How to Fix the Node.js Version Issue in Azure Pipelines for Angular

When working with Angular projects, you might have come across an issue where your Azure pipeline fails due to an incompatible version of Node.js. Specifically, you may encounter an error like this:

Error: The Angular CLI requires a minimum Node.js version of v18.13
Node.js version v16.20.2 detected.

This error occurs because the version of Node.js in your pipeline (v16.x) does not meet the minimum requirement for Angular CLI, which is v18.13. If you haven’t changed anything in your pipeline but this error started appearing, it’s likely due to updates or changes in the Angular CLI’s version requirements. Luckily, there’s a simple fix: update the Node.js version in your pipeline to 18.x or higher. In this blog post, I will guide you through the process of resolving this issue.

Understanding the Problem

The root of the problem is the version of Node.js specified in your Azure pipeline. Angular CLI has specific version requirements, and as of recent versions, it requires Node.js version 18.13 or higher. If you’re running an older version (like v16.x), the CLI won’t work correctly, and your pipeline will fail with the error message mentioned above.

How to Fix the Issue

The solution is straightforward: update the Node.js version in your pipeline configuration. Here’s how to modify your pipeline:

1. Locate the Node.js Installation Task: In your pipeline YAML file, you’ll find the NodeTool@0 task, which specifies the Node.js version. This task is used to install Node.js on the build agent.
2. Update the Version Specification: Change the versionSpec from 16.x to 18.x (or a higher version that meets the requirement).

Here’s an example of how to modify the YAML configuration to use Node.js 18.x:

pool:
  vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

steps:
- task: NodeTool@0
  inputs:
    versionSpec: '18.x'  # Update this to use Node.js 18.x or higher
  displayName: 'Install Node.js'

- script: |
    sudo npm install -g @angular/cli
    npm install
    ng build -c=release --output-path=web/wwwroot
  displayName: 'npm install and build'

Breakdown of Changes

1. Node Version Update: The versionSpec: '18.x' ensures that the build pipeline installs a compatible Node.js version (18.x or higher). This satisfies the Angular CLI’s minimum requirement of v18.13.
2. npm Commands: The rest of the script remains unchanged. It installs Angular CLI globally using sudo npm install -g @angular/cli, installs project dependencies with npm install, and then builds the Angular project with ng build.

Final Thoughts

Updating the Node.js version in your Azure pipeline is a simple but essential step to keep your Angular projects running smoothly. With Angular CLI requiring Node.js v18.13 or higher, it’s important to stay up to date with these dependencies to avoid errors like the one we encountered. By modifying your pipeline as shown above, you’ll ensure that your Angular builds work correctly without any issues related to Node.js version mismatches.