CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javascriptnode.jslinuxshelldeployment
MountainX
MountainX

Reputation: 6337

How to deploy Javascript app that runs from command line?

I have a simple CLI application written in Javascript using Node that is for internal use by a small team. It runs in the Linux terminal as a CLI app. The app consists of a single ".js" file and requires a few Node packages. The problem I face now is how to deploy it to our internal team using a simple method that fits with our routine process of keeping end user computers updated.

Our app needs to be installed once per workstation / laptop and to be available to all users on that computer. Any user should be able to open a terminal and enter the command to run the app.

It seems a lot of people have discussed using Javascript for shell programming, but this issue of deploying the completed app is not widely discussed. I have not found anything on the topic. So far I have been recommended solutions that are appropriate for either development environments or web servers.

This app is not a web app and it is not deployed on a server. It needs to run offline. I am also not asking about developing or maintaining the app on a development workstation.

The installation process should ideally be as about simple as installing a shell script in /usr/local/bin and setting permissions so all permitted users on a computer can run it. We are looking for an installation method like this:

A developer will keep the app updated so it is always compatible with the latest version of the Node packages, and all computers it is deployed on will always have the latest versions of those packages installed.

One specific problem I encountered is discussed here, but the answers assume a different set of requirements (such as the need for "multiple applications running on different package versions").

Upvotes: 1

Views: 831

Answers (2)

dirkt
dirkt

Reputation: 473

For those requirements, if the actual problem is solving the EACCESS error (you should edit the question to include that information), then you should look at the permissions of all directories, and make sure that the user account that manages node packages on each computer has correct permissions.

One way to do that is to give /usr/local a special group, set the sticky bit with chmod (see man chmod), and use chgrp -R on the existing tree.

Then make the installing account a member of that group, and don't use sudo for npm install -g.

(Never using sudo for installations into /usr/local has the additional advantage that you can't accidentally install something somewhere else, for example because you didn't set paths in this local package source correctly.)

Upvotes: 1

tomanizer
tomanizer

Reputation: 1007

We are using these two approaches for similar deployments:

  • the programs live on a specific network mount. All users can run the same package from there. The developer only updates this package. No copying to local machines.

  • we use a simple deployment script which runs on all machines on logon. It pushes and copies the latest version to the local machine.

Upvotes: 0

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