React-native: Error with npm install; dependency issues - node.js

Question

This is the issue I am facing when running npm install to install dependencies for the application I am trying to run. I'm new to Node and React:
> cd core && npm ci
npm ERR! code ERESOLVE
npm ERR! ERESOLVE could not resolve
npm ERR!
npm ERR! While resolving: react-native-fs#2.18.0
npm ERR! Found: react#17.0.2
npm ERR! node_modules/react
npm ERR! peer react#"17.0.2" from the root project
npm ERR! peer react#"^17.0.2" from #aries-framework/react-hooks#0.3.0
npm ERR! node_modules/#aries-framework/react-hooks
npm ERR! peer #aries-framework/react-hooks#"^0.3.0" from the root project
npm ERR! 31 more (#expo/react-native-action-sheet, ...)
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Could not resolve dependency:
npm ERR! peer react-native-windows#"*" from react-native-fs#2.18.0
npm ERR! node_modules/react-native-fs
npm ERR! peer react-native-fs#"^2.16.6" from the root project
npm ERR! peer react-native-fs#"^2.18.0" from #aries-framework/react-native#0.2.2
npm ERR! node_modules/#aries-framework/react-native
npm ERR! peer #aries-framework/react-native#"^0.2.0" from the root project
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Conflicting peer dependency: react#18.1.0
npm ERR! node_modules/react
npm ERR! peer react#"18.1.0" from react-native-windows#0.70.5
npm ERR! node_modules/react-native-windows
npm ERR! peer react-native-windows#"*" from react-native-fs#2.18.0
npm ERR! node_modules/react-native-fs
npm ERR! peer react-native-fs#"^2.16.6" from the root project
npm ERR! 1 more (#aries-framework/react-native)
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Fix the upstream dependency conflict, or retry
npm ERR! this command with --force, or --legacy-peer-deps
npm ERR! to accept an incorrect (and potentially broken) dependency resolution.
npm ERR!
npm ERR! See /Users/samueloneill/.npm/eresolve-report.txt for a full report.
npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR! /Users/samueloneill/.npm/_logs/2022-11-08T11_54_30_572Z-debug-0.log
ERROR: "ci:core" exited with 1.
ERROR: "ci:all" exited with 1.
npm ERR! code 1
npm ERR! path /Users/samueloneill/aries-mobile-agent-react-native
npm ERR! command failed
npm ERR! command sh -c run-s ci:all build:all
I've tried npm install --legacy-peer-deps resulting in a ✖ Failed to build definition files error.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Edit: here are the dependencies from the package.json
"#aries-framework/core": "^0.2.2",
"#aries-framework/react-hooks": "^0.3.0",
"#aries-framework/react-native": "^0.2.0",
"#formatjs/intl-datetimeformat": "^4.2.3",
"#formatjs/intl-displaynames": "^5.2.3",
"#formatjs/intl-getcanonicallocales": "^1.7.3",
"#formatjs/intl-listformat": "^6.3.3",
"#formatjs/intl-locale": "^2.4.37",
"#formatjs/intl-numberformat": "^7.2.3",
"#formatjs/intl-pluralrules": "^4.1.3",
"#formatjs/intl-relativetimeformat": "^9.2.3",
"#react-native-async-storage/async-storage": "^1.12.1",
"#react-native-community/masked-view": "^0.1.11",
"#react-native-community/netinfo": "^9.3.0",
"#react-navigation/bottom-tabs": "^6.0.9",
"#react-navigation/core": "^6.1.0",
"#react-navigation/devtools": "^6.0.8",
"#react-navigation/native": "^6.0.6",
"#react-navigation/stack": "^6.0.11",
"axios": "^0.21.0",
"i18next": "^21.4.0",
"indy-sdk-react-native": "^0.2.2",
"lodash.flatten": "^4.4.0",
"lodash.startcase": "^4.4.0",
"query-string": "^7.0.1",
"react": "17.0.2",
"react-i18next": "^11.13.0",
"react-native": "0.66.5",
"react-native-animated-pagination-dots": "^0.1.72",
"react-native-argon2": "^2.0.1",
"react-native-bouncy-checkbox": "^3.0.5",
"react-native-camera": "^3.31.1",
"react-native-collapsible": "^1.6.0",
"react-native-config": "^1.4.2",
"react-native-confirmation-code-field": "^7.3.0",
"react-native-device-info": "^8.4.9",
"react-native-encrypted-storage": "^4.0.2",
"react-native-fs": "^2.16.6",
"react-native-gesture-handler": "^1.10.3",
"react-native-get-random-values": "^1.7.0",
"react-native-gifted-chat": "^0.16.3",
"react-native-keychain": "^8.1.1",
"react-native-localize": "^2.1.5",
"react-native-qrcode-svg": "^6.0.6",
"react-native-reanimated": "^2.2.4",
"react-native-safe-area-context": "^3.2.0",
"react-native-scalable-image": "^1.1.0",
"react-native-screens": "^3.3.0",
"react-native-splash-screen": "^3.2.0",
"react-native-svg": "^12.1.1",
"react-native-toast-message": "^2.0.1",
"react-native-uuid": "^2.0.1",
"react-native-vector-icons": "^8.1.0",
"uuid": "^8.1.0"
},
"devDependencies": {
"#babel/core": "^7.12.9",
"#babel/runtime": "^7.12.5",
"#commitlint/cli": "^11.0.0",
"#react-native-community/eslint-config": "^2.0.0",
"#testing-library/jest-native": "^4.0.4",
"#testing-library/react-native": "^9.0.0",
"#types/indy-sdk-react-native": "npm:#types/indy-sdk#^1.16.18",
"#types/jest": "^27.4.0",
"#types/lodash.flatten": "^4.4.6",
"#types/lodash.startcase": "^4.4.6",
"#types/react": "^16.14.4",
"#types/react-native": "^0.63.50",
"#types/react-native-vector-icons": "^6.4.6",
"#types/react-test-renderer": "^16.9.5",
"#typescript-eslint/eslint-plugin": "^4.20.0",
"#typescript-eslint/parser": "^4.33.0",
"babel-jest": "^27.5.1",
"babel-plugin-module-resolver": "^4.1.0",
"commitlint": "^11.0.0",
"eslint": "^7.14.0",
"eslint-import-resolver-typescript": "^2.5.0",
"eslint-plugin-import": "^2.25.2",
"eslint-plugin-prettier": "^3.3.1",
"husky": "^7.0.0",
"jest": "^27.5.1",
"lint-staged": "^11.2.6",
"metro-react-native-babel-preset": "^0.66.2",
"mockdate": "^3.0.5",
"node-notifier": "^10.0.1",
"patch-package": "^6.4.4",
"prettier": "^2.1.2",
"react-native-builder-bob": "^0.18.2",
"react-native-flipper": "^0.154.0",
"react-native-svg-transformer": "^0.14.3",
"react-test-renderer": "17.0.2",
"ts-jest": "^27.1.3",
"typescript": "^4.2.2"

