CODEWITHSUNDEEP
node.jsherokuexpressheroku-toolbelt
Crocodile
Crocodile

Reputation: 5845

Setting the port for node.js server on Heroku

I launched a node.js server with the following line to set the port:

app.set('port', process.env.PORT || 8080);

This means that, it should either read the PORT env variable or default to 8080, as it does when it's run locally. Neither of them is happening on Heroku, and the server always uses the default port 80. Any idea how to change it?

heroku config
PORT: 8080

Upvotes: 76

Views: 133175

Answers (9)

Alexandr Kazakov
Alexandr Kazakov

Reputation: 698

For modules solution:

const process = require('process');
const port = process.env.PORT || 8080;

Upvotes: 0

fabiosalvi
fabiosalvi

Reputation: 1

Different ports on Heroku can be used, as long as the main $PORT is also used. See https://stackoverflow.com/a/43911373/9646899

Upvotes: 0

ousecTic
ousecTic

Reputation: 1925

All the answers are great! Wanted to touch on the theory a bit so people can understand why Heroku sets it port to 80 or 443.

Computers had to create a convention to communicate with each other with a different protocol. For example HTTP, HTTPS, SSH, FTP , etc.

As a result, there was an agreement that computers will communicate HTTP with port 80, https will communicate on port 443, and so on with the other protocol. Below is a table displaying all the protocol's conventional reserve port number.

enter image description here

Now some of you people may be thinking well if these are reserve port number how come my computer lets me use port number 80 and 443 (ex localhost:80). You can use any port number (in fact you can choose up to 65,535 port number) but once you want to deploy to live and want others to use your application then you will have to start using the convention of port 80 (HTTP) or port 443 (https).

Heroku makes it nice and easy for you by providing an environment variable process.env.PORT to apply for the correct conventional port number so others can access your app.

Upvotes: 21

Rashid Iqbal
Rashid Iqbal

Reputation: 1261

80 is the default port so use 80 instead of 3000 or 8000

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 80;
var server = app.listen(PORT, function() {
    var host = server.address().address;
    var port = server.address().port;
    console.log("server is listening at http://%s:%s", host, port);
});

Upvotes: 2

mkupiniak
mkupiniak

Reputation: 127

You can do for example:

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 5001;

app.listen(PORT, () => console.log(`Server is listening on port ${PORT}...`));

Upvotes: 8

wscourge
wscourge

Reputation: 11281

In my case, heroku was listening on the default HTTPS port: 443 and it was not visible via heroku config:get PORT.

Upvotes: 4

E. Murimi
E. Murimi

Reputation: 509

You should use the port opened by heroku like so:

port = process.env.PORT || 80

It sets the port to 80 if it has somehow not been set already

Upvotes: 40

gomisha
gomisha

Reputation: 2924

Heroku treats web apps just like any other app and doesn't allow you to assign listening ports directly. Your web server will be assigned a dynamic port by Heroku but to ACCESS it, you will need to use the default port (80).

On Heroku, apps are completely self-contained and do not rely on runtime injection of a webserver into the execution environment to create a web-facing service. Each web process simply binds to a port, and listens for requests coming in on that port. The port to bind to is assigned by Heroku as the PORT environment variable.

The contract with Heroku is for the process to bind to a port to serve requests. Heroku’s routers are then responsible for directing HTTP requests to the process on the right port.

Reference: Heroku Runtime Principles - Web Servers

Upvotes: 12

punund
punund

Reputation: 4421

You can't. Heroku sets the PORT variable that you are supposed to bind, and listens on tcp/80.

Upvotes: 105

Related Questions