Node oracledb installation instructions https oracle github io node oracledb install html

Installing node-oracledb Version 5.5.0

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Contents

  1. Node-oracledb Overview
  2. Quick Start node-oracledb Installation
  3. Node-oracledb Installation Instructions
    • 3.1 Prerequisites
    • 3.2 Node-oracledb Installation on Linux
      • 3.2.1 Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with Instant Client ZIP files
      • 3.2.2 Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with a Local Database or Full Client
      • 3.2.3 Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with Instant Client RPMs
      • 3.2.4 Node-oracledb Installation on Linux ARM (aarch64)
      • 3.2.5 Installing Node.js and node-oracledb RPMs from yum.oracle.com
    • 3.3 Node-oracledb Installation on Apple macOS (Intel x86)
    • 3.4 Node-oracledb Installation on Microsoft Windows
      • 3.4.1 Node-oracledb Installation on Microsoft Windows with Instant Client ZIP files
      • 3.4.2 Node-oracledb Installation on Microsoft Windows with a Local Database or Full Client
    • 3.5 Node-oracledb Installation on AIX on Power Systems with Instant Client ZIP files
    • 3.6 Node-oracledb Installation on Oracle Solaris x86-64 (64-Bit) with Instant Client ZIP files
    • 3.7 Node-oracledb Installation from Source Code
      • 3.7.1 Installing GitHub clones and ZIP files
      • 3.7.2 Installing using GitHub branches and tags
      • 3.7.3 Installing from a source package
      • 3.7.4 Installing from Oracle’s repository
      • 3.7.5 Creating a node-oracledb package from source code
    • 3.8 Node-oracledb Installation Without Internet Access
      • 3.8.1 Copying node-oracledb Binaries on Windows
    • 3.9 Hosting your own node-oracledb Packages
    • 3.10 Using node-oracledb in Docker
  4. Installing Older Versions of Node-oracledb
  5. Troubleshooting Node-oracledb Installation Problems

1. Node-oracledb Overview

The node-oracledb add-on for Node.js powers high performance Oracle Database applications. The architecture is shown in Node-oracledb Architecture.

The steps below create a Node.js installation with node-oracledb. Adjust the steps for your environment.

This node-oracledb release has been tested with Node.js 14, 16 and 18 on Oracle Linux x86_64 (releases 7 and 8), Windows, and macOS (Intel x86). The add-on may also build on Linux ARM (aarch64), Windows 32-bit, Solaris and AIX environments, but these architectures have not been tested. This version of node-oracledb may work with older Node.js versions if they are Node-API version 4 compatible. Older versions of node-oracledb may also work with older versions of Node.js.

Node-oracledb requires Oracle Client libraries version 11.2 or later, and can connect to Oracle Database 9.2 or later, depending on the Oracle Client library version.

Node-oracledb is an add-on available as C source code. Pre-built binaries are available as a convenience for common architectures. Note the operating systems and versions of Node.js that the pre-built binaries are compatible with will change as the Node.js project evolves. The binaries are not guaranteed to be available or usable in your environment.

2. Quick Start node-oracledb Installation

Simple installation instructions for Windows, macOS (Intel x86) and Linux (x86_64) are available:

  • Quick Start: Developing Node.js Applications for Oracle Database

  • Quick Start: Developing Node.js Applications for Oracle Autonomous Database

Alternatively, follow these instructions:

  • Install Node.js from nodejs.org.

  • Add oracledb to your package.json dependencies or run npm install oracledb. This installs from the npm registry. Pre-built node-oracledb binaries are available for Windows 64-bit, Linux x86_64, and macOS (Intel x86).

    If you are behind a firewall, you may need to set the proxy with npm config set proxy http://myproxy.example.com:80/.

    Windows users will require the Visual Studio 2017 Redistributable.

  • If a pre-built binary is not available, you will need to build from source code. Reivew the prerequisites and add https://github.com/oracle/node-oracledb/releases/download/v5.5.0/oracledb-src-5.5.0.tgz to your package.json dependencies or run npm install https://github.com/oracle/node-oracledb/releases/download/v5.5.0/oracledb-src-5.5.0.tgz.

  • Add Oracle Client libraries version 21, 19, 18, 12, or 11.2 to your operating system library search path such as PATH on Windows or LD_LIBRARY_PATH on Linux. On macOS link the libraries to /usr/local/lib.

    • If your database is remote, then get the libraries by downloading and unzipping the free Oracle Instant Client “Basic” or “Basic Light” package for your operating system architecture.

      Instant Client on Windows requires an appropriate Visual Studio Redistributable. On Linux, the libaio (sometimes called libaio1) package is needed. When using Instant Client 19 on recent Linux versions, such as Oracle Linux 8, you may also need to install the libnsl package. This is not needed from Instant Client 21 onward.

    • Alternatively use the Oracle Client libraries already available in $ORACLE_HOME/lib from a locally installed database such as the free Oracle XE release.

    Oracle Client libraries 21 can connect to Oracle Database 12.1 or greater. Oracle Client libraries 19, 18 and 12.2 can connect to Oracle Database 11.2 or greater. Version 12.1 client libraries can connect to Oracle Database 10.2 or greater. Version 11.2 client libraries can connect to Oracle Database 9.2 or greater.

  • Your Node.js applications can now connect to your database. The database can be on the same machine as Node.js, or on a remote machine. Node-oracledb does not install or create a database.

    You will need to know database credentials and the connection string for the database.

See Troubleshooting Node-oracledb Installation Problems if you have installation issues.

After installation, learn how to use node-oracledb from the examples and the documentation.

3. Node-oracledb Installation Instructions

Instructions may need to be adjusted for your platform, environment and versions being used.

I have …Follow this …
Windows. My database is on another machine Node-oracledb Installation on Microsoft Windows with Instant Client ZIP files
Windows. My database is on the same machine as Node.js Node-oracledb Installation on Microsoft Windows with a Local Database or Full Client
Apple macOS (Intel x86) Node-oracledb Installation on Apple macOS (Intel x86)
Linux x86_64 that uses RPM packages. My database is on another machine Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with Instant Client RPMs
Linux x86_64 that uses Debian packages. My database is on another machine Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with Instant Client ZIP files
Linux x86_64. My database is on the same machine as Node.js Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with a Local Database or Full Client
Linux x86_64. I have the full Oracle client (installed via runInstaller) on the same machine as Node.js Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with a Local Database or Full Client
Linux x86_64. I want to install Node.js and node-oracledb RPM packages Installing Node.js and node-oracledb RPMs from yum.oracle.com
Linux ARM (aarch64) Node-oracledb Installation on Linux ARM (aarch64)
AIX on Power Systems Node-oracledb Installation on AIX on Power Systems with Instant Client ZIP files
Solaris x86-64 (64-Bit) Node-oracledb Installation on Oracle Solaris x86-64 (64-Bit) with Instant Client ZIP files
Another OS with Oracle Database 21, 19, 18, 12, or 11.2 client libraries available Update binding.gyp and make any code changes required, sign the OCA, and submit a pull request with your patch.
Source code from GitHub Node-oracledb Installation from Source Code
I don’t have internet access Node-oracledb Installation Without Internet Access

3.1 Prerequisites

All installations need:

  • Oracle 21, 19, 18, 12 or 11.2 client libraries on the machine Node.js is installed on.

