The Problem:
When trying to create a React app from scratch using the Parcel bundler (version 2.9.3), an error occurs: "Expected content key de1e4a02ec63c4eb to exist." Despite attempts to delete the cache and recreate the project, the issue persists.
The Solutions:
Solution 1: Delete ".parcel-cache" folder
If you are using parcel as a bundler and encountering the error “Error: Expected content key de1e4a02ec63c4eb to exist”, you can try the following solution:
- Locate the “.parcel-cache” folder in your project directory. This folder is typically hidden, so you may need to enable the display of hidden files in your file explorer.
- Delete the “.parcel-cache” folder completely.
- Rerun the build process using parcel.
Deleting the “.parcel-cache” folder forces parcel to rebuild the project from scratch, which can sometimes resolve the issue.
Solution 2: Delete Parcel Cache
Deleting the `.parcel-cache` folder manually can resolve the issue. However, to automate the process and avoid manual intervention, you can modify the scripts section in your *`package.json`* file as follows:
package.json
{
...
"scripts": {
"start": "rm -rf .parcel-cache && parcel",
"build": "rm -rf .parcel-cache && parcel build"
}
...
}
By adding `rm -rf .parcel-cache &&` before the `start`, `dev`, or `build` commands, you ensure that the cache is deleted before running the respective commands. This way, you can prevent the “Error: Expected content key de1e4a02ec63c4eb to exist” error from occurring.
Solution 3: .parcel-cache directory deletion
To resolve the issue, remove the .parcel-cache directory from your project. This directory is used by Parcel to store cached data, and corrupted or outdated cached data can cause the error. To delete the directory, open a command prompt or terminal window and navigate to your project directory. Then, run the following command:
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force .parcel-cache
This command will forcefully and recursively delete the .parcel-cache directory and all its contents. Use this command carefully, as it permanently removes the specified directory and its content.
After deleting the .parcel-cache directory, run the Parcel command again to rebuild your project. This should resolve the error and allow you to continue developing your React application.
npx parcel <entry point(like index.html)>
Solution 4: Clear Parcel Cache
To resolve the error, you can clear the Parcel cache by running the following commands:
npm cache clean && npm start
Alternatively, you can also run:
npm cache clean && npm run build
These commands will clear the Parcel cache and attempt to start the application or build the project again. Clearing the cache can often resolve issues related to outdated or corrupted cache files.
Q&A
Error while creating a React app using Parcel bundler: ‘Expected content key de1e4a02ec63c4eb to exist’
Try deleting the ‘.parcel-cache’ folder and rerunning the build.
To avoid manually deleting the ‘.parcel-cache’ folder, what can be done?
Add ‘rm -rf .parcel-cache &&&’ before ‘start’, ‘dev’, or ‘build’ commands in ‘package.json’.
How to forcefully remove the .parcel-cache directory using Windows PowerShell?
Execute ‘Remove-Item -Recurse -Force .parcel-cache’ command.