node.js - npm install doesn't create node_modules directory

Question

I am trying to do a homework for a mongodb uni course. They gave us some files, instructions are:

run npm install mongodb then node app.js

for some reason npm install does not create a node_modules directory but I don't see any build errors:

mongo-uni/hw1-2$ npm install mongodb
npm WARN package.json path@0.4.9 path is also the name of a node core module.
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/mongodb
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/mongodb
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/bson/0.2.5
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/kerberos/0.0.3
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/kerberos/0.0.3
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/bson/0.2.5

> kerberos@0.0.3 install /home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/kerberos
> (node-gyp rebuild 2> builderror.log) || (exit 0)

make: Entering directory `/home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/kerberos/build'
  SOLINK_MODULE(target) Release/obj.target/kerberos.node
  SOLINK_MODULE(target) Release/obj.target/kerberos.node: Finished
  COPY Release/kerberos.node
make: Leaving directory `/home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/kerberos/build'

> bson@0.2.5 install /home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/bson
> (node-gyp rebuild 2> builderror.log) || (exit 0)

make: Entering directory `/home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/bson/build'
  CXX(target) Release/obj.target/bson/ext/bson.o
make: Leaving directory `/home/jasonshark/node_modules/mongodb/node_modules/bson/build'
mongodb@1.3.23 ../../../node_modules/mongodb
├── kerberos@0.0.3
└── bson@0.2.5
mongo-uni/hw1-2$ node app.js
Failed to load c++ bson extension, using pure JS version
'No document found'

Answer 1

npm init

It is all you need. It will create the package.json file on the fly for you.