ImportError: No module named compiler.ast on embedded linux

[danielloczi]

Hi! I tried to install mutliple npm packages (i2c-bus, i2c, ioctl) on linux, but all of them failed. I narrowed down the issue to node-gyp rebuild command. If I downloaded the source of i2c-bus and tried to run node-gyp rebuild it also failed.

• Node Version: v8.4.0
• Platform: Linux sama5d27-som1-ek-sd 4.9.87-linux4sam_5.8 Make 0.6.x work #1 Thu Aug 2 08:44:57 UTC 2018 armv7l armv7l armv7l GNU/Linux
• Compiler: gcc version 7.3.0 (GCC)
• Module: npm install i2c-bus, npm install i2c, npm install ioctl

output of
npm install node-gyp --python=python2.7
command:

Verbose output (from npm install node-gyp --python=python2.7):

gyp info it worked if it ends with ok
gyp verb cli [ '/usr/bin/node',
gyp verb cli   '/usr/bin/node-gyp',
gyp verb cli   'rebuild',
gyp verb cli   '--verbose',
gyp verb cli   '--python',
gyp verb cli   '/usr/bin/python2.7' ]
gyp info using [email protected]
gyp info using [email protected] | linux | arm
gyp verb command rebuild []
gyp verb command clean []
gyp verb clean removing "build" directory
gyp verb command configure []
gyp verb check python checking for Python executable "/usr/bin/python2.7" in the PATH
gyp verb `which` succeeded /usr/bin/python2.7 /usr/bin/python2.7
gyp verb check python version `/usr/bin/python2.7 -c "import sys; print "2.7.13
gyp verb check python version .%s.%s" % sys.version_info[:3];"` returned: %j
gyp verb get node dir no --target version specified, falling back to host node version: 8.4.0
gyp verb command install [ '8.4.0' ]
gyp verb install input version string "8.4.0"
gyp verb install installing version: 8.4.0
gyp verb install --ensure was passed, so won't reinstall if already installed
gyp verb install version is already installed, need to check "installVersion"
gyp verb got "installVersion" 9
gyp verb needs "installVersion" 9
gyp verb install version is good
gyp verb get node dir target node version installed: 8.4.0
gyp verb build dir attempting to create "build" dir: /home/root/i2c-bus-git/i2c-bus/build
gyp verb build dir "build" dir needed to be created? /home/root/i2c-bus-git/i2c-bus/build
gyp verb build/config.gypi creating config file
gyp verb build/config.gypi writing out config file: /home/root/i2c-bus-git/i2c-bus/build/config.gypi
gyp verb config.gypi checking for gypi file: /home/root/i2c-bus-git/i2c-bus/config.gypi
gyp verb common.gypi checking for gypi file: /home/root/i2c-bus-git/i2c-bus/common.gypi
gyp verb gyp gyp format was not specified; forcing "make"
gyp info spawn /usr/bin/python2.7
gyp info spawn args [ '/usr/lib/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py',
gyp info spawn args   'binding.gyp',
gyp info spawn args   '-f',
gyp info spawn args   'make',
gyp info spawn args   '-I',
gyp info spawn args   '/home/root/i2c-bus-git/i2c-bus/build/config.gypi',
gyp info spawn args   '-I',
gyp info spawn args   '/usr/lib/node_modules/node-gyp/addon.gypi',
gyp info spawn args   '-I',
gyp info spawn args   '/home/root/.node-gyp/8.4.0/include/node/common.gypi',
gyp info spawn args   '-Dlibrary=shared_library',
gyp info spawn args   '-Dvisibility=default',
gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_root_dir=/home/root/.node-gyp/8.4.0',
gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_gyp_dir=/usr/lib/node_modules/node-gyp',
gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_lib_file=/home/root/.node-gyp/8.4.0/<(target_arch)/node.lib',
gyp info spawn args   '-Dmodule_root_dir=/home/root/i2c-bus-git/i2c-bus',
gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_engine=v8',
gyp info spawn args   '--depth=.',
gyp info spawn args   '--no-parallel',
gyp info spawn args   '--generator-output',
gyp info spawn args   'build',
gyp info spawn args   '-Goutput_dir=.' ]
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py", line 13, in <module>
    import gyp
  File "/usr/lib/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/__init__.py", line 8, in <module>
    import gyp.input
  File "/usr/lib/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/input.py", line 5, in <module>
    from compiler.ast import Const
ImportError: No module named compiler.ast
gyp ERR! configure error
gyp ERR! stack Error: `gyp` failed with exit code: 1
gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.onCpExit (/usr/lib/node_modules/node-gyp/lib/configure.js:345:16)
gyp ERR! stack     at emitTwo (events.js:125:13)
gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:213:7)
gyp ERR! stack     at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:200:12)
gyp ERR! System Linux 4.9.87-linux4sam_5.8
gyp ERR! command "/usr/bin/node" "/usr/bin/node-gyp" "rebuild" "--verbose" "--python" "/usr/bin/python2.7"
gyp ERR! cwd /home/root/i2c-bus-git/i2c-bus
gyp ERR! node -v v8.4.0
gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v3.8.0
gyp ERR! not ok

[hacker]

This is an old issue, but I recently experienced the same. Turned out that the distribution (debian on pine64, don't remember which flavor if there are many) had python-minimal package installed, installing python2.7 fixed the problem.

[pauldraper]

Ah, I love the smell of Python installs to run JavaScript.

[rvagg]

seems like it's a python installation problem
we should have python3 support soon too which may help resolve things like this

[cclauss]

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/909092/why-is-the-compiler-package-discontinued-in-python-3

[ExCyb]

As far as I understand, when I install node in Ubuntu (using curl... etc., as recommended by Node), it installs python2.7-minimal, and the package does not include ast module. I have installed python-2.7 package to solve that.

[cclauss]

Just install Python 3 instead. Python 2 died on 1/1/2020.