When I try to build an app that uses npm install with vagrant-spk, certain node packages have assorted errors of expected files missing during the build process. If I ssh into the VM to inspect the situation, I find that the containing directories are often not there either.
I poked around the Internet and it seems to be a known issue with VirtualBox and npm:
I'm not sure I get the complete picture of what's going on. Supposedly this is due to VirtualBox disabling symlinks for synced folders for security reasons. From direct observation I can ssh into my VM and create a symlink, so I'm not sure exactly what's going on. But my npm is in fact failing.
Proposed Workarounds
Turn symlinks back on with a setting
You can turn the symlinks back on with a setting if you trust the guest VM. I tried it once and it didn't work. I likely did it wrong.
Now, I'm not sure if I'm getting this suggestion right, but it worked for me in the following way:
In setup.sh:
create /opt/build
In build.sh:
copy /opt/app to /opt/build/app
sudo mount --bind /opt/build/app /opt/app
at this point /apt/app is not synced to your host, but npm will build thinking it's sitting in /opt/app.
do build as normal within /opt/app
this of course actually builds in /opt/build/app, but if your generated files ever include an absolute path (as npm packages have) they will show up as /opt/app.
sudo umount /opt/app
copy node_modules and other generated directories from /opt/build/app to their respective places in /opt/app
Now the built node modules are inside the synced folder, and should show up in your host
At this point it will run. If there's a problem with symlinks, I'm not sure why it does, given that it can't build. I even tried comparing the node_modules directories in /opt/app and /opt/build/app/ and they're the same.
Other
There are others. One was to use NFS to sync them, not sure how secure that is in this context.
When I try to build an app that uses
npm installwith vagrant-spk, certain node packages have assorted errors of expected files missing during the build process. If I ssh into the VM to inspect the situation, I find that the containing directories are often not there either.I poked around the Internet and it seems to be a known issue with VirtualBox and npm:
I'm not sure I get the complete picture of what's going on. Supposedly this is due to VirtualBox disabling symlinks for synced folders for security reasons. From direct observation I can ssh into my VM and create a symlink, so I'm not sure exactly what's going on. But my npm is in fact failing.
Proposed Workarounds
Turn symlinks back on with a setting
You can turn the symlinks back on with a setting if you trust the guest VM. I tried it once and it didn't work. I likely did it wrong.
Bind Mount (worked for me)
You can apparently work around this with a bind mount:
Now, I'm not sure if I'm getting this suggestion right, but it worked for me in the following way:
setup.sh:/opt/buildbuild.sh:/opt/appto/opt/build/appsudo mount --bind /opt/build/app /opt/app/apt/appis not synced to your host, but npm will build thinking it's sitting in/opt/app./opt/app/opt/build/app, but if your generated files ever include an absolute path (as npm packages have) they will show up as/opt/app.sudo umount /opt/appnode_modulesand other generated directories from/opt/build/appto their respective places in/opt/appAt this point it will run. If there's a problem with symlinks, I'm not sure why it does, given that it can't build. I even tried comparing the
node_modulesdirectories in/opt/appand/opt/build/app/and they're the same.Other
There are others. One was to use NFS to sync them, not sure how secure that is in this context.
Assorted: