CI "Connection timed out" (ETIMEDOUT) Downloading

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

A connection attempt timed out before the server responded. In CI this is typically a transient network stall reaching a registry, mirror, or asset host.

What this error means

A download or API call fails with ETIMEDOUT / Connection timed out after a hang. Re-running the unchanged job usually succeeds, the hallmark of a transient blip.

npm error code ETIMEDOUT
npm error network request to https://registry.npmjs.org/... failed, reason: connect ETIMEDOUT 104.16.0.35:443

Common causes

Transient network congestion or packet loss

A momentary stall between the runner and the remote host keeps the connection from completing in time.

A slow or overloaded upstream

A registry or mirror under load may not answer within the client timeout.

How to fix it

Retry with backoff and a sane timeout

Bounded retries absorb a transient stall.

npm config set fetch-retries 5
npm config set fetch-retry-maxtimeout 120000
npm ci

Reduce exposure to the slow path

1. Cache dependencies so fewer downloads are needed.
2. Use a closer/faster mirror where available.
3. Pin versions to avoid extra metadata round-trips.

How to prevent it

• Configure client retries for network fetches.
• Cache dependencies between runs.
• On managed runners, transient timeouts are detected and the job is automatically retried, so a one-off stall does not fail the build.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation