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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"DiscussionForumPosting","headline":"Node.js v24.15.0: native crash (exit code 57005/0xDEAD) during npm ci on Windows","articleBody":"## Summary\n\n`node.exe` v24.15.0 intermittently crashes with a native fault during `npm ci` tarball extraction on Windows. The crash produces exit code 57005 (0xDEAD). v24.14.1 is not affected.\n\n## Environment\n\n- **OS:** Windows Server 2025 (10.0.26100) — Azure DevOps CI agents (`windows.vs2026preview.scout.amd64.open`)\n- **Node:** v24.15.0 (crashes), v24.14.1 (no crashes)\n- **npm:** 11.12.1 (bundled with 24.15.0)\n- **CPU:** AMD64, Standard_D4a_v4 (4 vCPU, 16GB RAM)\n- **Disk:** ~147GB free (not a space issue)\n\n## Reproduction\n\nThe crash occurs during `npm ci` in the [dotnet/aspnetcore](https://github.com/dotnet/aspnetcore) repository, which has ~1400 npm dependencies. The crash happens during the tarball extraction phase (after all packages are downloaded from the registry).\n\n- **Frequency:** ~43% of Windows CI builds over a 10-day period\n- **Linux/macOS:** Never observed — Windows only\n- **First occurrence:** Build 1381847, queued 2026-04-16T11:37:14Z — approximately 4 hours after v24.15.0 was published\n- **Zero crashes** on v24.14.1 across hundreds of builds\n\n## Crash Evidence\n\n### Windows Event Log (Application Error, ID 1000)\n```\nFaulting application name: node.exe, version: 24.15.0.0\nFaulting module name: (empty)\nException code: 0x...\nFaulting process id: 2e0c\nFaulting application path: C:\\ToolCache\\node\\24.15.0\\x64\\node.exe\nReport Id: d4db47fc-5298-47bc-a98f-13aebaa4d464\n```\n\nThis confirms a **native-level crash** in `node.exe`, not a JavaScript exception.\n\n### npm debug log analysis\n\nAcross multiple independent crashes, the npm debug log is truncated at **exactly the same file size** (518,908 bytes with `maxsockets=15`, 868,502 bytes with `maxsockets=10`). The log ends mid-extraction at the `silly tarball` phase — different packages each time, but identical byte count. This suggests the process hits a deterministic resource threshold before being killed.\n\n### What we ruled out\n\n- **Disk space:** 147GB free on all crashed agents\n- **Windows Defender:** `RealTimeProtectionEnabled` is disabled on CI agents\n- **JavaScript-level crash:** `NODE_OPTIONS=--report-uncaught-exception` produced no report — the crash bypasses JS error handling\n- **npm-level error:** No npm error output, no `.npmrc` issues\n- **Network:** All packages downloaded successfully (cache hits), crash happens during extraction\n\n## Suspected changes in v24.15.0\n\nThe crash is in the native layer during buffer-heavy tarball extraction. Potentially relevant changes between v24.14.1 and v24.15.0:\n\n1. **`buffer: disallow ArrayBuffer transfer on pooled buffer`** — https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/61372 — Changes buffer transfer lifecycle; npm extraction is extremely buffer-intensive\n2. **V8 cherry-pick related to the buffer change** — https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/62567\n3. **npm 11.11.0 → 11.12.1 upgrade** — https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/62448 — Though the crash is in `node.exe`, not npm JS code\n\n## Workaround\n\nWe pinned to Node.js v24.14.1 in our CI pipeline ([dotnet/aspnetcore#66465](https://github.com/dotnet/aspnetcore/pull/66465)). Zero crashes since the pin.\n\n## Example CI builds\n\n- **Crash (v24.15.0):** https://dev.azure.com/dnceng-public/public/_build/results?buildId=1396126 — Event Log captured\n- **Pass (v24.14.1):** https://dev.azure.com/dnceng-public/public/_build/results?buildId=1396309 — same codebase, pinned version","author":{"url":"https://github.com/wtgodbe","@type":"Person","name":"wtgodbe"},"datePublished":"2026-04-27T15:42:50.000Z","interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":"https://schema.org/CommentAction","userInteractionCount":12},"url":"https://github.com/62991/node/issues/62991"}