[BUG] npm outdated does not list global installed packages

[ItsIgnacioPortal]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

This issue exists in the latest npm version

• I am using the latest npm

Current Behavior

I have installed [email protected] globally by running npm install -g [email protected]. Running npm help outdated shows me the documentation, which lists global as a valid option. So I tried to run:

npm outdated -g

But it outputs nothing. Running all the possible variations:

npm outdated -g

npm outdated --global

npm outdated global

None of them give any output. I expected to see the available upgrade to [email protected]

Expected Behavior

npm outdated -g
Package     Current  Wanted  Latest  Location                 Depended by
calculator   0.1.11  0.1.12  0.1.12  node_modules/calculator  User

Steps To Reproduce

1. npm install -g [email protected]
2. npm outdated -g

Environment

I installed node through nvm 1.1.9

• npm: 8.19.3
• Node.js: v16.19.0
• OS Name: Windows 22H2
• System Model Name: ?
• npm config:

; node bin location = C:\Program Files\nodejs\node.exe
; node version = v16.19.0
; npm local prefix = C:\Users\User
; npm version = 8.19.3
; cwd = C:\Users\User
; HOME = C:\Users\User
; Run `npm config ls -l` to show all defaults.

[ljharb]

imo npm outdated -g doesn't really make sense, since there's no global package.json.

[ItsIgnacioPortal]

imo npm outdated -g doesn't really make sense, since there's no global package.json.

The objective of running npm-outdated for global packages is to check if we have the latest version available. Otherwise there is no easy way of checking for updates. This should be supported

[wraithgar]

I can't reproduce this.

$ npm i -g [email protected]

added 76 packages, and audited 77 packages in 2s

found 0 vulnerabilities
~/D/n/c/b/main (latest|✔) $ npm outdated -g
Package     Current  Wanted  Latest  Location                 Depended by
calculator   0.1.11  0.1.12  0.1.12  node_modules/calculator  global
~/D/n/c/b/main (latest|✔) $ npm -v
8.19.3

Are you using nvs by chance? jasongin/nvs#252

[ItsIgnacioPortal]

I can't reproduce this.

$ npm i -g [email protected]

added 76 packages, and audited 77 packages in 2s

found 0 vulnerabilities
~/D/n/c/b/main (latest|✔) $ npm outdated -g
Package     Current  Wanted  Latest  Location                 Depended by
calculator   0.1.11  0.1.12  0.1.12  node_modules/calculator  global
~/D/n/c/b/main (latest|✔) $ npm -v
8.19.3

Are you using nvs by chance? jasongin/nvs#252

Nope. I never installed nvs. I'm using nvm. I'm on windows though. You seem to be on linux

[ljharb]

nvm-windows, or actual nvm?

[ItsIgnacioPortal]

nvm-windows, or actual nvm?

nvm-windows

[bestpika]

I have a similar problem.
I used nvm-windows and installed node v18.9.0 and npm v9.4.0.

Also, this problem has already happened with npm v8.x.
By the way, nvs also has this problem.

[jerone]

I'm having the same issue.

As part of q-nick/npm-gui#89 I tried to research a little. These are my findings:

Nodejs version v18.11.0.

NPM version 9.4.1.

I also have nvm-windows installed. Version 1.1.10.

Weirdly enough, npm-check-updates does detect updates correctly.

npm outdated -g --all does execute the outdated check, but also for dependencies of dependencies (because that's what --all does).
Sadly npm outdated -g --all --depth=0 did not change the huge list.

npm ls -g --depth=0 does detect all global installed packages correctly.

Click here to see output from npm ls -g --depth=0 --json.

{
  "resolved": "file:../Users/<user>/AppData/Roaming/nvm/v18.11.0",
  "dependencies": {
    "@angular/cli": {
      "version": "15.0.5",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "@cspell/dict-nl-nl": {
      "version": "2.2.8",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "corepack": {
      "version": "0.15.3",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "cspell": {
      "version": "6.18.1",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "generator-code": {
      "version": "1.7.2",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "generator-eslint": {
      "version": "4.1.1",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "generator-jest": {
      "version": "1.8.0",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "generator-sublime": {
      "version": "2.0.13",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "js-to-ts-converter": {
      "version": "0.18.2",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "np": {
      "version": "7.6.3",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "npm-check-updates": {
      "version": "16.6.2",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "npm-gui": {
      "version": "4.0.3",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "npm": {
      "version": "9.2.0",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "web-ext": {
      "version": "7.4.0",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "yarn": {
      "version": "1.22.19",
      "overridden": false
    },
    "yo": {
      "version": "4.3.1",
      "overridden": false
    }
  }
}

My suspicion is that resolved property is not correctly handled in npm outdated -g.

[segevfiner]

Happens to me with nvm-windows and fnm on Windows 11.

On Node.js 20.14.0, fnm 1.37, npm 10.8.1