[BUG] npm 10.6.0 doesn't log anything while npm install

[lorand-horvath]

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

The latest npm 10.6.0 doesn't log anything while installing the packages with npm install. It only prints the final results. So npm is working for almost 50 seconds without notifying the user whether it is doing anything at all. The behavior is similar to npm install --loglevel silent of the previous version 10.5.2.

Expected Behavior

The logging should be displayed, showing the user that the installation is proceeding. It shouldn't be silenced completely.

Steps To Reproduce

1. Environment: Command Prompt, npm 10.6.0, node 18.20.2
2. npm install with an existing package.json in the root directory
3. no loggin observed while installing the packages to node_modules

Environment

• npm: 10.6.0
• Node.js: 18.20.2
• OS Name: Windows
• System Model Name: Desktop PC

; copy and paste output from `npm config ls` here

[wraithgar]

The progress bar in npm has been temporarily removed. It was conflicting with logging output and was generally inaccessible. What you are used to seeing is a mix of the progress bar and verbose logging (which was shown erroneously, regardless of loglevel). If you want to see the logging messages you can use --verbose.

[lorand-horvath]

@wraithgar I would prefer seeing some kind of progress log while npm is actually performing some work, by default. Otherwise users might confuse the silence with the process being stalled or hanging or a bug or something. Sometimes an npm install on a large project may take several minutes. Something should be displayed (some sort of spinner, progress bar, etc) while doing work that take longer than, say, 5 seconds.
Is this total silence a temporary problem? Are you going to add back some kind of progress bar in later version?

I had to revert to 10.5.2 because this was very strange, not showing anything for long periods of time - I thought something was broken.

[wraithgar]

Yes it is temporary.

[henderea]

I thought something was broken

Same here, so I interrupted my npm update -gs command and then something actually was broken. As in my entire NPM install. I had to note down my global packages by looking at the contents of the install directory, then uninstall and reinstall node with NVM and install all of my stuff again.

Not a huge disaster, but definitely not great either.

So word to the wise: don't interrupt it when you have the -g flag, because you will probably break your NPM 😓

[lukekarrys]

We'll keep this open until we land a new "npm is actually doing something" visual. It probably won't be a progress bar initially but a simple spinner.