Node.js is a popular asynchronous JavaScript runtime. Deploy scalable Node.js apps of all sizes on Upsun. You can also develop a microservice architecture mixing JavaScript and other apps with multi-app projects.

Supported versions

You can select the major version. But the latest compatible minor version is applied automatically and can’t be overridden. Patch versions are applied periodically for bug fixes and the like. When you deploy your app, you always get the latest available patches.

Specify the language

To use Node.js, specify nodejs as your app’s type: For example: To use a specific version in a container with a different language, use a version manager.

Deprecated versions

The following versions are still available in your projects, but they’re at their end of life and are no longer receiving security updates from upstream.

To ensure your project remains stable in the future, switch to a supported version.

Retired versions

The following versions have been retired and are no longer available. If your project uses a retired version, you must update to a supported version.

20
18
16
15
14
12
10
8.9
8
6.10
6.9
6.8
6.6
6.3
6.2
6
4.7
4.6
4.5
4.4
4.3
4.2
4

Usage example

To use JavaScript with Node.js on Upsun, configure your app configuration (a complete example is included at the end).

1. Specify the version

Choose a version from the list of supported versions and add it to your app configuration:

2. Specify any global dependencies

Add the following to your app configuration: These are now available as commands, the same as installing with npm install -g.

3. Build your app

Include any commands needed to build and setup your app in the hooks, as in the following example:

4. Start your app

Specify a command to start serving your app (it must be a process running in the foreground):

5. Listen on the right port

Make sure your Node.js application is configured to listen over the port given by the environment.

Complete example

A complete basic app configuration looks like the following:

Dependencies

By default, Upsun assumes you’re using npm as a package manager. If your code has a package.json, the following command is run as part of the default build flavor:

This means you can specify configuration in a .npmrc file in your app root.

Use Yarn as a package manager

To switch to Yarn to manage dependencies, follow these steps:

Turn off the default use of npm:

Specify the version of Yarn you want:
package.json

What you do next depends on the versions of Yarn and Node.js you want.

Yarn 3.x and Node.js 16+
Yarn 3.x and Node.js 14
Yarn < 3

Use Corepack to run Yarn in your build hook:

Enable Corepack (which is opt-in):

Use Corepack to run Yarn in your build hook:

Add Yarn as a global dependency:

Install dependencies in the build hook:

Use Bun as a package manager

To switch to Bun to manage dependencies, use the following configuration:

.upsun/config.yaml

Use Bun as a runtime

You can even use Bun as a runtime by adjusting the start command as follows:

.upsun/config.yaml

Connecting to services

You can access service credentials to connect to managed services from environment variables present in the application container. Consult each of the individual service documentation to see how to retrieve and surface credentials into your application.

Frameworks

All major Javascript/Node.js web frameworks can be deployed on Upsun. See dedicated guides for deploying and working with them: