npm install fails with 'gyp ERR! find Python' / 'gyp ERR! build error' / 'node-gyp rebuild failed' while installing a native Node module

Cause: Packages with native addons are compiled during install by node-gyp when no prebuilt binary matches your platform and Node version. node-gyp needs a supported Python, a C/C++ toolchain and (on Windows) the Visual C++ build tools. If any is missing, outdated or not found, the install ends with gyp ERR! lines. Fix (best first): 1. Install prerequisites for your OS, per the node-gyp README: - Linux: a supported Python 3, make and a C/C++ compiler (for example the build-essential package on Debian or Ubuntu). - macOS: Python 3 and the Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install). - Windows: Python plus the Visual Studio "Desktop development with C++" workload (or the Build Tools equivalent). Do not run these as an unrelated global hack; install the documented workload. 2. Match the Python and node-gyp versions. The node-gyp docs state that Python 3.12 or newer needs node-gyp 10 or newer. If the npm bundled with your Node is older, install a newer node-gyp (npm install -g node-gyp) or upgrade Node/npm. 3. If several Pythons are installed, tell node-gyp which to use. Precedence is NODE_GYP_FORCE_PYTHON, then the --python option, then the npm_config_python environment variable, then PYTHON. Example: npm_config_python=/usr/bin/python3 npm install 4. Check whether the package publishes prebuilt binaries for your Node version and architecture; upgrading the package, or using an LTS Node it supports, often avoids compiling. Read the first error lines of the log, since a compiler error about missing headers usually means the package does not support your Node version yet. 5. In Alpine containers, install python3, make and g++ in a build stage; keep them out of the runtime image with a multi-stage build. Verify: run npm install again (or npm rebuild <package>); it should finish without gyp ERR! output and require('<package>') should load. Sources: https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp https://nodejs.org/api/addons.html