Installing webpack on Windows 10 Bash (Bash on Ubuntu on Windows). Keep getting "webpack: command not found"

Question

I'm working my way through this React/Redux tutorial and I need to install webpack. I'm working on the Windows 10 bash shell. Here's the npm command I use to install and the installation output:

~$ npm install --save-dev webpack webpack-dev-server
voting-client@1.0.0 /home/username/voting-client
+-- webpack@1.14.0
¦ +-- acorn@3.3.0
¦ +-- async@1.5.2
¦ +-- clone@1.0.2
¦ +-- enhanced-resolve@0.9.1
¦ ¦ +-- graceful-fs@4.1.11
¦ ¦ +-- memory-fs@0.2.0
¦ +-- interpret@0.6.6
¦ +-- loader-utils@0.2.16
¦ ¦ +-- big.js@3.1.3
¦ ¦ +-- emojis-list@2.1.0
¦ ¦ +-- json5@0.5.1
¦ ¦ +-- object-assign@4.1.0
¦ +-- memory-fs@0.3.0
¦ ¦ +-- errno@0.1.4
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- prr@0.0.0
¦ ¦ +-- readable-stream@2.2.2
¦ ¦   +-- buffer-shims@1.0.0
¦ ¦   +-- core-util-is@1.0.2
¦ ¦   +-- isarray@1.0.0
¦ ¦   +-- process-nextick-args@1.0.7
¦ ¦   +-- util-deprecate@1.0.2
¦ +-- mkdirp@0.5.1
¦ ¦ +-- minimist@0.0.8
¦ +-- node-libs-browser@0.7.0
¦ ¦ +-- assert@1.4.1
¦ ¦ +-- browserify-zlib@0.1.4
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- pako@0.2.9
¦ ¦ +-- buffer@4.9.1
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- base64-js@1.2.0
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- ieee754@1.1.8
¦ ¦ +-- console-browserify@1.1.0
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- date-now@0.1.4
¦ ¦ +-- constants-browserify@1.0.0
¦ ¦ +-- crypto-browserify@3.3.0
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- browserify-aes@0.4.0
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- pbkdf2-compat@2.0.1
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- ripemd160@0.2.0
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- sha.js@2.2.6
¦ ¦ +-- domain-browser@1.1.7
¦ ¦ +-- events@1.1.1
¦ ¦ +-- https-browserify@0.0.1
¦ ¦ +-- os-browserify@0.2.1
¦ ¦ +-- path-browserify@0.0.0
¦ ¦ +-- process@0.11.9
¦ ¦ +-- punycode@1.4.1
¦ ¦ +-- querystring-es3@0.2.1
¦ ¦ +-- stream-browserify@2.0.1
¦ ¦ +-- stream-http@2.5.0
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- builtin-status-codes@2.0.0
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- to-arraybuffer@1.0.1
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- xtend@4.0.1
¦ ¦ +-- string_decoder@0.10.31
¦ ¦ +-- timers-browserify@2.0.2
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- setimmediate@1.0.5
¦ ¦ +-- tty-browserify@0.0.0
¦ ¦ +-- url@0.11.0
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- punycode@1.3.2
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- querystring@0.2.0
¦ ¦ +-- util@0.10.3
¦ ¦ ¦ +-- inherits@2.0.1
¦ ¦ +-- vm-browserify@0.0.4
¦ ¦   +-- indexof@0.0.1
¦ +-- optimist@0.6.1
¦ ¦ +-- wordwrap@0.0.3
¦ +-- supports-color@3.1.2
¦ ¦ +-- has-flag@1.0.0
¦ +-- tapable@0.1.10
¦ +-- uglify-js@2.7.5
¦ ¦ +-- async@0.2.10
¦ ¦ +-- source-map@0.5.6
¦ ¦ +-- uglify-to-browserify@1.0.2
¦ ¦ +-- yargs@3.10.0
¦ ¦   +-- camelcase@1.2.1
¦ ¦   +-- cliui@2.1.0
¦ ¦   ¦ +-- center-align@0.1.3
¦ ¦   ¦ ¦ +-- align-text@0.1.4
¦ ¦   ¦ ¦ ¦ +-- longest@1.0.1
¦ ¦   ¦ ¦ ¦ +-- repeat-string@1.6.1
¦ ¦   ¦ ¦ +-- lazy-cache@1.0.4
¦ ¦   ¦ +-- right-align@0.1.3
¦ ¦   ¦ +-- wordwrap@0.0.2
¦ ¦   +-- decamelize@1.2.0
¦ ¦   +-- window-size@0.1.0
¦ +-- watchpack@0.2.9
¦ ¦ +-- async@0.9.2
¦ ¦ +-- chokidar@1.6.1
