What is Node.js Hosting? Instructions for installation and effective use

What is Node.js Hosting? Instructions for installation and effective use Picture 1

With the ability to run JavaScript code on the server, many businesses have chosen Node.js to build high-performance web applications. In this article, let's learn with  TipsMake  what Node.js Hosting is, the benefits it brings, and how to install and use it effectively. 

What is Node.js Hosting?

Node.js Hosting is a service that allows users to host and deploy web applications developed on the Node.js platform, using Google Chrome's V8 JavaScript Engine. This platform is designed to handle multiple concurrent requests thanks to its asynchronous mechanism, helping to improve the performance and processing speed of the application.

Node.js operates on a single-threaded model with an event loop. This means that Node.js uses a single thread to handle all requests, but can still handle millions of concurrent connections thanks to its asynchronous mechanism. When a request comes in, Node.js does not wait for a response before continuing to process another request, but instead continues to perform other tasks until it has data returned from the previous request.

What is Node.js Hosting? Instructions for installation and effective use Picture 2

What is Node.js Hosting?

Basic Features of Node.js Hosting

Asynchrony

Node.js Hosting uses an asynchronous architecture, allowing it to process multiple requests concurrently without waiting for a response from each request before continuing. This speeds up API processing and improves performance for real-time applications such as chat or online games.

Fast speed

Node.js is built on the V8 JavaScript Engine, which allows for very fast JavaScript code execution. With its non-blocking IO mechanism, Node.js is capable of handling thousands of concurrent connections while maintaining high performance, especially in situations that require fast data processing.

Simple but effective

Node.js works very simply and efficiently thanks to its single-thread model. This reduces the complexity of resource management and allows it to serve more requests than traditional servers like Apache.

No padding

Node.js Hosting does not use buffering for data, focusing on delivering data immediately. This reduces latency during transmission and improves user experience.

Licensed

Node.js Hosting is licensed under the MIT license, which allows users to freely use, copy, modify, and distribute the source code. This ensures flexibility and reliability in application development.

Outstanding advantages when using Node.js Hosting

● Fast processing speed thanks to non-blocking mechanism

● Easily handle multiple connections at the same time in a short time

● Easy and simple expansion when website development is needed

● With only single-thread, it can receive and process multiple connections, consume less RAM, and Nodejs processing is also faster.

● Handle multiple requests, thousands of processes at the same time in a very short time, achieving the best performance.

Some remaining limitations of Node.js Hosting

● Consumes resources and time due to the need to compile Nodejs written in C++ and JavaScript.

● Not suitable for handling CPU-intensive applications.

● Not the best choice for implementing important projects using PHP, Ruby, Python.

How to secure in Node.js Hosting?

To secure your Node.js application in a hosting environment, you need to implement a series of security measures to protect your data and prevent attacks. Here are some important methods you should implement:

Use HTTPS

HTTPS is a secure protocol that encrypts information between a server and a client. To set up HTTPS in a Node.js application, you need to create an SSL certificate and configure your server to use it:

const https = require('https');

const fs = require('fs');

const express = require('express');

const app = express();

const options = {

key: fs.readFileSync('server.key'),

cert: fs.readFileSync('server.cert')};

https.createServer(options, app).listen(3000, () => {

console.log("HTTPS Server running on port 3000");});

Using HTTPS not only protects data but also increases application reliability.

Secure sensitive data

Instead of storing sensitive information in your source code, use environment variables with a library like dotenv. This helps protect information like API keys and database credentials from being leaked.

# .env file

DB_USER=username

DB_PASS=password

javascript

require('dotenv').config();

const dbUser = process.env.DB_USER;

const dbPass = process.env.DB_PASS;

This helps ensure that sensitive information is not exposed when source code is shared or deployed.

Use security middleware

Use middleware like Helmet to add security headers to your application's HTTP responses. Helmet helps mitigate XSS and CSRF attacks by configuring the required security headers.

const helmet = require('helmet');

app.use(helmet());

This way you can protect your application from many common vulnerabilities.

Access Control

Authorizing users based on functionality is important. Use authentication methods like JWT (JSON Web Tokens) to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive resources.

javascript

import jwt from "express-jwt";

import jwksRsa from "jwks-rsa";

export const checkJwt = jwt({

secret: jwksRsa.expressJwtSecret({

cache: true,

rateLimit: true,

jwksRequestsPerMinute: 5,

jwksUri: `${process.env.AUTH0_ISSUER}.well-known/jwks.json`

}),

audience: process.env.AUTH0_AUDIENCE,

issuer: `${process.env.AUTH0_ISSUER}`,

algorithms: ["RS256"]

});

This helps prevent unauthorized access to the application.

Configure firewall and proxy server

When deploying your application to the cloud, make sure you have configured your firewall to allow connections to the port your application is running on. Additionally, using a proxy server like Nginx can provide an additional layer of security for your application.

Regular updates

Finally, keep Node.js and related libraries up to date to ensure you're always using the latest version with the latest security patches. This helps reduce the risk of being attacked by known vulnerabilities.

Instructions for installing and using Node.js Hosting on some platforms

1. cPanel

Step 1: Log in to cPanel

● Access your cPanel using the login credentials provided by your hosting provider.

Step 2: Find and select "Setup Node.js App"

● In the cPanel interface, go to Software and select Setup Node.js App.

Step 3: Create Node.js application

● Click the Create Application button to start the application creation process.

