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Is npm Down Right Now?

Real-time npm registry status for developers — diagnose install failures, find mirror alternatives, and keep CI/CD running during outages.

Last updated: April 7, 2026•5 min read

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Check npm Registry Status

→ Official npm Status Page → APIStatusCheck Monitor

npm Service Components

npm Registry (Read)High Impact

Package installation and resolution

npm Registry (Write)Medium Impact

npm publish and package updates

npmjs.com WebsiteLow Impact

Package search and documentation UI

npm CDNHigh Impact

Package tarball delivery network

npm APIMedium Impact

Programmatic registry access

npm Login / AuthMedium Impact

User authentication and token validation

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npm Error Codes & Fixes

ECONNREFUSEDRegistry unreachable

Fix: Check status.npmjs.org; test ping registry.npmjs.org

ETIMEDOUTNetwork timeout reaching registry CDN

Fix: Try --network-timeout 60000; switch to mirror

E503 / 503 Service UnavailableRegistry server overloaded or down

Fix: Wait and retry; use npm install --legacy-peer-deps

ENOTFOUND registry.npmjs.orgDNS resolution failure

Fix: Flush DNS cache; check /etc/resolv.conf on Linux

code E401Authentication failure

Fix: Run npm login or check .npmrc token validity

EPERM / permission deniedNot related to registry — local file permissions

Fix: sudo chown -R $USER ~/.npm or fix node_modules permissions

CI/CD: Handling npm Registry Outages

1. Cache node_modules in CI

Configure your CI to cache node_modules and the npm cache directory. In GitHub Actions:

- uses: actions/cache@v4
  with:
    path: ~/.npm
    key: ${{ runner.os }}-node-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }}

2. Use npm ci Instead of npm install

npm ci uses the lockfile strictly, is faster, and can run with --prefer-offlineto use cached packages when the registry is slow.

3. Set Up a Private Registry Mirror

Verdaccio is a free, lightweight private npm proxy. It caches packages locally so your CI never depends on npm.org availability. For enterprise, Artifactory and Nexus provide full npm proxy support with SLAs.

4. Monitor npm Availability Proactively

Use Better Stack or APIStatusCheck to monitor registry.npmjs.org. Get alerted before your engineers hit failed CI builds.

npm Registry Mirror Alternatives

npmmirror (Alibaba)

registry.npmmirror.com

Chinese mirror, syncs with npm every 10 minutes. Fastest in Asia-Pacific.

npm config set registry https://registry.npmmirror.com

Verdaccio (Self-hosted)

Open source npm proxy

Run your own npm cache. Packages are served from your servers — zero external dependency.

docker run -d -p 4873:4873 verdaccio/verdaccio

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is npm down right now?

Check npm's official status at status.npmjs.org. You can also visit APIStatusCheck.com/api/npm for third-party uptime monitoring. npm (owned by GitHub/Microsoft) publishes real-time incident updates including CDN degradation, registry write issues, and package resolution problems.

Why is npm install failing with ECONNREFUSED?

ECONNREFUSED during npm install means your machine cannot connect to registry.npmjs.org. Common causes: (1) npm registry outage, (2) Corporate firewall or proxy blocking the request, (3) DNS resolution failure, (4) VPN interfering with the connection. Try: npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/ to reset registry URL, or ping registry.npmjs.org to test DNS. If behind a proxy, set npm config set proxy http://proxy.company.com:8080.

What should I do if npm is down and I need to install packages in CI?

If npm registry is down during CI/CD: (1) Use a private npm mirror — many teams use Verdaccio or Artifactory to cache packages locally, (2) Set up retries in your CI pipeline with npm install --legacy-peer-deps and retry on failure, (3) Switch temporarily to Yarn with a Yarn lock file which may use a different CDN edge, (4) Use npm ci --prefer-offline if you have a node_modules cache, (5) Switch to the GitHub npm registry (registry.npmjs.org mirrors GitHub packages). Most npm outages resolve within 30-60 minutes.

How do I use a backup npm registry mirror?

To switch to an npm mirror: run npm config set registry https://registry.npmmirror.com (Chinese mirror by Alibaba, fast globally) or use npm config set registry https://registry.yarnpkg.com (Yarn registry, same packages). To revert: npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org. For CI/CD, set the registry in your .npmrc file: registry=https://registry.npmmirror.com. Always test thoroughly before deploying mirror configs to production.

Why does npm install work but npm publish fails?

Read operations (install) and write operations (publish) use different npm infrastructure. During partial outages, reads may work while writes fail. Check status.npmjs.org for "Registry Write" or "Package Publishing" status specifically. Also verify your npm token is still valid (npm token list) and not expired, as auth issues can mimic registry write failures.