    Run node -p "process.arch" and make sure to use 64-bit or 32-bit Oracle client libraries to match the Node.js architecture.

    Oracle client libraries are included in Oracle Instant Client RPMs or ZIPs, a full Oracle Client, or a database on the same machine. You only need one of these installations.

    Oracle’s standard client-server network interoperability allows connections between different versions of Oracle Client and Oracle Database. For supported configurations see Oracle Support’s Doc ID 207303.1. In summary, Oracle Client 21 can connect to Oracle Database 12.1 or greater. Oracle Client 19, 18 and 12.2 can connect to Oracle Database 11.2 or greater. Oracle Client 12.1 can connect to Oracle Database 10.2 or greater. Oracle Client 11.2 can connect to Oracle Database 9.2 or greater. The technical restrictions on creating connections may be more flexible. For example Oracle Client 21 can successfully connect to Oracle Database 11.2, while Oracle Client 12.2 can successfully connect to Oracle Database 10.2.

  • An Oracle Database. Installing Node-oracledb does not install or create a database.

    After installation of node-oracledb, your Node.js applications will be able to connect to your database. The database can be on the same machine as Node.js, or on a remote machine.

    You will need to know database credentials and the connection string for the database.

Pre-built node-oracledb binaries are available for Windows 64-bit, Linux x86_64, and macOS (Intel x86). For other platforms you need to build from source code.

3.2 Node-oracledb Installation on Linux

For Linux x86_64:

  • Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with Instant Client ZIP files
  • Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with a Local Database or Full Client
  • Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with Instant Client RPMs
  • Installing Node.js and node-oracledb RPMs from yum.oracle.com

For Linux ARM:

  • Node-oracledb Installation on Linux ARM (aarch64)

3.2.1 Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with Instant Client ZIP files

Follow these steps if your database is on a remote machine and either:

  • you prefer installing Instant Client ZIP files instead of RPM packages
  • or your Linux distribution uses the Debian package format, for example if you are using Ubuntu. Note: you should review Oracle’s supported distributions before choosing an operating system.

Questions and issues can be posted as GitHub Issues.

3.2.1.1 Install Prerequisites

Review the generic prerequisites.

Pre-built binaries were built on Oracle Linux 6 and will require a compatible glibc. The pre-built binaries are known to be usable on Oracle Linux 6, 7, and 8.

3.2.1.2 Install Node.js

Download and extract the Node.js “Linux Binaries” package. For example, if you downloaded version 14.17.0 for 64-bit you could install Node.js into /opt:

cd /opt
tar -Jxf node-v14.17.0-linux-x64.tar.xz

Set PATH to include Node.js:

export PATH=/opt/node-v14.17.0-linux-x64/bin:$PATH

3.2.1.3 Install node-oracledb

If you are behind a firewall you may need to set your proxy, for example:

npm config set proxy http://myproxy.example.com:80/

Install node-oracledb using the npm package manager, which is included in Node.js:

If a pre-built node-oracledb binary is not installable or depends on an newer glibc version, uninstall node-oracledb and build the binary from source code, see Node-oracledb Installation from Source Code.

3.2.1.4 Install the free Oracle Instant Client ‘Basic’ ZIP file

Download the free Basic ZIP file from Oracle Technology Network and unzip it into a directory accessible to your application, for example:

mkdir -p /opt/oracle
cd /opt/oracle
wget https://download.oracle.com/otn_software/linux/instantclient/instantclient-basic-linuxx64.zip
unzip instantclient-basic-linuxx64.zip

You will need the operating system libaio package installed. On some platforms the package is called libaio1. Run a command like yum install -y libaio or apt-get install -y libaio1, depending on your Linux distribution package manager. When using Instant Client 19 on recent Linux versions, such as Oracle Linux 8, you may also need to install the libnsl package. This is not needed from Instant Client 21 onward. Note Oracle Instant Client 19 will not run on Oracle Linux 6.

If there is no other Oracle software on the machine that will be impacted, then permanently add Instant Client to the run-time link path. For example, if the Basic package unzipped to /opt/oracle/instantclient_19_11, then run the following using sudo or as the root user:

sudo sh -c "echo /opt/oracle/instantclient_19_11 > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/oracle-instantclient.conf"
sudo ldconfig

Alternatively, every shell running Node.js will need to have the link path set:

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/oracle/instantclient_19_11:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

If disk space is important, most users will be able to use the smaller Basic Light package instead of the Basic package. Review its globalization limitations. Disk space can be reduced by removing unnecessary libraries and files from either the Basic or Basic Light packages. The exact libraries depend on the Instant Client version. For example, with Oracle Instant Client 19, you can optionally remove files using:

rm -i *jdbc* *occi* *mysql* *mql1* *ipc1* *jar uidrvci genezi adrci

Refer to the Oracle Instant Client documentation for details.

3.2.1.5 Optionally create the Oracle Client configuration file directory

If you use optional Oracle configuration files such as tnsnames.ora, sqlnet.ora or oraaccess.xml with Instant Client, then put the files in an accessible directory, for example in /opt/oracle/your_config_dir. Then use oracledb.initOracleClient() in your application:

const oracledb = require('oracledb');
oracledb.initOracleClient({configDir: '/opt/oracle/your_config_dir'});

Or you can set the environment variable TNS_ADMIN to that directory name.

Another alternative is to put the files in the network/admin subdirectory of Instant Client, for example in /opt/oracle/instantclient_19_11/network/admin. This is the default Oracle configuration directory for executables linked with this Instant Client.

3.2.1.6 Run an example program

Download the examples from GitHub.

Edit dbconfig.js and set the database credentials to your environment, for example:

module.exports = {
  user          : "hr",
  password      : process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_PASSWORD,
  connectString : "localhost/XEPDB1"
};

Run one of the examples, such as example.js:

Note: Remember to set LD_LIBRARY_PATH or equivalent first.

3.2.2 Node-oracledb installation on Linux x86_64 with a Local Database or Full Client

Questions and issues can be posted as GitHub Issues.

3.2.2.1 Install Prerequisites

Review the generic prerequisites.

The ORACLE_HOME can be either a database home or a full Oracle client installation installed with Oracle’s runInstaller.

For easy development, the free Oracle XE version of the database is available on Linux. Applications developed with XE may be immediately used with other editions of the Oracle Database.

