DropDeploy

Framework

Node.js

Any Node.js server — Express, Fastify, Koa, or the built-in http module.

Container port3000

Requirements

package.json with a "start" script

DropDeploy runs npm start to launch your server.

App must listen on port 3000

Hard-code 3000 or read process.env.PORT.

Demo app

A minimal app that is ready to push and deploy. Copy the files below into a new repository, commit, and deploy — it should go live without any changes.

package.json
{
  "name": "my-node-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js"
  }
}
index.js
const http = require('http');

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/html' });
  res.end(`
    <html>
      <body style="font-family:system-ui;display:flex;justify-content:center;
                   align-items:center;min-height:100vh;margin:0;background:#0f172a;color:#f1f5f9">
        <div style="text-align:center">
          <h1 style="color:#3b82f6">Hello from DropDeploy!</h1>
          <p style="color:#94a3b8">Node.js server running on port ${PORT}</p>
        </div>
      </body>
    </html>
  `);
});

server.listen(PORT, '0.0.0.0', () => {
  console.log(`Server running on http://0.0.0.0:${PORT}`);
});
No dependencies — uses Node's built-in http module. Swap it for Express if you prefer.

Build & start commands

DropDeploy runs these steps inside the container when you click Deploy.

npm install --omit=dev
npm start

Environment variables

Set these in Project → Env Vars in the dashboard. Never commit secrets.

VariableRequiredDescription
PORTNoDefaults to 3000. Keep it at 3000 to match the Dockerfile.
NODE_ENVNoSet to production for prod-optimised behaviour.

Common issues

Missing "start" script

Add "start": "node index.js" to the scripts block in package.json.

App binds to 127.0.0.1

Call server.listen(3000, "0.0.0.0"). Binding to localhost rejects connections from outside the container.

devDependencies at runtime

DropDeploy runs npm install --omit=dev. Move any runtime-required package from devDependencies to dependencies.

Static HTMLNext.js