Deploying always loops back to this issue: E_INVALID_FLAG: Unknown flag "production"

[mckayze]

Package version

"5.3.0"

Node.js and npm version

14.17.0 - 8.0.0

Sample Code (to reproduce the issue)

This issue isn't code specific it seems as though its just with deployment.

Problem

When deploying i get the following logs which i initially thought was connected to digitalocean but when i used another service and got the same issue i figured out it may be an adonis problem.

[2021-10-17 22:54:49] > node ace build --production
[2021-10-17 22:54:49] 
[2021-10-17 22:54:50] [ error ]  E_INVALID_FLAG: Unknown flag "production"
[2021-10-17 22:54:50] ERROR: failed to build: exit status 1
[2021-10-17 22:54:50] building: exit status 1
[2021-10-17 22:54:56] 
[2021-10-17 22:54:56] For documentation on the buildpacks used to build your app, please see:
[2021-10-17 22:54:56]    Node.js: https://do.co/apps-buildpack-node
[2021-10-17 22:54:56] 
[2021-10-17 22:54:56]  ! Build failed (145)

I've switched from initially using Yarn which this issue happened with to using NPM and i still get the same error message. It sometimes happens on re-builds and not on the initial build. There doesn't seem to be any pattern (that i can recognise at least) to when it happens.

The issue seems to be that the build function isn't found node ace build when i replace npm run build with node ace build it says that build is not found. And logging out a node ace during the build process doesn't show the build command at all while locally it does.

I tried to get a solution on discord and someone mentioned that running npm i twice worked for them, i tried this but it didn't work with both yarn and npm.

[thetutlage]

Can you please share how do you upload your project to the production server and how do you install dependencies there?

[mckayze]

Hey thanks for replying,

I upload my project to gitlab first, then i choose the branch from DO's apps services.
To install / build dependencies we run npm run build
Afterwards we run npm run start:production which runs this command node build/server.js (this works locally for reference)

[thetutlage]

I still don't have clarity to the complete process. But anyways, this is happening because the @adonisjs/assembler is not installed on your deployment server.

The package is a development dependency and it seems like your server is installing only production dependencies. This happens when NODE_ENV is set to production or either you are using --production flag with the npm install command.

[gapgag55]

Curiousing, Why do we need to install dev dependencies on production?

[mckayze]

Okay thanks this actually clears some stuff up,I thought the whole point of dev dependencies is that you don't install them on a production server, I guess i must be missing something here then!

I've been following this guide on the adonisjs website for deploying to DO: https://docs.adonisjs.com/cookbooks/deploy-to-digial-ocean#configuring-the-do-app

[thetutlage]

Yes. But you are building your code which needs development dependencies too.

If you push compiled code to the server, then only prod dependencies are required

[axeltaylor]

@mckayze I run into the same issue, just upload the yaml file (download from the settings) with the env variable set to:
- key: NODE_ENV
scope: RUN_TIME
value: production

And everything should be working.

[mckayze]

Thanks for this! I think I was thinking about how to deploy this wrong in previous jobs we've uploaded the codebase and compiled it on the deploy server but this makes sense. 👌

[curious-monggo]

Hi, you can try comparing local and server adonis versions:
node ace --version
you might not have installed assembler

Run:
npm i @adonisjs/assembler --save-dev

(Context: I use an .sh file to run git pull, build, pm2. Not recommended, but works for now)

[capoia]

Already had a fix on this?
I was using what @axeltaylor suggested, changing the digitalocean spcs to RUN_TIME, solves the build not found error, but now it's generating the error that NODE_ENV is not available (after build)
DigitalOcean must have changed something.

[nomadboy20]

Same issue today :/ spent whole day to fix it 😤

[DiegoFelipe]

how you did that? I have installed @adonisjs/assembler package, but I still get this error, I'm using adonis v4, ace version 4.1.0