Error in Windshaft-cartodb installation step of CartoDb

Question

I am trying to install cartodb on ubuntu 12.04. I have done all the steps mentioned on https://github.com/CartoDB/cartodb and I am stuck at the Install Windshaft-cartodb Step. The following steps worked fine:

git clone git://github.com/CartoDB/Windshaft-cartodb.git
cd Windshaft-cartodb
git checkout master
npm install
cp config/environments/development.js.example config/environments/development.js 

Whenever I hit the command node app.js development, it gives me following error:

module.js:340 throw err; ^ Error: Cannot find module 'mapnik' at Function.Module._resolveFilename (module.js:338:15) at Function.Module._load (module.js:280:25) at Module.require (module.js:364:17) at require (module.js:380:17) at Object. (/home/indictrans/Documents/Windshaft-cartodb/node_modules/windshaft/lib/windshaft/server.js:8:21) at Module._compile (module.js:456:26) at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:474:10) at Module.load (module.js:356:32) at Function.Module._load (module.js:312:12) at Module.require (module.js:364:17)

I installed mapnik using sudo apt-get install libmapnik libmapnik-dev mapnik-utils python-mapnik. I also tried npm install mapnikbut the problem still persists.

I have googled lot on this issue but each time it gave the same solution. I have also installed TileMill to map Mapnik dependecy but it is not working.

Answer 1

Judging from the error output you get the error is not with the system install of mapnik, but with the node dependency windshaft:

The source of the failing file: /home/indictrans/Documents/Windshaft-cartodb/node_modules/windshaft/lib/windshaft/server.js:8:21

has the following line:

, mapnik = require('mapnik')

Since this require fails for you it indicates that the windshaft's dependencies did not get install properly on the npm install command. The directory ./node_modules/windshaft/node_modules/mapnik/ should contain the mapnik node module files if everything went fine.

If I were you I would try to delete the ./node_modules directory and do a npm install again, make sure to use the required node version (v0.10).