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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.

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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.

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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.

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Usage example

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

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1. Specify the version

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

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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.

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3. Build your app

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

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4. Start your app

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

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5. Listen on the right port

Make sure your Node.js application is configured to listen over the port given by the environment. 
// Load the http module to create an http server.
const http = require('http');
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 8888;

const server = http.createServer(function (request, response) {
    response.writeHead(200, {"Content-Type": "application/json"});
    response.end("Hello world!");
});

// Listen on the port from the Upsun configuration
server.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server is listening on port: ${PORT}`);
});

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Complete example

A complete basic app configuration looks like the following:

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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: 
npm prune --userconfig .npmrc && npm install --userconfig .npmrc
This means you can specify configuration in a .npmrc file in your app root.

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Use Yarn as a package manager

To switch to Yarn to manage dependencies, follow these steps:
  1. Turn off the default use of npm:
  1. Specify the version of Yarn you want:
    package.json
    {
  ...
  "packageManager": "yarn@3.2.1"
}
What you do next depends on the versions of Yarn and Node.js you want.
  1. Use Corepack to run Yarn in your build hook:

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Use Bun as a package manager

To switch to Bun to manage dependencies, use the following configuration:
.upsun/config.yaml
applications:
  # The name of your app.
  myapp:
  # Choose Node.js version 20 or above.
    type: 'nodejs:20'
    # Override the default Node.js build flavor.
    build:
      flavor: none
    # Use Bun to install the dependencies.
    hooks:
      build: bun install

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Use Bun as a runtime

You can even use Bun as a runtime by adjusting the start command as follows:
.upsun/config.yaml
applications:
  # The name of your app.
  myapp:
    # Choose Node.js version 20 or above.
    type: 'nodejs:20'
    # Override the default Node.js build flavor.
    build:
      flavor: none
    # Use Bun to install the dependencies.
    hooks:
      build: bun install
    # In the start command replace node with Bun.
    web:
      commands:
        start: 'bun app.js'

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Connecting to services

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Frameworks

All major Javascript/Node.js web frameworks can be deployed on Upsun. See dedicated guides for deploying and working with them:
Last modified on March 11, 2026