¦ ¦   +-- anymatch@1.3.0
¦ ¦   ¦ +-- arrify@1.0.1
¦ ¦   +-- async-each@1.0.1
¦ ¦   +-- glob-parent@2.0.0
¦ ¦   +-- is-binary-path@1.0.1
¦ ¦   ¦ +-- binary-extensions@1.8.0
¦ ¦   +-- is-glob@2.0.1
¦ ¦   +-- readdirp@2.1.0
¦ ¦     +-- minimatch@3.0.3
¦ ¦     ¦ +-- brace-expansion@1.1.6
¦ ¦     ¦   +-- balanced-match@0.4.2
¦ ¦     ¦   +-- concat-map@0.0.1
¦ ¦     +-- set-immediate-shim@1.0.1
¦ +-- webpack-core@0.6.9
¦   +-- source-list-map@0.1.7
¦   +-- source-map@0.4.4
¦     +-- amdefine@1.0.1
+-- webpack-dev-server@1.16.2
  +-- compression@1.6.2
  ¦ +-- accepts@1.3.3
  ¦ ¦ +-- negotiator@0.6.1
  ¦ +-- bytes@2.3.0
  ¦ +-- compressible@2.0.9
  ¦ ¦ +-- mime-db@1.25.0
  ¦ +-- debug@2.2.0
  ¦ ¦ +-- ms@0.7.1
  ¦ +-- on-headers@1.0.1
  ¦ +-- vary@1.1.0
  +-- connect-history-api-fallback@1.3.0
  +-- express@4.14.0
  ¦ +-- array-flatten@1.1.1
  ¦ +-- content-disposition@0.5.1
  ¦ +-- content-type@1.0.2
  ¦ +-- cookie@0.3.1
  ¦ +-- cookie-signature@1.0.6
  ¦ +-- depd@1.1.0
  ¦ +-- encodeurl@1.0.1
  ¦ +-- escape-html@1.0.3
  ¦ +-- etag@1.7.0
  ¦ +-- finalhandler@0.5.0
  ¦ ¦ +-- statuses@1.3.1
  ¦ ¦ +-- unpipe@1.0.0
  ¦ +-- fresh@0.3.0
  ¦ +-- merge-descriptors@1.0.1
  ¦ +-- methods@1.1.2
  ¦ +-- on-finished@2.3.0
  ¦ ¦ +-- ee-first@1.1.1
  ¦ +-- parseurl@1.3.1
  ¦ +-- path-to-regexp@0.1.7
  ¦ +-- proxy-addr@1.1.2
  ¦ ¦ +-- forwarded@0.1.0
  ¦ ¦ +-- ipaddr.js@1.1.1
  ¦ +-- qs@6.2.0
  ¦ +-- range-parser@1.2.0
  ¦ +-- send@0.14.1
  ¦ ¦ +-- destroy@1.0.4
  ¦ +-- serve-static@1.11.1
  ¦ +-- type-is@1.6.14
  ¦ ¦ +-- media-typer@0.3.0
  ¦ +-- utils-merge@1.0.0
  +-- http-proxy-middleware@0.17.3
  ¦ +-- http-proxy@1.16.2
  ¦ ¦ +-- eventemitter3@1.2.0
  ¦ ¦ +-- requires-port@1.0.0
  ¦ +-- is-glob@3.1.0
  ¦ ¦ +-- is-extglob@2.1.1
  ¦ +-- lodash@4.17.2
  ¦ +-- micromatch@2.3.11
  ¦   +-- arr-diff@2.0.0
  ¦   ¦ +-- arr-flatten@1.0.1
  ¦   +-- array-unique@0.2.1
  ¦   +-- braces@1.8.5
  ¦   ¦ +-- expand-range@1.8.2
  ¦   ¦ ¦ +-- fill-range@2.2.3
  ¦   ¦ ¦   +-- is-number@2.1.0
  ¦   ¦ ¦   +-- isobject@2.1.0
  ¦   ¦ ¦   +-- randomatic@1.1.6
  ¦   ¦ +-- preserve@0.2.0
  ¦   ¦ +-- repeat-element@1.1.2
  ¦   +-- expand-brackets@0.1.5
  ¦   ¦ +-- is-posix-bracket@0.1.1
  ¦   +-- extglob@0.3.2
  ¦   +-- filename-regex@2.0.0
  ¦   +-- is-extglob@1.0.0
  ¦   +-- kind-of@3.1.0
  ¦   ¦ +-- is-buffer@1.1.4
  ¦   +-- normalize-path@2.0.1
  ¦   +-- object.omit@2.0.1
  ¦   ¦ +-- for-own@0.1.4
  ¦   ¦ ¦ +-- for-in@0.1.6
  ¦   ¦ +-- is-extendable@0.1.1
  ¦   +-- parse-glob@3.0.4
  ¦   ¦ +-- glob-base@0.3.0
  ¦   ¦ +-- is-dotfile@1.0.2
  ¦   +-- regex-cache@0.4.3
  ¦     +-- is-equal-shallow@0.1.3
  ¦     +-- is-primitive@2.0.0
  +-- open@0.0.5
  +-- serve-index@1.8.0
  ¦ +-- batch@0.5.3
  ¦ +-- http-errors@1.5.1
  ¦ ¦ +-- setprototypeof@1.0.2
  ¦ +-- mime-types@2.1.13
  +-- sockjs@0.3.18
  ¦ +-- faye-websocket@0.10.0
  ¦ ¦ +-- websocket-driver@0.6.5
  ¦ ¦   +-- websocket-extensions@0.1.1
  ¦ +-- uuid@2.0.3
  +-- sockjs-client@1.1.1
  ¦ +-- eventsource@0.1.6
  ¦ ¦ +-- original@1.0.0
  ¦ ¦   +-- url-parse@1.0.5
  ¦ +-- faye-websocket@0.11.0
  ¦ +-- inherits@2.0.3
  ¦ +-- json3@3.3.2
  ¦ +-- url-parse@1.1.7
  ¦   +-- querystringify@0.0.4
  +-- stream-cache@0.0.2
  +-- strip-ansi@3.0.1
  ¦ +-- ansi-regex@2.0.0
  +-- webpack-dev-middleware@1.9.0
    +-- memory-fs@0.4.1
    +-- mime@1.3.4
    +-- path-is-absolute@1.0.1

