Question

I’m trying to install mongoose on Mac OS X:

$ sudo npm install -g mongoose
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/mongoose
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/mongoose
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/hooks/0.2.1
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/mongodb/1.1.11
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/ms/0.1.0
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/sliced/0.0.3
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/hooks/0.2.1
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/mongodb/1.1.11
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/ms/0.1.0
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/sliced/0.0.3
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/bson/0.1.5
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/bson/0.1.5

> bson@0.1.5 install /usr/local/lib/node_modules/mongoose/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/bson
> node install.js || (exit 0)

================================================================================
=                                                                              =
=  Attempting to build bson c++ extension                                      =
=   Windows: no build will be attempted as binaries are prepackaged            =
=   Unix: on failure the package will still install without the C++ extension  =
=                                                                              =
================================================================================
node-gyp clean
node-gyp configure build
  CXX(target) Release/obj.target/bson/ext/bson.o
  SOLINK_MODULE(target) Release/bson.node
  SOLINK_MODULE(target) Release/bson.node: Finished
child process exited with code 0
mongoose@3.3.1 /usr/local/lib/node_modules/mongoose
├── sliced@0.0.3
├── hooks@0.2.1
├── ms@0.1.0
└── mongodb@1.1.11 (bson@0.1.5)
$ node
> require('mongoose');
Error: Cannot find module 'mongoose'
    at Function.Module._resolveFilename (module.js:338:15)
    at Function.Module._load (module.js:280:25)
    at Module.require (module.js:362:17)
    at require (module.js:378:17)
    at repl:1:1
    at REPLServer.self.eval (repl.js:111:21)
    at rli.on.e (repl.js:260:20)
    at REPLServer.self.eval (repl.js:118:5)
    at Interface.<anonymous> (repl.js:250:12)
    at Interface.EventEmitter.emit (events.js:93:17)

Shouldn’t require work? Am I doing something wrong?

Answer 1

As per the npm FAQ:

I installed something globally, but I can’t require() it

Install it locally.

The global install location is a place for command-line utilities to put their bins in the system PATH. It’s not for use with require().

If you require() a module in your code, then that means it’s a dependency, and a part of your program. You need to install it locally in your program.