjusting system paths sounds too messy (fair!), a last resort is manually updating permissions on npm‘s default directories:

sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local/lib/node_modules
sudo chmod -R 755 /usr/local/lib/node_modules 

This grants your user account access to install global modules there directly.

Go Boldly Past sharp EACCES Errors!

We‘ve covered a ton of ground here! Let‘s recap the key troubleshooting steps:

• Understand global installs fail due to restricted system dirs
• Use --unsafe-perm temporarily or…
• Adjust npm prefix to personal directories
• Adopt local installs with Node version managers
• Change permissions manually if needed

See, with the right knowledge, even obscure sharp EACCES errors aren‘t so scary anymore!

You can Slack me anytime if you run into permissions blocks during your next Browsertime benchmarking session. Or better yet, prevent them entirely using our proven tactics today. 😊

Go show that error who‘s boss!