npm WARN optional Skipping failed optional dependency /chokidar/fsevents:
npm WARN notsup Not compatible with your operating system or architecture: fsevents@1.0.15

So besides the two warnings, it looks like it installs, and I don't think I needs fsevents. However, when I try to run webpack it acts like it's not installed.

~$ webpack
webpack: command not found

Answer 1

tl;dr: try $ node_modules\.bin\webpack

I guess that this is not a bash problem but for Node for windows in general (and for any package with cli). (it's because I have such for any shells). To solve this check some points:

1. Make sure that you have webpack installed: check the node_modules\.bin\webpack.cmd in your project folder. It should exists. (note: if you intalled it with -g you need to check it in ...NodeJS\core\node_modules_global\
2. How do you start your shell to work with Node? There is a nodevars.bat in NodeJS\core which you need to run everytime to setup some environment before working with Node (sorry I'm not familiar with your bash shell, so you need to find you way to pre-run this bat file)
3. Finally you need to make sure that you have node_modules\.bin in your Path it's the primary reason why you see webpack: command not found. Just add this path (relative as node_modules\.bin or absolute D:\your_project_path\node_modules\.bin) to your Path var. (or try to run it via node_modules\.bin\webpack.com

Answer 2

I had the same issues when I installed webpack like this: "sudo npm install --save-dev webpack" it threw me the same error: "webpack: command not found", I am working on Ubuntu 16.04. Installing it globally fixed the problem: sudo npm install --save-dev webpack -g "

Answer 3

I thought this was an issue with the Windows Bash shell, but I confirmed the same problem on an Ubuntu VM and did some more digging. Installing globally as superuser got it working:

sudo npm install i -g --save-dev webpack webpack-dev-server