3.2.2.2 Install Node.js

Download and extract the Node.js “Linux Binaries” package. For example, if you downloaded version 14.17.0 for 64-bit you could install Node.js into /opt:

cd /opt
tar -zxf node-v14.17.0-linux-x64.tar.gz

Set PATH to include Node.js:

export PATH=/opt/node-v14.17.0-linux-x64/bin:$PATH

3.2.2.3 Install node-oracledb

If you are behind a firewall you may need to set your proxy, for example:

npm config set proxy http://myproxy.example.com:80/

Install node-oracledb using the npm package manager, which is included in Node.js:

If a pre-built binary is successfully installed but isn’t usable because it depends on a different glibc version, uninstall node-oracledb and install again from source code.

If a pre-built node-oracledb binary is not installable, the binary can be built from source code, see Node-oracledb Installation from Source Code.

3.2.2.4 The default Oracle Client configuration directory

Optional Oracle client configuration files such as tnsnames.ora, sqlnet.ora, and oraaccess.xml can be placed in $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin.

Alternatively, if you use Oracle client configuration files, they can be put in another, accessible directory. Then use oracledb.initOracleClient({configDir: '/your_path/your_config_dir'}); or set the environment variable TNS_ADMIN to that directory name.

3.2.2.5 Run an example program

Set required Oracle environment variables, such as ORACLE_HOME and LD_LIBRARY_PATH by executing:

source /usr/local/bin/oraenv

Or, if you are using Oracle XE 11.2, by executing:

source /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/xe/bin/oracle_env.sh

Make sure the Node.js process has directory and file access permissions for the Oracle libraries and other files. Typically the home directory of the Oracle software owner will need permissions relaxed.

Download the examples from GitHub.

Edit dbconfig.js and set the database credentials to your environment, for example:

module.exports = {
  user          : "hr",
  password      : process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_PASSWORD,
  connectString : "localhost/XEPDB1"
};

Run one of the examples, such as example.js:

3.2.3 Node-oracledb Installation on Linux x86_64 with Instant Client RPMs

Follow these steps if your database is on a remote machine and your Linux distribution uses RPM packages. Also see Installing Node.js and node-oracledb RPMs from yum.oracle.com.

Questions and issues can be posted as GitHub Issues.

3.2.3.1 Install Prerequisites

Review the generic prerequisites.

Pre-built binaries were built on Oracle Linux 6 and will require a compatible glibc. The pre-built binaries are known to be usable on Oracle Linux 6, 7, and 8.

3.2.3.2 Install Node.js

Download and extract the Node.js “Linux Binaries” package. For example, if you downloaded version 14.17.0 for 64-bit you could install Node.js into /opt:

cd /opt
tar -Jxf node-v14.17.0-linux-x64.tar.xz

Set PATH to include Node.js:

export PATH=/opt/node-v14.17.0-linux-x64/bin:$PATH

3.2.3.3 Install node-oracledb

If you are behind a firewall you may need to set your proxy, for example:

npm config set proxy http://myproxy.example.com:80/

Install node-oracledb using the npm package manager, which is included in Node.js:

The pre-built binaries were built on Oracle Linux 6.

If a pre-built node-oracledb binary is not installable or depends on an newer glibc version, uninstall node-oracledb and build the binary from source code, see Node-oracledb Installation from Source Code.

3.2.3.4 Install the free Oracle Instant Client ‘Basic’ RPM

Download the latest version of the free Basic RPM from yum.oracle.com.

Instant Client is available for Oracle Linux 7 and Oracle Linux 8. Older Oracle Instant Clients are also available in the Oracle Linux 6, Oracle Linux 7 and Oracle Linux 8 repositories. The RPMs are also available from Oracle Technology Network.

Install Instant Client Basic with sudo or as the root user. You can install directly from yum.oracle.com, for example using:

sudo yum -y install oracle-release-el7
sudo yum-config-manager --enable ol7_oracle_instantclient
sudo yum -y install oracle-instantclient19.11-basic

Alternatively you can manually download the RPM and install from your local file system:

sudo yum install oracle-instantclient19.11-basic-19.11.0.0.0-1.x86_64.rpm

The link instantclient-basic-linuxx64.zip will download the latest version available from OTN.

If you have a ULN subscription, another alternative is to use yum to install the Basic package after enabling the ol7_x86_64_instantclient or ol6_x86_64_instantclient repository, depending on your version of Linux.

Using any of these methods will install the required libaio package, if it is not already present. When using Instant Client 19 on recent Linux versions, such as Oracle Linux 8, you may also need to manually install the libnsl package. This is not needed from Instant Client 21 onward.

For Instant Client 19 RPMs, the system library search path is automatically configured during installation. For older versions, if there is no other Oracle software on the machine that will be impacted, then permanently add Instant Client to the run-time link path. For example, with sudo or as the root user:

sudo sh -c "echo /usr/lib/oracle/18.3/client64/lib > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/oracle-instantclient.conf"
sudo ldconfig

Alternatively, for version 18 and earlier, every shell running Node.js will need to have the link path set:

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/oracle/18.3/client64/lib

3.2.3.5 Optionally create the Oracle Client configuration file directory

If you use optional Oracle configuration files such as tnsnames.ora, sqlnet.ora or oraaccess.xml with Instant Client, then put the files in an accessible directory, for example in /opt/oracle/your_config_dir. Then use oracledb.initOracleClient() in your application:

const oracledb = require('oracledb');
oracledb.initOracleClient({configDir: '/opt/oracle/your_config_dir'});

Or you can set the environment variable TNS_ADMIN to that directory name.

Another alternative is to put the files in the network/admin subdirectory of Instant Client, for example in /usr/lib/oracle/19.11/client64/lib/network/admin. This is the default Oracle configuration directory for executables linked with this Instant Client.

3.2.3.6 Run an example program

Download the examples from GitHub.

Edit dbconfig.js and set the database credentials to your environment, for example:

module.exports = {
  user          : "hr",
  password      : process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_PASSWORD,
  connectString : "localhost/XEPDB1"
};

Run one of the examples, such as example.js:

Note: Remember to set LD_LIBRARY_PATH or equivalent first.

3.2.4 Node-oracledb Installation on Linux ARM (aarch64)

A pre-built node-oracledb binary is not available for Linux ARM (aarch64). You need to compile node-oracledb from source code.

Oracle Instant Client for Linux ARM (aarch64) can be downloaded from oracle.com. A link to installation instructions is on that page.

The various node-oracledb installation sections for Linux x86_64 will give some useful background.

3.2.5 Installing Node.js and node-oracledb RPMs from yum.oracle.com

Node.js and node-oracledb Linux RPM packages are available on yum.oracle.com. See Node.js for Oracle Linux for installation details.

3.3 Node-oracledb Installation on Apple macOS (Intel x86)

Questions and issues can be posted as GitHub Issues.

3.3.1 Install Prerequisites

Review the generic prerequisites.

The pre-built binaries were built on macOS (Intel x86) Big Sur 11.6

Oracle Instant Client libraries are required on macOS.

There is no native Oracle Database for macOS but one can easily be run in a Linux virtual machine using Vagrant. See the Oracle Database Vagrant projects.

3.3.2 Install Node.js

Download the Node.js package for macOS 64-bit and install it.

