Node.js apps run on shared and WordPress hosting through cPanel's Node.js Selector. You pick a Node version, tell it where your app lives and how to start it, and cPanel handles the process for you.
Create the application
- Open cPanel from your hosting service. See Accessing cPanel if you need the way in.
- Find Node.js Selector under Software.
- Create an application and set:
- A Node version. We keep recent LTS versions available.
- The application root, the folder your app code lives in.
- The startup file, the entry point that boots your server (for example
app.jsorserver.js).
- Start the app. cPanel manages the process from there.
The version your app runs on is pinned per application. Adding a new app on a newer Node version does not disturb an existing app pinned to an older one.
Get your code onto the server first
Put your application files in place before you start it. You can upload with the portal file manager or an FTP/SFTP client, or deploy from a repository. See Uploading files to your hosting and What programming languages and runtimes do you support for the full picture of runtimes and upload paths.
Dependencies
Your dependencies come from your package.json. Install them before starting the app so the modules your startup file requires are present.
Scheduled work
If your app relies on scheduled tasks rather than a long-running process (a queue worker triggered on a timer, a nightly cleanup), you can drive those from cron. See Setting up cron jobs for schedule syntax and how to run a command on an interval.
When to move to a VPS
The Node.js Selector covers most standard apps well. For more demanding workloads, high concurrency, long-running background processes, or custom build toolchains, a managed VPS gives you the dedicated resources for the job. Tell our team what the app needs and we provision it (our VPS is fully managed, so there is no root level to configure yourself).
If the app will not start
- Wrong startup file: confirm the entry point matches the file that actually boots your server.
- Missing modules: make sure dependencies were installed against the same Node version the app is set to run on.
- Application root mismatch: the root must point at the folder that contains your app code and
package.json.