Is npm Down? How to Check npm Registry Status & Quick Fixes

Getting npm ERR! during installs? Can't publish packages? When the npm registry goes down, JavaScript development worldwide comes to a standstill — no installs, no CI/CD, no deploys.

This guide shows you how to check if npm is actually down, work around registry issues, and keep shipping code during outages.

Is npm Down Right Now?

1. Check npm Status Page

npm maintains a status page at status.npmjs.org covering:

• Registry — package downloads and installs
• Website — npmjs.com browsing
• CLI — command-line tool functionality
• Publishing — package publishing pipeline

2. Use API Status Check

API Status Check monitors npm and 117+ other services in real-time. Check your entire dev infrastructure from one dashboard — no signup required.

3. Quick CLI Test

Run a quick check from your terminal:

npm ping

If this returns Ping success, the registry is reachable from your network. If it hangs or errors, there's likely an issue.

4. Check Social Media

Search Twitter/X for "npm down" — developers are extremely vocal about npm outages.

Common npm Issues and Quick Fixes

npm install Failures

Symptoms: ETIMEDOUT, ECONNRESET, FETCH_ERROR, or ERR_SOCKET_TIMEOUT during installs.

Quick fixes:

1. Retry — transient network issues resolve on retry: npm install --retry 3
2. Clear npm cache — npm cache clean --force then retry
3. Switch registry — temporarily use a mirror: npm install --registry https://registry.npmmirror.com
4. Check proxy settings — corporate proxies often block npm; check npm config get proxy
5. Delete node_modules and lockfile — rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json && npm install

Package Publish Errors

Symptoms: npm publish hangs, returns 500 errors, or EPUBLISHCONFLICT.

Quick fixes:

1. Check publish status — the publish pipeline can be down while installs work fine
2. Verify authentication — npm whoami to check your login status
3. Check package name — name conflicts with existing packages cause publish failures
4. Bump version — you can't republish the same version; increment and retry
5. Try with verbose — npm publish --verbose for detailed error information

Authentication Issues

Symptoms: 401 Unauthorized, npm ERR! code ENEEDAUTH, or login not persisting.

Quick fixes:

1. Re-login — npm login and enter credentials fresh
2. Check auth token — verify ~/.npmrc has a valid token
3. Regenerate token — create a new token at npmjs.com → Access Tokens
4. Check 2FA — if you enabled 2FA, you need an OTP for publish operations
5. Scope check — scoped packages need proper org authentication

Slow Downloads

Symptoms: Installs take 10x longer than usual, progress bar barely moving.

Quick fixes:

1. Use a faster registry mirror — npm config set registry https://registry.npmmirror.com (temp)
2. Try yarn or pnpm — alternative clients can be faster: pnpm install
3. Use --prefer-offline — installs from local cache when possible
4. Check your network — run a speed test; npm needs decent bandwidth for large node_modules

What To Do During an npm Outage

1. Use Your Local Cache

npm caches packages locally. If you've installed them before:

npm install --prefer-offline

This uses cached versions and only hits the registry for packages not in your local cache.

2. Use Alternative Registries

Temporary mirror registries can save you during outages:

# Taobao/China mirror (works globally)
npm install --registry https://registry.npmmirror.com

# GitHub Packages (if configured)
npm install --registry https://npm.pkg.github.com

3. Use Alternative Package Managers

yarn and pnpm use the same registry but have their own caching layers:

# yarn (has its own cache)
yarn install --offline

# pnpm (content-addressable store)
pnpm install --offline

4. Pin Your CI/CD

If npm is down during deployments:

• Use lockfiles (package-lock.json) — they include integrity hashes
• Cache node_modules in CI — GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and CircleCI all support this
• Consider vendoring critical dependencies for mission-critical deploys

5. Use Verdaccio for Critical Projects

Verdaccio is a lightweight private npm proxy registry. It caches all packages you've ever installed, giving you a local fallback during outages.

How To Set Up npm Outage Alerts

npm Status Notifications

Subscribe at status.npmjs.org for incident notifications via email or webhook.

API Status Check

Monitor npm alongside all your dev tools at apistatuscheck.com — free, no signup required.

FAQ

Is npm down or is it just me?

Run npm ping first. If it succeeds, the issue is likely local (proxy, cache, or network). If it fails, check status.npmjs.org and API Status Check.

What happens to my deploys if npm goes down?

If your CI/CD caches node_modules or uses a lockfile with --prefer-offline, deploys can still succeed. Without caching, deploys will fail until the registry is back. Set up Verdaccio or CI caching as insurance.

How often does npm go down?

The npm registry is generally reliable but experiences 3-5 incidents per month, mostly brief degradations. Full outages lasting more than an hour are rare — a few times per year. Install operations are more resilient than publish.

Is yarn/pnpm affected when npm goes down?

Yes — yarn and pnpm use the same npm registry by default. However, their local caching is often better, so --offline mode is more likely to succeed. You can also configure them to use mirror registries.

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