Docker: Guide to Creating Node.js Applications
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to efficiently containerize your application for easy replication and scaling. Dive into the world of containerization with centron and optimize your development processes!
Docker allows developers to package and run applications as containers. Containers are isolated processes running on a shared operating system, offering a lightweight alternative to virtual machines. In this tutorial, we demonstrate how to create a Node.js application.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have the following:
- A server with Ubuntu
- Docker installed
- Node.js and npm installed
- A Docker Hub account
Steps to Create the Node.js Application
1. Install Application Dependencies
Install your application’s dependencies.
# Navigate to your project directory
cd my-nodejs-project
# Install dependencies
npm install
2. Create Node.js Application Files
Create the files for your Node.js application.
# Create the app.js file
touch app.js
# Create a directory for view files
mkdir views
# Create an HTML file for the user interface
touch views/index.html
3. Write Dockerfile
Create a File for your application.
# Use the official Node.js image as the base
FROM node:latest
# Set the working directory inside the container
WORKDIR /usr/src/app
# Copy dependencies and application files into the working directory
COPY package*.json ./
COPY app.js ./
COPY views ./views/
# Install dependencies
RUN npm install
# Expose the port the application runs on
EXPOSE 3000
# Start the application
CMD [“node”, “app.js”]
4. Create Docker Hub Image Repository
Create a Docker Hub image repository.
# Set Docker Hub image repository tag
docker tag my-nodejs-image your-dockerhub-username/my-nodejs-image:latest
# Push image to Docker Hub
docker push your-dockerhub-username/my-nodejs-image:latest
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we demonstrated how to create a Node.js application. By packaging your application as a container, you can easily replicate and scale it. Using Docker Hub, you can centrally manage your application images and share them with others.
