How to solve “Could not find any Python installation to use” with docker node alpine Image when adding bcrypt to package.json?

Before I added bcrypt to my package.json, everything was working fine. Now, I get the error message below.

This is an excerpt of my package.json:

  "dependencies": {
    "bcrypt": "3.0.6",
    "express": "^4.17.1",
    "mongodb": "^3.3.1",
    "nodemailer": "^6.3.0",
    "pm2": "^3.5.1",
    "redis": "^2.8.0",
    "xlsx": "^0.15.0"
  },

This is my dockerfile. I am using the offical node alpine image. I wonder if alpine has phyton already installed.

FROM node:13.5.0-alpine

WORKDIR /usr/app

COPY ./src .

RUN npm install

I get this error message when I run docker-compose:

node-pre-gyp WARN Using request for node-pre-gyp https download
node-pre-gyp WARN Tried to download(404): https://github.com/kelektiv/node.bcrypt.js/releases/download/v3.0.6/bcrypt_lib-v3.0.6-node-v79-linux-x64-musl.tar.gz
node-pre-gyp WARN Pre-built binaries not found for bcrypt@3.0.6 and node@13.5.0 (node-v79 ABI, musl) (falling back to source compile with node-gyp)
gyp ERR! find Python
gyp ERR! find Python Python is not set from command line or npm configuration
gyp ERR! find Python Python is not set from environment variable PYTHON
gyp ERR! find Python checking if "python" can be used
gyp ERR! find Python - "python" is not in PATH or produced an error
gyp ERR! find Python checking if "python2" can be used
gyp ERR! find Python - "python2" is not in PATH or produced an error
gyp ERR! find Python checking if "python3" can be used
gyp ERR! find Python - "python3" is not in PATH or produced an error
gyp ERR! find Python
gyp ERR! find Python **********************************************************
gyp ERR! find Python You need to install the latest version of Python.
gyp ERR! find Python Node-gyp should be able to find and use Python. If not,
gyp ERR! find Python you can try one of the following options:
gyp ERR! find Python - Use the switch --python="/path/to/pythonexecutable"
gyp ERR! find Python   (accepted by both node-gyp and npm)
gyp ERR! find Python - Set the environment variable PYTHON
gyp ERR! find Python - Set the npm configuration variable python:
gyp ERR! find Python   npm config set python "/path/to/pythonexecutable"
gyp ERR! find Python For more information consult the documentation at:
gyp ERR! find Python https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp#installation
gyp ERR! find Python **********************************************************
gyp ERR! find Python

gyp ERR! configure error
gyp ERR! stack Error: Could not find any Python installation to use
gyp ERR! stack     at PythonFinder.fail (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/lib/find-python.js:307:47)
gyp ERR! stack     at PythonFinder.runChecks (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/lib/find-python.js:136:21)
gyp ERR! stack     at PythonFinder.<anonymous> (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/lib/find-python.js:179:16)
gyp ERR! stack     at PythonFinder.execFileCallback (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/lib/find-python.js:271:16)
gyp ERR! stack     at exithandler (child_process.js:309:5)
gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.errorhandler (child_process.js:321:5)
gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:305:20)
gyp ERR! stack     at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:273:12)
gyp ERR! stack     at onErrorNT (internal/child_process.js:469:16)
gyp ERR! stack     at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:84:21)
gyp ERR! System Linux 4.15.0-47-generic
gyp ERR! command "/usr/local/bin/node" "/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js" "configure" "--fallback-to-build" "--module=/usr/app/node_modules/bcrypt/lib/binding/bcrypt_lib.node" "--module_name=bcrypt_lib" "--module_path=/usr/app/node_modules/bcrypt/lib/binding" "--napi_version=5" "--node_abi_napi=napi" "--napi_build_version=0" "--node_napi_label=node-v79"
gyp ERR! cwd /usr/app/node_modules/bcrypt
gyp ERR! node -v v13.5.0
gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v5.0.5
gyp ERR! not ok
node-pre-gyp ERR! build error
node-pre-gyp ERR! stack Error: Failed to execute '/usr/local/bin/node /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js configure --fallback-to-build --module=/usr/app/node_modules/bcrypt/lib/binding/bcrypt_lib.node --module_name=bcrypt_lib --module_path=/usr/app/node_modules/bcrypt/lib/binding --napi_version=5 --node_abi_napi=napi --napi_build_version=0 --node_napi_label=node-v79' (1)
node-pre-gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.<anonymous> (/usr/app/node_modules/node-pre-gyp/lib/util/compile.js:83:29)
node-pre-gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:305:20)
node-pre-gyp ERR! stack     at maybeClose (internal/child_process.js:1028:16)
node-pre-gyp ERR! stack     at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:286:5)
node-pre-gyp ERR! System Linux 4.15.0-47-generic
node-pre-gyp ERR! command "/usr/local/bin/node" "/usr/app/node_modules/.bin/node-pre-gyp" "install" "--fallback-to-build"
node-pre-gyp ERR! cwd /usr/app/node_modules/bcrypt
node-pre-gyp ERR! node -v v13.5.0
node-pre-gyp ERR! node-pre-gyp -v v0.12.0
node-pre-gyp ERR! not ok
Failed to execute '/usr/local/bin/node /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js configure --fallback-to-build --module=/usr/app/node_modules/bcrypt/lib/binding/bcrypt_lib.node --module_name=bcrypt_lib --module_path=/usr/app/node_modules/bcrypt/lib/binding --napi_version=5 --node_abi_napi=napi --napi_build_version=0 --node_napi_label=node-v79' (1)
npm WARN testapp@0.0.1 No repository field.
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: fsevents@1.2.11 (node_modules/fsevents):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for fsevents@1.2.11: wanted {"os":"darwin","arch":"any"} (current: {"os":"linux","arch":"x64"})

npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! bcrypt@3.0.6 install: `node-pre-gyp install --fallback-to-build`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the bcrypt@3.0.6 install script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     /root/.npm/_logs/2019-12-24T14_22_05_060Z-debug.log
ERROR: Service 'web' failed to build: The command '/bin/sh -c npm install' returned a non-zero code: 1

How can I solve this issue? Do I have to install phyton on alpine or just add the env variable? If so, please tell me how. I have already searched for solutions but no one worked …

Answer

For the sake of completeness: I solved it.

The solution was to replace the dependency “bcrypt” with “bcryptjs“.

With bcryptjs there are no errors. Neither with standard node docker images nor node alpine docker images.