3.3.3 Install node-oracledb

If you are behind a firewall you may need to set your proxy, for example:

npm config set proxy http://myproxy.example.com:80/

Install node-oracledb using the npm package manager, which is included in Node.js:

3.3.4 Install the free Oracle Instant Client ‘Basic’ package

Download the Basic 64-bit DMG from Oracle Technology Network.

Manual Installation

In Finder, double click on the DMG to mount it.

Open a terminal window and run the install script in the mounted package, for example:

$ /Volumes/instantclient-basic-macos.x64-19.8.0.0.0dbru/install_ic.sh

This copies the contents to $HOME/Downloads/instantclient_19_8. Applications may not have access to the Downloads directory, so you should move Instant Client somewhere convenient.

In Finder, eject the mounted Instant Client package.

If you have multiple Instant Client DMG packages mounted, you only need to run install_ic.sh once. It will copy all mounted Instant Client DMG packages at the same time.

Scripted Installation

Instant Client installation can alternatively be scripted, for example:

cd $HOME/Downloads
curl -O https://download.oracle.com/otn_software/mac/instantclient/198000/instantclient-basic-macos.x64-19.8.0.0.0dbru.dmg
hdiutil mount instantclient-basic-macos.x64-19.8.0.0.0dbru.dmg
/Volumes/instantclient-basic-macos.x64-19.8.0.0.0dbru/install_ic.sh
hdiutil unmount /Volumes/instantclient-basic-macos.x64-19.8.0.0.0dbru

The Instant Client directory will be $HOME/Downloads/instantclient_19_8. Applications may not have access to the Downloads directory, so you should move Instant Client somewhere convenient.

Configure Instant Client

There are several alternative ways to tell node-oracledb where your Oracle Client libraries are, see Initializing Node-oracledb:

  • Use oracledb.initOracleClient() in your application code:

      const oracledb = require('oracledb');
      try {
        oracledb.initOracleClient({libDir: '/Users/your_username/Downloads/instantclient_19_8'});
      } catch (err) {
        console.error('Whoops!');
        console.error(err);
        process.exit(1);
      }
    

  • Alternatively, create a symbolic link for the ‘client shared library’ in the node_modules/oracledb/build/Release directory where the oracledb*.node binary is. For example:

      ln -s ~/Downloads/instantclient_19_8/libclntsh.dylib node_modules/oracledb/build/Release
    

    This can be added to your package.json files:

        "scripts": {
          "postinstall": "ln -s $HOME/Downloads/instantclient_19_8/libclntsh.dylib $(npm root)/oracledb/build/Release"
         },
    

    Instead of linking, you can also copy all the required OCI libraries, for example:

      cp ~/Downloads/instantclient_19_8/{libclntsh.dylib.19.1,libclntshcore.dylib.19.1,libnnz19.dylib,libociei.dylib} node_modules/oracledb/build/Release
      cd node_modules/oracledb/build/Release/ && ln -s libclntsh.dylib.19.1 libclntsh.dylib
    

  • Alternatively, create a symbolic link for the ‘client shared library’ in /usr/local/lib. Note this may not work on all versions of macOS. If the lib sub-directory does not exist, you can create it. For example:

      mkdir /usr/local/lib
      ln -s ~/Downloads/instantclient_19_8/libclntsh.dylib /usr/local/lib
    

    Instead of linking, you can also copy all the required OCI libraries, for example:

      mkdir /usr/local/lib
      cp ~/Downloads/instantclient_19_8/{libclntsh.dylib.19.1,libclntshcore.dylib.19.1,libnnz19.dylib,libociei.dylib} /usr/local/lib/
    

3.3.5 Optionally create the Oracle Client configuration file directory

If you use optional Oracle configuration files such as tnsnames.ora, sqlnet.ora or oraaccess.xml with Instant Client, then put the files in an accessible directory, for example in /Users/your_username/your_config_dir. Then use oracledb.initOracleClient() in your application:

const oracledb = require('oracledb');
oracledb.initOracleClient({configDir: '/Users/your_username/your_config_dir'});

Or you can set the environment variable TNS_ADMIN to that directory name.

Another alternative is to put the files in the network/admin subdirectory of Instant Client, for example in /Users/your_username/Downloads/instantclient_19_8/network/admin. This is the default Oracle configuration directory for executables linked with this Instant Client.

3.3.6 Run an example program

Download the examples from GitHub.

Edit dbconfig.js and set the database credentials to your environment, for example:

module.exports = {
  user          : "hr",
  password      : process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_PASSWORD,
  connectString : "localhost/XEPDB1"
};

Make sure Instant Client is configured as shown above. For example you may want to add calls to oracledb.initOracleClient() to the scripts.

Run one of the examples, such as example.js:

3.4 Node-oracledb Installation on Microsoft Windows

There are two ways to install node-oracledb on Microsoft Windows:

  • Using Instant Client ZIP files
  • Using a Local Database or Full Client

3.4.1 Node-oracledb Installation on Microsoft Windows with Instant Client ZIP files

Follow these steps if your database is on a remote machine, or if you already have Oracle software installed but you want node-oracledb to use a different version of the libraries.

Questions and issues can be posted as GitHub Issues.

3.4.1.1 Install Prerequisites

Review the generic prerequisites.

The pre-built binaries were built with Visual Studio 2017 and require the matching redistributable.

You may need Administrator privileges to set environment variables or install software.

3.4.1.2 Install Node.js

Install the 64-bit Node.js MSI (e.g. node-v14.17.0-x64.msi) from nodejs.org. Make sure the option to add the Node and npm directories to the path is selected.

3.4.1.3 Install node-oracledb

Open a terminal window.

If you are behind a firewall you may need to set your proxy, for example:

npm config set proxy http://myproxy.example.com:80/

Install node-oracledb using the npm package manager, which is included in Node.js:

If a pre-built node-oracledb binary is not installable, the binary can be built from source code, see Node-oracledb Installation from Source Code.

3.4.1.4 Install the free Oracle Instant Client ZIP

Download the free 64-bit Instant Client Basic ZIP file from Oracle Technology Network. If your Node.js architecture is 32-bit, then use the 32-bit Instant Client instead. Windows 7 users: Note that Oracle 19 is not supported on Windows 7.

Unzip the ZIP file into a directory that is accessible to your application. For example unzip ` instantclient-basic-windows.x64-19.11.0.0.0dbru.zip to C:\oracle\instantclient_19_11`.

There are several alternative ways to tell node-oracledb where your Oracle Client libraries are, see Initializing Node-oracledb:

  • Use oracledb.initOracleClient() in your application:

      const oracledb = require('oracledb');
      try {
        oracledb.initOracleClient({libDir: 'C:\\oracle\\instantclient_19_11'});
      } catch (err) {
        console.error('Whoops!');
        console.error(err);
        process.exit(1);
      }
    

    If you use backslashes in the libDir string, you will need to double them.

