Deploy Node.js on Nodion

Deploy Node.js step by step

1. Listen on PORT Nodion sets PORT for the web process and sends traffic there. Read it and bind to 0.0.0.0. Fastify listens on localhost by default, so pass host: '0.0.0.0' to listen. server.js

   const express = require("express");
   
   const app = express();
   app.get("/", (req, res) => res.send("ok"));
   
   const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;
   app.listen(port, "0.0.0.0");

2. Commit a lockfile and a start script Commit package-lock.json, yarn.lock, pnpm-lock.yaml or bun.lock; the build fails without one. Nodion runs the start script directly, so npm hooks such as prestart do not run. Without a start script, known frameworks such as Nuxt get their own default; everything else starts with node server.js, index.js or app.js, and finally node .. Dev dependencies are removed after the build, so tools you need at runtime, such as tsx or a migration CLI, belong in dependencies. package.json

   "scripts": {
     "start": "node server.js"
   }

3. TypeScript: keep a JavaScript entry file If package.json has a build script and none of server.js, app.js, index.js, src/server.js, src/index.js or src/app.js exists, Nodion treats the repository as a static site and does not start your server. A TypeScript server that tsc compiles into dist/ looks exactly like that. Add an index.js next to package.json that loads the compiled server (the snippet needs "type": "module"; in CommonJS write require("./dist/server.js")), and point the start script at the compiled file, for example node dist/server.js, not at a dev tool. index.js

   import "./dist/server.js";

4. Create the app and set variables In the dashboard, create an application from your GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Gitea repository, pick the branch and the region EU Central. Variables your build script reads need the Build flag on the Environment tab; all others only exist at runtime. Mark API keys as secret.
5. Attach PostgreSQL and run migrations Create a PostgreSQL database in the same region and attach it on the Environment tab: from the next deploy on, your app reads DATABASE_URL. A release: line in a Procfile runs once per build, after the build and before the new version starts; if it fails, the running version stays live. Procfile

   release: npm run migrate

6. Push to deploy Every push to the branch builds a new release. Traffic moves to it once / answers with a 2xx or 3xx status. If your API answers 404 on /, add a route such as /health and set it as the health check path in the app settings.

Good to know

• Vite in package.json means a static siteWith vite in dependencies or devDependencies, Nodion builds the repository as a static site and ships only the build output, even if a server.js exists. The same goes for Angular, Gatsby, Create React App and Eleventy. For a Node.js server that also builds a Vite frontend, use a Dockerfile.
• BunWith a bun.lock, Nodion installs your dependencies and runs the build with Bun. The app still starts through the start script, so the script has to call Bun, for example "start": "bun run index.ts"; without one, Nodion starts the app with node. The entry file rule above applies to Bun projects too.
• Queue workersPut web: node server.js and worker: node worker.js in a Procfile; without a web: line, the first Procfile entry other than release: becomes the default command. Then add a process named worker without a port on the Processes tab. Valkey in the same region gives your queue a REDIS_URL.

What Nodion runs for you

• Deploys without downtime Push to your branch and Nodion builds a new release. Traffic switches once the new instances answer their health check; a failed release leaves the running one in place. Apps with a local volume restart instead, because the disk belongs to one instance.
• Databases next to the app Managed PostgreSQL, pgvector, MySQL, Valkey and ClickHouse in the same region. Attached databases arrive as DATABASE_URL, REDIS_URL or CLICKHOUSE_URL.
• Previews per pull request Turn on previews and pull requests from your repository get their own app with its own URL and fresh, empty databases, created automatically or by hand. Forks and bot pull requests are skipped.
• Workers, cron jobs and scaling Run workers as extra processes of the same app, schedule jobs on the Cron tab, and scale every process to up to 16 instances.
• Release step With buildpacks, a Procfile release: line runs with every new build. Dockerfile apps, and redeploys or rollbacks to an earlier image, use a release command set on the app itself, which also takes precedence over the Procfile line. On static sites a release step runs in an image that holds only the built files.
• Logs and metrics Build, release and runtime logs plus CPU, memory, disk and network metrics for every instance in the dashboard.
• Domains and HTTPS A default hostname with HTTPS from the first deploy; your own domains get certificates automatically.

Further reading

• Heroku Alternatives with EU Hosting: 5 Options Compared A German platform and US clouds with EU regions, compared by headquarters, regions and managed databases.
• Dockerfile vs Buildpacks: Which One Should You Use? Both turn your code into a container image. What differs is who writes the build steps, and that decides control, maintenance and security updates.

Node.js on Nodion: questions and answers