App Build [module] Not Found Errors

Hi there,

The issues you’re encountering during the build and deployment process on DigitalOcean’s App Platform seem to be related to the environment’s handling of your application’s dependencies, particularly rimraf and the nest CLI.

These errors often occur when dependencies are not installed or not available in the PATH of the build environment. Here are some steps to troubleshoot and resolve these issues:

• Ensure that rimraf and @nestjs/cli are correctly listed under devDependencies in your package.json. The App Platform build environment installs packages listed in devDependencies during the build process.

• The build environment should correctly recognize your application as a Node.js app. Ensure your package.json is correctly configured and is in the root of your repository.

• Leverage NPM scripts to handle the build process. Modify your package.json scripts to explicitly use local node_modules binaries:

  "scripts": {
    "prebuild": "./node_modules/.bin/rimraf dist",
    "build": "./node_modules/.bin/nest build",
    // other scripts...
  }
  

• If the issue persists, consider using a custom build command in your DigitalOcean App Platform settings:

  npm install && npm run build
  

As a last resort, consider containerizing your application using Docker. This will allow you to define the environment in which your app builds and runs, making it more consistent across local and production environments. You mentioned not using Docker, but it can sometimes offer more control over the deployment process.

Also if your project is open-source, feel free to share the link to your GitHub repository here and I can try deploying it on my and and further investigate the issue.

Best,

Bobby