nodevm

Install Node.js with essential global packages

Purpose

This cube installs the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version of Node.js along with essential global npm packages commonly needed for development and deployment.

What is Node.js?

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine that allows you to run JavaScript on the server. It's widely used for:

Building web servers and APIs
Command-line tools
Build tools and task runners
Real-time applications (chat, notifications)
Microservices

What This Cube Does

Installs Node.js LTS
- Downloads and runs the official NodeSource setup script
- Installs the latest LTS version of Node.js
- Includes npm (Node Package Manager)
Installs build dependencies
- libssl-dev - SSL/TLS libraries
- libtool - Library building tools
- cmake - Cross-platform build system
- libpng-dev, libjpeg-dev, libvips-dev - Image processing libraries
Installs global npm packages
- npm@11.1.0 - Latest npm version
- pm2 - Production process manager for Node.js apps
- yarn - Alternative package manager
- local-web-server - Local development web server
- node-gyp - Node.js native addon build tool
- inquirer - Interactive command-line prompts
- execa - Better child process execution
- @dotenvx/dotenvx - Environment variable management

Configuration

This cube currently has no configurable parameters.

Dependencies

None - this cube can run standalone.

Post-Installation

Verify installation:

node --version
npm --version

Common commands:

Run a Node.js app: node app.js
Start with PM2: pm2 start app.js
Install packages: npm install <package>
Use yarn: yarn add <package>

PM2 - Process Manager

PM2 is included for production deployments. Common PM2 commands:

pm2 start app.js              # Start application
pm2 list                      # List running apps
pm2 stop app                  # Stop application
pm2 restart app               # Restart application
pm2 logs                      # View logs
pm2 startup                   # Enable PM2 on boot
pm2 save                      # Save current process list

Notes

Node.js is installed system-wide
Global packages are accessible to all users
npm cache is stored in ~/.npm
Use nvm if you need multiple Node.js versions