Deploying a Node.js app (Next.js, Nuxt, Express)

Node.js apps are available on Pro and above. You connect a git repository, we build it and run it, and every push deploys the new version.

Setting it up

1. Go to Apps and choose New app.
2. Select Node.js.
3. Connect the git repository and choose the branch you want deployed, usually main.
4. Set your build command, for example npm run build.
5. Set your start command, for example npm start.
6. Add your environment variables. Anything your app reads from the environment, including API keys and database connection details, goes here rather than in the repository.
7. Choose the domain or subdomain the app should answer on.
8. Deploy.

We install your dependencies, run the build, start the app and put it behind HTTPS with a certificate we issue for you.

What works

Anything that runs as a normal Node process and listens on a port we provide. Next.js, Nuxt, Express, NestJS, Remix and Fastify are all straightforward. Read the port from the environment rather than hard-coding one.

Deploying an update

Push to the branch you connected. We build the new version and switch to it. You can also trigger a deploy manually from the panel, and you can roll back to a previous deploy if a release goes wrong.

Environment variables

Set them in the panel, not in your repository. Changing one triggers a redeploy so the new value is picked up.

Databases

Create a database in the Databases section and give your app the connection details as environment variables. Pro includes 3 databases, Premium 10, Platinum 25. Extra databases are $4 a month each.

Resources

Your app runs inside your account's guaranteed memory and CPU: 1.5 GB and 2 cores on Pro, 3 GB and 4 cores on Premium, 5 GB and 6 cores on Platinum. If a build or a running process needs more memory than your plan gives you, it will be stopped. If that happens regularly, move up a plan.

Logs

Build output and run-time output are both in the panel, under the app. That is the first place to look when a deploy fails.