Node.js 14 + npm 9: Works Only on Node 14.17.0+; Both EOL
Node.js 14+npm 9
npm 9 requires Node ≥ 14.17.0. Node 14.x patch releases before 14.17.0 are incompatible. Node.js 14 reached EOL in April 2023; no security patches are released for it. npm 9 on Node 14.17+ technically runs but this combination is unsupported by both projects.
Minimum version required: Node.js 14.17.0
Workarounds & Fixes
Upgrade to Node.js 20 LTS to use a fully supported stack