  • Alternatively, copy the Oracle Instant Client libraries to the node_modules/oracledb/build/Release directory where the oracledb*.node binary is.

  • Alternatively, add the Oracle Instant Client directory to the PATH environment variable. The directory must occur in PATH before any other Oracle directories.

    Restart any open command prompt windows.

    To avoid interfering with existing tools that require other Oracle Client versions then, instead of updating the system-wide PATH variable, you may prefer to write a batch file that sets PATH, for example:

    REM mynode.bat
    SET PATH=C:\oracle\instantclient_19_11;%PATH%
    node %*
    

    Invoke this batch file every time you want to run Node.js.

    Alternatively use SET to change your PATH in each command prompt window before you run node.

If disk space is important, most users will be able to use the smaller Basic Light package instead of the Basic package. Review its globalization limitations. Disk space can be reduced by removing unnecessary libraries and files from either the Basic or Basic Light packages. The exact libraries depend on the Instant Client version. Refer to the Instant Client documentation.

3.4.1.5 Optionally create the Oracle Client configuration file directory

If you use optional Oracle configuration files such as tnsnames.ora, sqlnet.ora or oraaccess.xml with Instant Client, then put the files in an accessible directory. For example if they are in C:\oracle\your_config_dir then use oracledb.initOracleClient() in your application:

const oracledb = require('oracledb');
oracledb.initOracleClient({configDir: 'C:\\oracle\\your_config_dir'});

If you use backslashes in the configDir string, you will need to double them.

Or you can set the environment variable TNS_ADMIN to that directory name.

Another alternative is to put the files in the network\admin subdirectory of Instant Client, for example in C:\oracle\instantclient_19_11\network\admin. This is the default Oracle configuration directory for executables linked with this Instant Client.

3.4.1.6 Install the Visual Studio Redistributables

The PATH variable needs to include the appropriate VS Redistributable:

  • Oracle client 21 requires the Visual Studio 2019 Redistributable or later.
  • Oracle client 19 requires the Visual Studio 2017 Redistributable.
  • Oracle client 18 and 12.2 require the Visual Studio 2013 Redistributable.
  • Oracle client 12.1 requires the Visual Studio 2010 Redistributable.
  • Oracle client 11.2 requires the Visual Studio 2005 Redistributable.

You can also find out the version required by locating the library OCI.DLL and running:

dumpbin /dependents oci.dll

For example, if you see MSVCR120.dll then you need the VS 2013 Redistributable. If you see MSVCR100.dll then you need the VS 2010 Redistributable. If you see MSVCR80.dll then you need the VS 2005 Redistributable.

3.4.1.7 Run an example program

Download the examples from GitHub.

Edit dbconfig.js and set the database credentials to your environment, for example:

module.exports = {
  user          : "hr",
  password      : process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_PASSWORD,
  connectString : "localhost/XEPDB1"
};

Make sure Instant Client is configured as shown above. For example you may want to add calls to oracledb.initOracleClient() to the scripts.

Run one of the examples, such as example.js:

3.4.2 Node-oracledb Installation on Microsoft Windows with a Local Database or Full Client

Questions and issues can be posted as GitHub Issues.

3.4.2.1 Install Prerequisites

Review the generic prerequisites.

The pre-built binaries were built with Visual Studio 2017 and require the matching redistributable.

The Oracle software can be either a database home or a full Oracle client installation. Make sure that PATH contains the correct binary directory, for example C:\oracle\product\12.2.0\dbhome_1\bin.

For easy development, the free Oracle XE version of the database is available on Windows. Applications developed with XE may be immediately used with other editions of the Oracle Database.

You may need Administrator privileges to set environment variables or install software.

3.4.2.2 Install Node.js

Install the 64-bit Node.js MSI (e.g. node-v14.17.0-x64.msi) from nodejs.org. Make sure the option to add the Node and npm directories to the path is selected.

3.4.2.3 Install node-oracledb

Open a terminal window.

If you are behind a firewall you may need to set your proxy, for example:

npm config set proxy http://myproxy.example.com:80/

Install node-oracledb using the npm package manager, which is included in Node.js:

If a pre-built node-oracledb binary is not installable, the binary can be built from source code, see Node-oracledb Installation from Source Code.

3.4.2.4 The default Oracle Client configuration directory

Optional Oracle client configuration files such as tnsnames.ora, sqlnet.ora, and oraaccess.xml can be placed in $ORACLE_HOME\network\admin.

Alternatively, if you use Oracle client configuration files, they can be put in another, accessible directory. For example in C:\oracle\your_config_dir. Then use oracledb.initOracleClient({configDir: 'C:\\oracle\\your_config_dir'}); in your application or set the environment variable TNS_ADMIN to that directory name.

3.4.2.5 Run an example program

Download the examples from GitHub.

Edit dbconfig.js and set the database credentials to your environment, for example:

module.exports = {
  user          : "hr",
  password      : process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_PASSWORD,
  connectString : "localhost/XEPDB1"
};

Run one of the examples, such as example.js:

3.5 Node-oracledb Installation on AIX on Power Systems with Instant Client ZIP files

Questions and issues can be posted as GitHub Issues.

3.5.1 Install Prerequisites

Review the generic prerequisites.

The GCC compiler is needed.

Use GNU Make 4.1-1 or above.

Python 2.7 is needed by node-gyp.

3.5.2 Install Node.js

Download Node.js for AIX on Power Systems. For example, if you downloaded version 10.16.0 you could install Node.js into /opt:

cd /opt
gunzip -c node-v10.16.0-aix-ppc64.tar.gz | tar -xvf -

Set PATH to include Node.js:


export PATH=/opt/node-v10.16.0-aix-ppc64/bin:$PATH

3.5.3 Install node-oracledb

If you are behind a firewall you may need to set your proxy, for example:

npm config set proxy http://myproxy.example.com:80/

Set the compiler to GCC:

Locate the GitHub tag of the desired node-oracledb version, for example v5.5.0, and use the npm package manager (which is included in Node.js) to install it.

If you have the git utility, you can install with:

npm install oracle/node-oracledb.git#v5.5.0

Otherwise install using:

npm install https://github.com/oracle/node-oracledb/releases/download/v5.5.0/oracledb-src-5.5.0.tgz

3.5.4 Install the free Oracle Instant Client ‘Basic’ ZIP file

Download the Basic ZIP file from Oracle Technology Network and extract it into a directory that is accessible to your application, for example /opt/oracle:

unzip instantclient-basic-aix.ppc64-19.11.0.0.0dbru.zip
mkdir -p /opt/oracle
mv instantclient_19_11 /opt/oracle

To run applications, you will need to set the link path:

export LIBPATH=/opt/oracle/instantclient_19_11:$LIBPATH

3.5.5 Optionally create the Oracle Client configuration file directory

If you use optional Oracle configuration files such as tnsnames.ora, sqlnet.ora or oraaccess.xml with Instant Client, then put the files in an accessible directory, for example in /opt/oracle/your_config_dir. Then use the following in your application:

const oracledb = require('oracledb');
oracledb.initOracleClient({configDir: '/opt/oracle/your_config_dir'});

Or you can set the environment variable TNS_ADMIN to that directory name.

Another alternative is to put the files in the network/admin subdirectory of Instant Client, for example in /opt/oracle/instantclient_19_11/network/admin. This is the default Oracle configuration directory for executables linked with this Instant Client.

3.5.6 Run an example program

Download the examples from GitHub.

Edit dbconfig.js and set the database credentials to your environment, for example:

module.exports = {
  user          : "hr",
  password      : process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_PASSWORD,
  connectString : "localhost/XEPDB1"
};

Run one of the examples, such as example.js:

3.6 Node-oracledb Installation on Oracle Solaris x86-64 (64-Bit) with Instant Client ZIP files

Questions and issues can be posted as GitHub Issues.

3.6.1 Install Prerequisites

Review the generic prerequisites.

3.6.2 Install Node.js

Download the Node.js source code.

Compile and build the Node.js engine into a directory of your choice, such as /opt/node:

./configure --dest-cpu=x64 --dest-os=solaris --prefix=/opt/node
make
make install

Note: if warnings are shown for objdump and dtrace, then set PATH to include these binaries. This is most likely /usr/gnu/bin and /usr/bin, respectively.

Set PATH to include the Node.js and Node-gyp binaries

export PATH=/opt/node/bin:/opt/node/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/node-gyp-bin:$PATH

3.6.3 Install node-oracledb

If you are behind a firewall you may need to set your proxy, for example:

npm config set proxy http://myproxy.example.com:80/

Use the GNU gmake utility:

Locate the GitHub tag of the desired node-oracledb version, for example v5.5.0, and use the npm package manager (which is included in Node.js) to install it.

If you have the git utility, you can install with:

npm install oracle/node-oracledb.git#v5.5.0

Otherwise install using:

npm install https://github.com/oracle/node-oracledb/releases/download/v5.5.0/oracledb-src-5.5.0.tgz

If this fails due to an invalid cp -a option, you can download the node-oracledb source from GitHub. Then use node-gyp configure. Edit build/Makefile and change the cmd_copy definition cp options from cp -af to cp -pPR. Finally, run node-gyp build.

3.6.4 Install the free Oracle Instant Client ‘Basic’ ZIP file

Download the Basic ZIP file from Oracle Technology Network and extract it into a directory that is accessible to your application, for example /opt/oracle:

cd /opt/oracle
unzip instantclient-basic-solaris.x64-19.11.0.0.0dbru.zip

To run applications, you will need to set the link path:

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH_64=/opt/oracle/instantclient_19_11:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH_64

3.6.5 Optionally create the Oracle Client configuration file directory

If you use optional Oracle configuration files such as tnsnames.ora, sqlnet.ora or oraaccess.xml with Instant Client, then put the files in an accessible directory, for example in /opt/oracle/your_config_dir. Then use the following in your application:

const oracledb = require('oracledb');
oracledb.initOracleClient({configDir: '/opt/oracle/your_config_dir'});

Or you can set the environment variable TNS_ADMIN to that directory name.

Another alternative is to put the files in the network/admin subdirectory of Instant Client, for example in /opt/oracle/instantclient_19_11/network/admin. This is the default Oracle configuration directory for executables linked with this Instant Client.

3.6.6 Run an example program

Download the examples from GitHub.

Edit dbconfig.js and set the database credentials to your environment, for example:

module.exports = {
  user          : "hr",
  password      : process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_PASSWORD,
  connectString : "localhost/XEPDB1"
};

Run one of the examples, such as example.js:

3.7 Node-oracledb Installation from Source Code

Some build tools are required to compile node-oracledb.

Recent Node.js tools should work with Python 3 but you may need to install Python 2.7 for the node-gyp utility.

  • If another version of Python occurs first in your binary path then run npm config set python /wherever/python-2.7/bin/python or use the --python option to indicate the correct version. For example: npm install --python=/whereever/python-2.7/bin/python oracledb.

  • On Windows, install the Python 2.7 MSI and select the customization option to “Add python.exe to Path”.

Install a C compiler:

  • On Linux, GCC 4.8.5 (the default on Oracle Linux 7) is known to work.

  • On macOS (Intel x86) install Xcode from the Mac App store.

  • On Windows, install a C build environment such as Microsoft Visual Studio 2017. Compilers supported by Oracle libraries are found in Oracle documentation for each version, for example Oracle Database Client Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows. Some users report that the npm windows-build-tools package has the necessary tools to build node-oracledb from source code.

The directories with the python and npm executables should be in your PATH environment variable. On Windows you can use vcvars64.bat (or vcvars.bat if you building with 32-bit binaries) to set the environment. Alternatively you can open the ‘Developer Command Prompt for Visual Studio’ which has environment variables already configured.

3.7.1 Installing GitHub clones and ZIP files

If you clone the node-oracledb repository, or download a zip from GitHub to build node-oracledb from source code, then you need to make sure the ODPI-C submodule is also included. Otherwise the build will fail with an error like ‘dpi.h’ file not found.

  • If you download a node-oracledb ZIP file from GitHub, then separately download the ODPI-C submodule code and extract it into a odpi subdirectory.

  • When cloning the node-oracledb repository, include ODPI-C by doing:

    git clone --recursive https://github.com/oracle/node-oracledb.git
    

With the node-oracledb source code in your_dir_path/node-oracledb use a package.json dependency like:

"dependencies": {
   "oracledb": "file:/your_dir_path/node-oracledb"
},

Alternatively change to your application directory and run:

npm install your_dir_path/node-oracledb

3.7.2 Installing using GitHub branches and tags

Node-oracledb can be installed directly from GitHub tags and branches. The git source code utility is required for this method.

To install the current development code from the GitHub main branch, use a package.json dependency like:

"dependencies": {
   "oracledb": "oracle/node-oracledb#main"
},

Alternatively, use the command:

npm install oracle/node-oracledb#main

To install from a tag, replace main with the tag name like: oracle/node-oracledb#v5.5.0.

3.7.3 Installing from a source package

Users without git can compile pre-bundled source code using a package.json dependency like:

"dependencies": {
   "oracledb": "https://github.com/oracle/node-oracledb/releases/download/v5.5.0/oracledb-src-5.5.0.tgz"
},

Or install with:

npm install https://github.com/oracle/node-oracledb/releases/download/v5.5.0/oracledb-src-5.5.0.tgz

3.7.4 Installing from Oracle’s repository

Oracle has a mirror of the GitHub repository source code that can be cloned with:

git clone --recursive git://opensource.oracle.com/git/oracle/node-oracledb.git/

With the node-oracledb source code in your_dir_path/node-oracledb use a package.json dependency like:

"dependencies": {
   "oracledb": "file:/your_dir_path/node-oracledb"
},

Alternatively change to your application directory and run:

npm install your_dir_path/node-oracledb

3.7.5 Creating a node-oracledb package from source code

You can create a package containing the binary module and required JavaScript files. This is equivalent to the package that is normally installed from the npm registry. Your new package can be self-hosted for use within your company, or it can be used directly from the file system to install node-oracledb.

