[BUG] npm install does not detect engine-compatible package properly

[jkowalleck]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

This issue exists in the latest npm version

• I am using the latest npm

Current Behavior

given: a package my-package exists in multiple versions

• version 1.0 support node >=v14
• version 1.1 support node >=v14
• version 2.0 support node >=v16
• version 2.1 support node >=v16

installing my-package@^1||^2 in a multi-version-range manner with option engine-strict enabled:

• done on a node14 env: does not install anything, errors that version 2.1 is not supported by the current engine
• done on a node16 env: installs version 2.1 with no problems

Expected Behavior

npm installer detects the highest engine-compatible version and installed it.

installing my-package@^1||^2 in a multi-version-range manner with option engine-strict enabled:

• done on a node14 env: installs version 1.1 with no problems
• done on a node16 env: installs version 2.1 with no problems

Steps To Reproduce

Prerequisite: normalize-package-data@^3 supports node14 as of
https://github.com/npm/normalize-package-data/blob/4121d78eb9d17a2ff738582de48429f8a84dd2c4/package.json#L38-L40

1. In a fresh node14 environment
2. Run npm init -y
3. RUN npm i --engine-strict 'normalize-package-data@^3||^4||^5||^6'
4. See error

    npm ERR! code EBADENGINE
    npm ERR! engine Unsupported engine
    npm ERR! engine Not compatible with your version of node/npm: normalize-package-data@6.0.0
    npm ERR! notsup Not compatible with your version of node/npm: normalize-package-data@6.0.0
    npm ERR! notsup Required: {"node":"^16.14.0 || >=18.0.0"}
    npm ERR! notsup Actual:   {"npm":"9.8.1","node":"v14.21.3"}
    
    npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in: .../.npm/_logs/2023-08-28T08_34_08_802Z-debug-0.log
   

Environment

• npm: 9.8.1 -- tested also with npm@[6,7,8,9,10].x latest version each.
• Node.js: v14.21.3
• OS Name: Linux 5206377178b3 6.2.0-27-generic #28-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Wed Jul 12 22:39:51 UTC 2023 x86_64 GNU/Linux
• System Model Name: docker node:14
• npm config:

; node bin location = /usr/local/bin/node
; node version = v14.21.3
; npm local prefix = /tmp/dsdsadsd
; npm version = 9.8.1
; cwd = /tmp/dsdsadsd
; HOME = /...
; Run `npm config ls -l` to show all defaults.

[golf-junkie]

I have exact the same issue though the version of nodejs is defferent.

Here is my environment.

• npm: 9.8.1
• Node.js: 16.20.2
• OS Name: 4.14.320-242.534.amzn2.x86_64 #1 SMP Wed Jul 12 19:43:51 UTC 2023 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

[jkowalleck]

update: tested with npm from v6 to v10 -- latest each
all have this issue.