configure: error: C compiler cannot create executables mac - macos

Question

I am trying to install ccxt on my Macbook Air using sudo npm install --save ccxt and encountered the following error:
> scrypt#6.0.3 preinstall /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/node_modules/scrypt
> node node-scrypt-preinstall.js
Error: Error: Command failed: ./configure
configure: error: in `/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/node_modules/scrypt/scrypt/scrypt-1.2.0':
configure: error: C compiler cannot create executables
See `config.log' for more details
> scrypt#6.0.3 install /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/node_modules/scrypt
> node-gyp rebuild
gyp ERR! configure error
gyp ERR! stack Error: Command failed: /Users/peterpham/anaconda3/bin/python -c import sys; print "%s.%s.%s" % sys.version_info[:3];
gyp ERR! stack File "<string>", line 1
gyp ERR! stack import sys; print "%s.%s.%s" % sys.version_info[:3];
gyp ERR! stack ^
gyp ERR! stack SyntaxError: invalid syntax
gyp ERR! stack
gyp ERR! stack at ChildProcess.exithandler (child_process.js:275:12)
gyp ERR! stack at emitTwo (events.js:126:13)
gyp ERR! stack at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:214:7)
gyp ERR! stack at maybeClose (internal/child_process.js:925:16)
gyp ERR! stack at Socket.stream.socket.on (internal/child_process.js:346:11)
gyp ERR! stack at emitOne (events.js:116:13)
gyp ERR! stack at Socket.emit (events.js:211:7)
gyp ERR! stack at Pipe._handle.close [as _onclose] (net.js:557:12)
gyp ERR! System Darwin 17.7.0
gyp ERR! command "/usr/local/bin/node" "/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js" "rebuild"
gyp ERR! cwd /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/node_modules/scrypt
gyp ERR! node -v v8.11.3
gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v3.8.0
gyp ERR! not ok
npm WARN enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/package.json'
npm WARN Toolchains No description
npm WARN Toolchains No repository field.
npm WARN Toolchains No README data
npm WARN Toolchains No license field.
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! scrypt#6.0.3 install: `node-gyp rebuild`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the scrypt#6.0.3 install script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR! /Users/peterpham/.npm/_logs/2018-08-30T04_34_20_141Z-debug.log
I have Xcode 9.4.1 installed and checked that my command line tools were installed in the Preferences > Location section like in this other stackoverflow question. I also tried out all of the following answers in my terminal to change directories and ownerships to no avail. Also tried just sudo npm install --save scrypt with the same error. It has possibly something to do with the anaconda env pathing.
I'm pretty sure it has to do with some configuration but I'm not sure what it is. If you need anymore information please tell me and I'll post it. I don't know where the configure.log is so I can't post it, I've tried to find it using resources online as well and am lost.

Answer 1

The key to solving the error was this part of the error code:
gyp ERR! stack Error: Command failed: /Users/peterpham/anaconda3/bin/python -c import sys; print "%s.%s.%s" % sys.version_info[:3];
So I tried installing python 2.7, which didn't work. So I tried uninstalling Anaconda from my computer using App Cleaner and that did the trick. Afterwards I could run the command npm install --save ccxt!