Step 4: Enter installation information

● You will need to fill in the following information:

○ Node.js version: Select the Node.js version you want to use.

○ Application mode: Choose between Development or Production, depending on your needs.

○ Application root: Enter the path to the directory containing the application source code (for example: /home/username/appname).

○ Application URL: Enter the domain name or IP address where the application will run.

○ Application startup file: Usually left as default, but you can specify a startup file if needed.

○ Passenger log file: Path to the log file for the application, can be left as default.

● After filling in all the information, click Create to complete the application creation.

Step 5: Run the Node.js application

● Once the application is successfully created, you will get a command line. Open Terminal in cPanel and paste that command line to run the application. You can also access the application via browser by entering the URL specified in the previous step

2. AWS

To install and use Node.js Hosting on Amazon Web Services (AWS), you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Create an EC2 Instance

● Sign in to your AWS account: Go to the AWS Management Console.

● Select EC2 service: From the dashboard, select "EC2" and then click "Launch Instance".

● Select an Amazon Machine Image (AMI): Choose an appropriate AMI, typically a Linux version such as Ubuntu.

● Select instance type: Choose the instance type that suits your Node.js application needs.

● Drive Configuration: Select drive size and other options.

● Set up Security Group: Make sure to open the necessary ports like SSH (22), HTTP (80), and the port where the Node.js application will run (e.g. 3000).

Step 2: Connect to EC2 Instance

● Use SSH to connect to the instance:

ssh -i "your_key.pem" ec2-user@your_instance_public_ip

● If necessary, change the permissions for the key pair: chmod 400 your_key.pem

Step 3: Install Node.js

● Update system: sudo apt-get update

● Install Node.js and npm:

sudo apt-get install nodejs

sudo apt-get install npm

● Check Node.js version:

node -v

npm -v

Step 4: Deploy Node.js application

● Create a folder for the application:

mkdir my-node-app

cd my-node-app

● Create index.js file: nano index.js

● Write code for the application:

const http = require('http');

const hostname = '0.0.0.0';

const port = 3000;

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {

res.statusCode = 200;

res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain');

res.end('Hello World!n');});

server.listen(port, hostname, () => {

console.log(`Server running at http://${hostname}:${port}/`);});

● Save file and exit: Press Ctrl + X, then Y to save.

● Run the application: node index.js

Step 5: Configure Nginx (optional)

● If you want to run a Node.js application through Nginx:

● Install Nginx: sudo apt-get install nginx

● Configure Nginx to forward to Node.js application:

● Create a new configuration file in /etc/nginx/sites-available/ and link to sites-enabled.

● Restart Nginx: sudo systemctl restart nginx

3. Google Cloud

Step 1: Create an Instance on Google Cloud Platform

● Go to Google Cloud Console: Sign in to your Google Cloud account.

● Create Instance:

● Select "Compute Engine" from the left menu.

● Click "VM Instances" and then select "Create Instance".

● Name the instance and choose the region and server type that suits your needs (choose one with a strong enough configuration to run Node.js applications).

● Choose a Linux operating system, the most popular being Ubuntu or Debian.

● Make sure to select "Allow HTTP traffic" and "Allow HTTPS traffic" so that the application can be accessed from the Internet.

Step 2: Install Node.js on Instance

● Connect to Instance: Use SSH to log in to your instance. You can click the "SSH" button on the VM Instances page.

● Install Node.js:

● Update package list: sudo apt-get update

● Install Node.js: sudo apt-get install nodejs

● Install npm (Node Package Manager): sudo apt-get install npm

● Test installation: Confirm that Node.js was successfully installed by running:

node -v

Step 3: Configure Firewall

● For a Node.js application to receive requests from the Internet, you need to open ports in the firewall:

● Create firewall rules: Go to "VPC network" > "Firewall rules" in Google Cloud Console.

● Add new rule: Allow connections to the port your application will run on (e.g. port 3000).

Step 4: Start the Node.js Application

● Create a folder for the application:

mkdir my-node-app

cd my-node-app

● Create application file: Create app.js or index.js file and write code for your application.

● Run the application: node app.js

Step 5: Configure Proxy Server (Optional)

● If you want to protect your application or improve performance, configure a proxy server like Nginx or Apache to forward requests to your Node.js application.

Note:

● Make sure you have configured the necessary environment variables for your application.

● Use PM2 or another process management tool to manage and monitor your Node.js application.

4. Azure

To install and use Node.js Hosting on Microsoft Azure, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a Microsoft Azure account

● Go to the Microsoft Azure website and sign up for a new account. If you already have an account, sign in.

Step 2: Create web application

● After logging in, select "Create a resource" in the upper left corner.

● Search for "Web App" and select to create a new web app.

● Provide necessary information such as application name, login name and password. Select the region to place the server.

Step 3: Install Node.js

● Once you have created your web application, you need to install Node.js.

● Go to your web application management page, select "Configuration" in the left menu.

● Select "General Settings", then select the Node.js version you want to install and click "Save" to save the settings.

Step 4: Upload source code to the application

● You can upload your Node.js source code to your web app via Azure's file manager or use Git to push the source code.

Step 5: Configure other parameters

● If needed, you can configure additional parameters for your web application to ensure it works properly.

Conclude

Choosing the right hosting service will contribute significantly to the success of the web applications you develop. Hopefully, the information in the article will help you feel more confident in applying Node.js Hosting to your projects.