  • Download oracledb-src-5.5.0.tgz from GitHub.

  • Extract the file: tar -xzf oracledb-src-5.5.0.tgz

  • Change directory: cd package

  • Run: npm run buildbinary

    Ignore errors about git, which is used to record some basic metadata when this command is run in a git clone.

  • Optionally run the above commands on other architectures and copy the resulting package/Staging/* files to your local package/Staging directory. This will allow the final node-oracledb package to be installed on multiple architectures.

  • Run: npm run buildpackage The package oracledb-5.5.0.tgz is created.

This package can be shared or self-hosted, see Hosting your own node-oracledb Packages.

3.8 Node-oracledb Installation Without Internet Access

On a machine with access, download the node-oracledb package from npm, for example from https://registry.npmjs.com/oracledb/-/oracledb-5.5.0.tgz

This can be transferred to the desired machine and installed, for example with:

npm install your_dir_path/oracledb-5.5.0.tgz

If you are using an architecture that does not have pre-supplied binaries then you can build your own package, see Creating a node-oracledb package from source code.

Consider self-hosting the node-oracledb package inside your network, see Hosting your own node-oracledb Packages.

Alternatively, on an identical machine that has access to the internet, install node-oracle following the Node-oracledb Installation Instructions for that operating system. Then copy node_modules/oracledb and Oracle Client libraries to the offline computer. Windows users should see the next section and make sure the correct Visual Studio Redistributable is also installed.

3.8.1 Copying node-oracledb Binaries on Windows

Node-oracledb binaries can be copied between compatible Windows systems.

After node-oracledb has been built or installed on the source computer, copy the node_modules\oracledb directory to the destination computer’s node_module directory.

Both computers must have the same version and architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) of Node.js.

Oracle client libraries of the same architecture as Node.js should be in the destination computer’s PATH. They may alternatively be in the directory node_modules\oracledb\build\Release where the oracledb.node binary is located. Note the Oracle client library versions do not have to be the same on different computers, but node-oracledb behavior and features may then differ.

The destination computer’s PATH needs to include Visual Studio Redistributables. If you have Oracle client 19 install the Visual Studio 2017 Redistributable. If you have Oracle client 18 or 12.2, install the Visual Studio 2013 Redistributable. For Oracle client 12.1 install the Visual Studio 2010 Redistributable. For Oracle client 11.2 install the Visual Studio 2005 Redistributable.

You can also find out the Redistributable required by locating the library OCI.DLL on the source computer and running:

dumpbin /dependents oci.dll

If you see MSVCR120.dll then you need the VS 2013 Redistributable. If you see MSVCR100.dll then you need the VS 2010 Redistributable. If you see MSVCR80.dll then you need the VS 2005 Redistributable.

3.9 Hosting your own node-oracledb Packages

You can host node-oracledb packages locally.

Download the node-oracledb package from npm, for example from https://registry.npmjs.com/oracledb/-/oracledb-5.5.0.tgz Alternatively, if you want to build your own binaries and node-oracledb package, see Creating a node-oracledb package from source code.

If you make the package accessible on your local web server, for example at www.example.com/oracledb-5.5.0.tgz, then your package.json would contain:

. . .
   "dependencies": {
      "oracledb": "https://www.example.com/oracledb-5.5.0.tgz"
   },
. . .

Or you would install with:

npm install https://www.example.com/oracledb-5.5.0.tgz

3.10 Using node-oracledb in Docker

Docker allows applications to be containerized. Each application will have a Dockerfile with steps to create a Docker image. Once created, the image can be shared and run.

Sample Dockerfiles for Oracle Linux are available on GitHub. Some container images are in Oracle’s GitHub Container Registry.

Installing Node.js in Docker

If your Dockerfile uses Oracle Linux:

Then you can install Node.js from yum.oracle.com using:

RUN  yum -y install oracle-nodejs-release-el7 && \
     yum -y install nodejs && \
     rm -rf /var/cache/yum

One alternative to Oracle Linux is to use a Node.js image from Docker Hub, for example using:

Note: you should review Oracle’s supported distributions before choosing an operating system.

Installing Instant Client in Docker

Review the available Instant Client packages for Oracle Linux 7 and Oracle Linux 8. Older Oracle Instant Clients are also available in the Oracle Linux 7 and Oracle Linux 8 repositories. The RPMs and ZIP files are also available from Oracle Technology Network.

There are various ways to install Instant Client. Three methods are shown below.

  1. Using Oracle Linux Instant Client RPMs

    If you have an Oracle Linux image:

    Then you can install Instant Client RPMs:

    RUN yum -y install oracle-instantclient-release-el7 && \
        yum -y install oracle-instantclient-basic && \
        rm -rf /var/cache/yum
    

  2. Automatically downloading an Instant Client ZIP file

    You can automatically download an Instant Client ZIP file during image creation. This is most useful on Debian-based operating systems. (Note: you should review Oracle’s supported distributions before choosing an operating system).

    The libaio (or libaio1), wget and unzip packages will need to be added manually.

    On Oracle Linux:

    RUN yum install -y libaio wget unzip
    

    On a Debian-based Linux:

    RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y libaio1 wget unzip
    

    Then, to use the latest available Instant Client:

    RUN wget https://download.oracle.com/otn_software/linux/instantclient/instantclient-basiclite-linuxx64.zip && \
        unzip instantclient-basiclite-linuxx64.zip && rm -f instantclient-basiclite-linuxx64.zip && \
        cd /opt/oracle/instantclient* && rm -f *jdbc* *occi* *mysql* *mql1* *ipc1* *jar uidrvci genezi adrci && \
        echo /opt/oracle/instantclient* > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/oracle-instantclient.conf && ldconfig
    

    When using Instant Client 19 on recent Linux versions, such as Oracle Linux 8, you may also need to install the libnsl package. This is not needed from Instant Client 21 onward.

  3. Copying Instant Client zip files from the host

    To avoid the cost of repeated network traffic, you may prefer to download the Instant Client Basic Light zip file to your Docker host, extract it, and remove unnecessary files. The resulting directory can be added during subsequent image creation. For example, with Instant Client Basic Light 21.1, the host computer (where you run Docker) could have a directory instantclient_21_1 with these files:

    libclntshcore.so.21.1
    libclntsh.so.21.1
    libnnz21.so
    libociicus.so
    

    With this, your Dockerfile could contain:

    ADD instantclient_21_1/* /opt/oracle/instantclient_21_1
    RUN echo /opt/oracle/instantclient_21_1 > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/oracle-instantclient.conf && \
        ldconfig
    

    The libaio or libaio1 package will be needed.

    On Oracle Linux:

    RUN yum install -y libaio
    

    On a Debian-based Linux:

    RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y libaio1
    

    When using Instant Client 19 on recent Linux versions, such as Oracle Linux 8, you may also need to install the libnsl package. This is not needed from Instant Client 21 onward.

Installing node-oracledb and your application

Include node-oracledb as a normal dependency in your application package.json file:

  . . .
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node server.js"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "oracledb" : "^5"
  },
  . . .

The packge.json and application file can be added to the image, and dependencies installed when the image is built:

WORKDIR /myapp
ADD package.json server.js /myapp/
RUN npm install

CMD exec node server.js

Using Oracle Net configuration files and Oracle Wallets

Optional Oracle Net Configuration files (like tnsnames.ora and sqlnet.net) and files that need to be secured such as Oracle wallets can be mounted at runtime using a Docker volume. Map the volume to the network/admin subdirectory of Instant Client so the TNS_ADMIN environment variable does not need to be set. For example, when the Wallet or configuration files are in /OracleCloud/wallet/ on the host computer, and the image uses Instant Client 19.11 RPMs, then you can mount the files using:

docker run -v /OracleCloud/wallet:/usr/lib/oracle/19.11/client64/lib/network/admin:Z,ro . . .

The Z option is needed when SELinux is enabled.

Example Application in Docker

This example consists of a Dockerfile, a package.json file with the application dependencies, a server.js file that is the application, and an envfile.list containing the database credentials as environment variables.

If you use Oracle Linux, your Dockerfile will be like:

FROM oraclelinux:7-slim

RUN yum -y install oracle-instantclient-release-el7 && \
    yum -y install oracle-instantclient-basiclite && \
    rm -rf /var/cache/yum

WORKDIR /myapp
ADD package.json server.js /myapp/
RUN npm install

CMD exec node server.js

An equivalent Dockerfile that uses a Node.js image is:

FROM node:12-buster-slim

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y libaio1 wget unzip

WORKDIR /opt/oracle

RUN wget https://download.oracle.com/otn_software/linux/instantclient/instantclient-basiclite-linuxx64.zip && \
    unzip instantclient-basiclite-linuxx64.zip && rm -f instantclient-basiclite-linuxx64.zip && \
    cd /opt/oracle/instantclient* && rm -f *jdbc* *occi* *mysql* *mql1* *ipc1* *jar uidrvci genezi adrci && \
    echo /opt/oracle/instantclient* > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/oracle-instantclient.conf && ldconfig

WORKDIR /myapp
ADD package.json server.js /myapp/
RUN npm install

CMD exec node server.js

Note: you should review Oracle’s supported distributions before choosing an operating system.

For either Dockerfile, the package.json is:

{
  "name": "test",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "private": true,
  "description": "Docker Node.js application",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node server.js"
  },
  "keywords": [
    "myapp"
  ],
  "dependencies": {
    "oracledb" : "^5"
  },
  "author": "Me",
  "license": "UPL"
}

The application server.js contains code like:

. . .
connection = await oracledb.getConnection({
  user: process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_USER,
  password: process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_PASSWORD,
  connectString: process.env.NODE_ORACLEDB_CONNECTIONSTRING
});
const result = await connection.execute(
  `SELECT TO_CHAR(CURRENT_DATE, 'DD-Mon-YYYY HH24:MI') AS D FROM DUAL`,
  [],
  { outFormat: oracledb.OUT_FORMAT_OBJECT }
);
console.log(result);
. . .

The environment variables in envfile.list are used at runtime. The file contains:

NODE_ORACLEDB_USER=hr
NODE_ORACLEDB_PASSWORD=
NODE_ORACLEDB_CONNECTIONSTRING=server.example.com/orclpdb1

The image can be built:

docker build -t nodedoc .

Alternatively, if you are behind a firewall, you can pass proxies when building:

docker build --build-arg https_proxy=http://myproxy.example.com:80 --build-arg http_proxy=http://www-myproxy.example.com:80 -t nodedoc .

Finaly, a container can be run from the image:

docker run -ti --name nodedoc --env-file envfile.list nodedoc

The output is like:

{ metaData: [ { name: 'D' } ],
  rows: [ { D: '24-Nov-2019 23:39' } ] }

4. Installing Older Versions of Node-oracledb

Pre-built node-oracledb 3 and 4 binaries are available for some platforms and Node.js versions. Review the release tags for availability. You can compile the add-on for other platforms or versions.

The node-oracledb 4.2 installation steps are in the version 4.2 INSTALL guide.

The node-oracledb 3.1 installation steps are in the version 3.1 INSTALL guide.

To get an old add-on you must explicitly use its version when installing, for example:

npm install 

or your package.json could contain:

. . .
   "dependencies": {
      "oracledb": "4.2.0"
   },
. . .

5. Troubleshooting Node-oracledb Installation Problems

Read the Node-oracledb Installation Instructions.

Google anything that looks like an error.

If npm install oracledb fails:

  • Review the error messages closely. If a pre-built node-oracledb binary package is not available for your Node.js version or operating system, then change your Node.js version or compile node-oracledb from source code.

  • Was there a network connection error? Do you need to use npm config set proxy, or set http_proxy and/or https_proxy?

  • Use npm install --verbose oracledb. Review your output and logs. Try to install in a different way. Try some potential solutions.

  • When compiling node-oracledb from source, do you have Python 2.7? Run python --version.

  • When compiling node-oracledb from source, do you have an old version of node-gyp installed? Try updating it. Also try deleting $HOME/.node-gyp or equivalent.

  • Try running npm cache clean -f and deleting the node_modules/oracledb directory.

If creating a connection fails:

  • If you got DPI-1047: Cannot locate an Oracle Client library, then review any messages, the installation instructions, and see Initializing Node-oracledb.

    Note that on Linux, calling initOracleClient() is not sufficient for setting the Oracle Client library path. Those libraries still need to be in the operating system search path, such as from running ldconfig or set in the environment variable LD_LIBRARY_PATH before your Node.js process starts.

  • If you got DPI-1072: the Oracle Client library version is unsupported, then review the installation requirements. Node-oracledb needs Oracle client libraries 11.2 or later. Note that version 19 is not supported on Windows 7.

  • Does your Node.js architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) match the Oracle client library architecture? Run node -p 'process.arch' and compare with, for example, dumpbin /headers oci.dll (on Windows), file libclntsh.dylib (macOS) or file libclntsh.so.* (Linux).

  • On Windows, do you have the correct VS Redistributable? Review the Windows install instructions.

  • On Windows, check the PATH environment variable includes the Oracle client libraries. Ensure that you have restarted your command prompt after you modified any environment variables.

  • Do you need system privileges to set, or preserve, variables like PATH, e.g. an elevated command prompt on Windows, or sudo -E on Linux?

  • Do you have multiple copies of Oracle libraries installed? Is the expected version first in PATH (on Windows) or LD_LIBRARY_PATH (on Linux)?

Issues and questions about node-oracledb can be posted on GitHub or Slack (link to join Slack).