ENOENT webpack-dev-server esm - node.js

Question

I inherited a react project hosted on azure-devops.
Cloned local repository
Need to downgrade npm and node versions to:
npm#6.14.8
node#v14.14.0
After that successfully install modules (npm i)
but now I can not run npm start and it's getting me this error.
npm start
> #0.1.0 start
> node -r esm scripts/run-webpack.js webpack-dev-server
spawn called
[Arguments] {
'0': '\\node_modules\\.bin\\webpack-dev-server',
'1': [ '-r', 'esm', '--mode=development', '--color' ],
'2': {
env: { NODE_ENV: 'development' },
windowsHide: true,
stdio: 'inherit'
}
}
Error: spawn \node_modules\.bin\webpack-dev-server ENOENT
at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:269:19)
at onErrorNT (internal/child_process.js:465:16)
at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:80:21)
at process.runNextTicks [as _tickCallback] (internal/process/task_queues.js:62:3)
Emitted 'error' event on ChildProcess instance at:
at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:275:12)
at onErrorNT (internal/child_process.js:465:16)
at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:80:21)
at process.runNextTicks [as _tickCallback] (internal/process/task_queues.js:62:3)
at \Frontend\node_modules\esm\esm.js:1:34535
at \Frontend\node_modules\esm\esm.js:1:34176
at process.<anonymous> (\node_modules\esm\esm.js:1:34506)
at Function.<anonymous> (\node_modules\esm\esm.js:1:296856)
at Function.<anonymous> (\node_modules\esm\esm.js:1:296555)
at Function.<anonymous> (\node_modules\esm\esm.js:1:284879) {
errno: -4058,
code: 'ENOENT',
syscall: 'spawn \\node_modules\\.bin\\webpack-dev-server',
path: '\\node_modules\\.bin\\webpack-dev-server',
spawnargs: [ '-r', 'esm', '--mode=development', '--color' ]
}
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! #0.1.0 start: `node -r esm scripts/run-webpack.js webpack-dev-server`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the #0.1.0 start script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR! \AppData\Roaming\npm-cache\_logs\2022-03-16T09_23_36_828Z-debug.log
Log here:
0 info it worked if it ends with ok
1 verbose cli [
1 verbose cli '\\nodejs\\node.exe',
1 verbose cli '\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js',
1 verbose cli 'start'
1 verbose cli ]
2 info using npm#6.14.8
3 info using node#v14.14.0
4 verbose run-script [ 'prestart', 'start', 'poststart' ]
5 info lifecycle #0.1.0~prestart: #0.1.0
6 info lifecycle #0.1.0~start: #0.1.0
7 verbose lifecycle #0.1.0~start: unsafe-perm in lifecycle true
8 verbose lifecycle #0.1.0~start: PATH: \nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-lifecycle\node-gyp-bin;\node_modules\.bin;\Python39\Scripts\;\Python39\;\Java\jre1.8.0_281\bin; (x86)\Common Files\Oracle\Java\javapath;\Ruby23-x64\bin;\Ruby23-x64\bin;\Windows\system32;\Windows;\Windows\System32\Wbem;\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;\Windows\System32\OpenSSH\; (x86)\NVIDIA Corporation\PhysX\Common;\NVIDIA Corporation\NVIDIA NvDLISR;\Microsoft SQL Server\130\Tools\Binn\;\TortoiseSVN\bin;\Git\cmd; (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\Client SDK\ODBC\130\Tools\Binn\; (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\140\Tools\Binn\; (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\140\DTS\Binn\; (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\140\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio\;\devkit\mingw\bin; (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\150\DTS\Binn\;\jruby-9.1.17.0\bin;\ProgramData\chocolatey\bin;\Microsoft SQL Server\Client SDK\ODBC\170\Tools\Binn\;\WINDOWS\system32;\WINDOWS;\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;\WINDOWS\System32\OpenSSH\;\TortoiseGit\bin; (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\150\Tools\Binn\;\Microsoft SQL Server\150\Tools\Binn\;\Microsoft SQL Server\150\DTS\Binn\;\WINDOWS\system32;\WINDOWS;\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;\WINDOWS\System32\OpenSSH\;\dotnet\;\Azure Data Studio\bin;\Docker\Docker\resources\bin;\ProgramData\DockerDesktop\version-bin;\nodejs\;\jruby-9.1.17.0\bin;\Ruby23-x64\bin;\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps;\.dotnet\tools;\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin;;\Azure Data Studio\bin;\AppData\Roaming\npm
9 verbose lifecycle #0.1.0~start: CWD:
10 silly lifecycle #0.1.0~start: Args: [ '/d /s /c', 'node -r esm scripts/run-webpack.js webpack-dev-server' ]
11 silly lifecycle #0.1.0~start: Returned: code: 1 signal: null
12 info lifecycle #0.1.0~start: Failed to exec start script
13 verbose stack Error: #0.1.0 start: `node -r esm scripts/run-webpack.js webpack-dev-server`
13 verbose stack Exit status 1
13 verbose stack at EventEmitter.<anonymous> (\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-lifecycle\index.js:332:16)
13 verbose stack at EventEmitter.emit (events.js:315:20)
13 verbose stack at ChildProcess.<anonymous> (\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-lifecycle\lib\spawn.js:55:14)
13 verbose stack at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:315:20)
13 verbose stack at maybeClose (internal/child_process.js:1048:16)
13 verbose stack at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:288:5)
14 verbose pkgid #0.1.0
15 verbose cwd
16 verbose Windows_NT 10.0.22000
17 verbose argv "\\nodejs\\node.exe" "\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js" "start"
18 verbose node v14.14.0
19 verbose npm v6.14.8
20 error code ELIFECYCLE
21 error errno 1
22 error #0.1.0 start: `node -r esm scripts/run-webpack.js webpack-dev-server`
22 error Exit status 1
23 error Failed at the #0.1.0 start script.
23 error This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
24 verbose exit [ 1, true ]
I have tried everything in my power but nothing worked and now I am desperate, please help!

Answer 1

ENOENT webpack-dev-server esm
According to the error message, it seems this issue related to the webpack-dev-server.
So, please try to access the command webpack-dev-server, you could try to set a command in npm's package.json file like
"scripts": {
"start": "webpack-dev-server -d --config webpack.dev.config.js --content-base public/ --progress --colors"
}
Or you could try to install the script in global scope as well before you run the npm start:
sudo npm install -g webpack-dev-server