replit-common-errors

What this skill does

# Replit Common Errors

## Overview

Quick reference for the 10 most common Replit errors with real solutions. Covers container lifecycle, Nix configuration, database, deployment, and networking issues.

## Prerequisites

- Replit Workspace access
- Shell tab for diagnostics
- Console tab for error logs

## Error Reference

### 1. Container Sleeping / App Goes Offline

```
Error: Your Repl is sleeping. Run it to wake up.
```

**Cause:** Free/Hacker plan Repls sleep after ~5 minutes of inactivity.
**Solution:**

- Use Replit Deployments (Autoscale or Reserved VM) for always-on
- Or set up external keep-alive pinging (UptimeRobot, cron-job.org)
- Check: Settings > Always On (deprecated in favor of Deployments)

---

### 2. Port Binding / Webview Not Loading

```
Error: EADDRINUSE: address already in use :::3000
```

**Cause:** Previous process still holding the port, or hardcoded port conflicts.
**Solution:**

```text
# Find and kill the process
lsof -i :3000 | grep LISTEN
kill -9 <PID>

# Or use environment variable for port
```

```typescript
// Always use PORT env var
const port = parseInt(process.env.PORT || '3000');
app.listen(port, '0.0.0.0');  // Must be 0.0.0.0, not localhost
```

---

### 3. Nix Package Build Failure

```
Error: error: Package 'python-xyz' not found in channel 'stable-23_05'
```

**Cause:** Package name wrong, or Nix channel too old.
**Solution:**

```nix
# replit.nix — update channel and fix package names
{ pkgs }: {
  deps = [
    pkgs.nodejs-20_x          # not "nodejs" or "node"
    pkgs.python311             # not "python3" or "python"
    pkgs.python311Packages.pip # not "pip"
    pkgs.zlib                  # for native modules (Pillow, etc.)
    pkgs.openssl               # for crypto dependencies
  ];
}
```

```toml
# .replit — use current stable channel
[nix]
channel = "stable-24_05"
```

After editing `replit.nix`, reload the shell (exit and re-enter Shell tab).

---

### 4. DATABASE_URL Not Set

```
Error: Connection refused / ECONNREFUSED / DATABASE_URL is undefined
```

**Cause:** PostgreSQL not provisioned, or accessing outside Replit.
**Solution:**

1. Open the Database pane in the sidebar
2. Click "Create a database" if none exists
3. `DATABASE_URL` auto-populates in your environment
4. For legacy Replit DB: check `REPLIT_DB_URL` instead

---

### 5. Replit DB Write Failure (50MB Limit)

```
Error: Max storage size exceeded
```

**Cause:** Key-Value Database has a 50 MiB total limit (keys + values).
**Solution:**

```python
# Check current usage
from replit import db
total_keys = len(list(db.keys()))
print(f"Keys: {total_keys} / 5000")

# Migrate large data to Object Storage or PostgreSQL
from replit.object_storage import Client
storage = Client()
storage.upload_from_text('large-data.json', json.dumps(big_data))
del db['large_key']  # Free up KV space
```

---

### 6. Object Storage Bucket Not Found

```
Error: BucketNotFoundError: No bucket found
```

**Cause:** Object Storage bucket not provisioned for this Repl.
**Solution:**

1. Open the Object Storage pane in the sidebar
2. Create a new bucket (auto-names based on Repl)
3. Then use `new Client()` with no arguments — it auto-discovers

---

### 7. Auth Headers Empty

```
req.headers['x-replit-user-id'] === undefined
```

**Cause:** Replit Auth only works on deployed apps (`.replit.app` or custom domain), not in the Workspace Webview during development.
**Solution:**

```typescript
// Mock auth in development
function getUser(req: Request) {
  const userId = req.headers['x-replit-user-id'] as string;
  if (!userId && process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
    return { id: 'dev-user', name: 'Developer', image: '' };
  }
  if (!userId) return null;
  return {
    id: userId,
    name: req.headers['x-replit-user-name'] as string,
    image: req.headers['x-replit-user-profile-image'] as string,
  };
}
```

---

### 8. Module Not Found After Nix Change

```
Error: Cannot find module '@replit/database'
```

**Cause:** npm packages need separate install from Nix system packages.
**Solution:**

```bash
# Nix = system packages (Python runtime, PostgreSQL, etc.)
# npm/pip = language packages (express, flask, etc.)

# Both are needed:
# In replit.nix: pkgs.nodejs-20_x
# In shell: npm install @replit/database @replit/object-storage

# For Python:
# In replit.nix: pkgs.python311
# In shell: pip install replit flask
```

---

### 9. Deployment Build Timeout

```
Error: Build exceeded time limit
```

**Cause:** Heavy dependencies or slow build step.
**Solution:**

```toml
# .replit — optimize build
[deployment]
build = ["sh", "-c", "npm ci --production && npm run build"]
run = ["sh", "-c", "node dist/index.js"]

# Tips:
# - Use npm ci instead of npm install
# - Use --production to skip devDependencies
# - Use TypeScript incremental builds: tsc --incremental
# - Remove unused packages from package.json
```

---

### 10. Secrets Not Available in Deployment

```
Error: API_KEY is undefined in production
```

**Cause:** Secrets added in Workspace may not have synced (legacy behavior).
**Solution:**

- As of 2025, deployment secrets sync automatically with Workspace secrets
- Verify in Deployments > Settings > Environment Variables
- For Account-level secrets: Settings > Secrets (applies to all Repls)
- Restart the deployment after adding secrets

## Quick Diagnostics

```bash
# Check Replit status
curl -s https://status.replit.com/api/v2/summary.json | jq '.status.description'

# Check built-in env vars
echo "REPL_SLUG=$REPL_SLUG"
echo "REPL_OWNER=$REPL_OWNER"
echo "REPLIT_DB_URL=${REPLIT_DB_URL:+SET}"
echo "DATABASE_URL=${DATABASE_URL:+SET}"

# Check installed packages
npm list --depth=0 2>/dev/null
pip list 2>/dev/null | head -20
```

## Resources

- [Replit Status Page](https://status.replit.com)
- [Replit Docs](https://docs.replit.com)
- [Nix on Replit](https://docs.replit.com/programming-ide/nix-on-replit)
- [Replit Secrets](https://docs.replit.com/replit-workspace/workspace-features/secrets)

## Next Steps

For comprehensive debugging, see `replit-debug-bundle`.