Installing Windows Build Tools

After I click on the checkbox it installs many tools including python and visual studio etc.. which command should I use to install build tools? npm install --global --production windows-build-tools or npm install --global --production --add-python-to-path windows-build-tools correct answer is later one I suppose.

Please read the rest of this thread. You should not need to separately install the build tools, it should be done if you click the checkbox in the nodejs install. The windows-build-tools package is no longer supported by its author.

Understood.

Please delete your post and make a new thread - this is about getting it working on windows :slight_smile:

Linux install uses completely different approach

But before starting the new thread please read the text you posted more carefully. In particular:
You can update to the latest Node-RED 1.x version by adding --nodered-version="1.3.5" to that install command
and
you can force an install of node 12 or 14 by using the --node12, --node14 or --node16 parameter

I have created another thread.

Yes please read the last part in a new thread.

I found the same issue as well with windows installation. After spending lots of time in the forum I decided to uninstall everything. Then I followed the below procedure in that order:

  1. Install nodejs
  2. Install python with the python installer, added it to the path
  3. WIth visual studio installer, install desktop development environment
  4. Install node-red (version v2.1.3)

Even if you have managed to install build tools by checking the option during nodejs installation it took quite lot of time and when completed the node-red-node-serialport didn't install. You can use that as a check to see if build tools are installed properly. I am pretty sure that it won't install as I failed a couple of times. However, following the above procedure in that order would work

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I wonder what it is that is unusual about your system that meant that the usual technique did not work.

I will try this.

Are you saying that the method of selecting to install the build tools while installing nodejs did not work for you?

I am not sure either. But I did this for nearly 7 machines and it worked fine. The setup mentioned in the node-red website failed. I do however feel that I am installing a lot of unnecessary stuff while using the visualstudio installer. If someone could let me know what all things I should select or unselect from the desktop development with c++, it would be a great help.

Please do let us know how did it go and also what went wrong with selecting build tools along with nodejs

Check to see if you have the Visual Studio Installer on your system. You can use this as well to update the build tools. I think it gets installed when you select the option in node.js though I'm not entirely certain.

As you can see, it is a specific install module for VS and comes as a package - this is all you need for compiling node.js c++ dependencies. It is really not a good idea to go down the VS Installer rabbit hole any further unless you are a .NET developer because there are thousand of obscure and not so obscure packages, some of which can have a major impact on your PC.

It is, however, safe to update the build tools using the installer. Or you can just ignore them until the next upgrade of Node.js.

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