Answer 1

So here is what happens
tested on node v16.18.1/npm 8.19.2
you have react-native-fs which pools react-native-windows#0.70.5 you can fix it by adding "react-native-windows": "0.66.5" into your dependencies (same version as your react-native).
then you'll face issue with "react-native-scalable-image": "^1.1.0" which demands "react": "^16.8.3". So either get rid of react-native-scalable-image or ask maintainer to be less strict on react version
UPDATE 7 Dec 2022:
I had to
patch app/package.json and core/package.json
remove app/package-lock.json and core/package-lock.json
run npm i in app and core
After that dependencies can be installed however build still fails.
I must say the project has sick dependencies and requires a lot of attention to fix them
Index: app/package.json
IDEA additional info:
Subsystem: com.intellij.openapi.diff.impl.patch.CharsetEP
<+>UTF-8
===================================================================
diff --git a/app/package.json b/app/package.json
--- a/app/package.json (revision faffa2806a8980b0655a35a94fc7cabd32699922)
+++ b/app/package.json (revision d8f3ceca67e237fea1090451412e7297c5bb14bb)
## -40,6 +40,7 ##
"react": "17.0.2",
"react-i18next": "11.13.0",
"react-native": "0.66.5",
+ "react-native-windows": "0.66.5",
"react-native-animated-pagination-dots": "0.1.72",
"react-native-argon2": "2.0.1",
"react-native-bouncy-checkbox": "^3.0.5",
## -58,7 +59,6 ##
"react-native-qrcode-svg": "6.1.1",
"react-native-reanimated": "^2.2.4",
"react-native-safe-area-context": "3.3.2",
- "react-native-scalable-image": "^1.1.0",
"react-native-screens": "3.7.2",
"react-native-splash-screen": "3.3.0",
"react-native-svg": "12.1.1",
Index: core/package.json
IDEA additional info:
Subsystem: com.intellij.openapi.diff.impl.patch.CharsetEP
<+>UTF-8
===================================================================
diff --git a/core/package.json b/core/package.json
--- a/core/package.json (revision faffa2806a8980b0655a35a94fc7cabd32699922)
+++ b/core/package.json (revision d8f3ceca67e237fea1090451412e7297c5bb14bb)
## -48,6 +48,7 ##
"react": "17.0.2",
"react-i18next": "^11.13.0",
"react-native": "0.66.5",
+ "react-native-windows": "0.66.5",
"react-native-animated-pagination-dots": "^0.1.72",
"react-native-argon2": "^2.0.1",
"react-native-bouncy-checkbox": "^3.0.5",
## -66,7 +67,6 ##
"react-native-qrcode-svg": "^6.0.6",
"react-native-reanimated": "^2.2.4",
"react-native-safe-area-context": "^3.2.0",
- "react-native-scalable-image": "^1.1.0",
"react-native-screens": "^3.3.0",
"react-native-splash-screen": "^3.2.0",
"react-native-svg": "^12.1.1",