close
Ctrlk
For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.

Creating a Node.js App

Step-by-step guide to deploying a Node.js app on Hostinger from a GitHub repository, uploaded archive, or code editor, with build settings and troubleshooting.

Deploy a Node.js app (a Web App in hPanel) from a GitHub repository, an uploaded archive, or straight from your code editor. Hostinger detects your framework, suggests build settings, runs the build, and keeps the process running.

Requirements

  • A plan that supports Node.js apps in the panel: Business Web Hosting, or Cloud Startup / Professional / Enterprise / Enterprise Plus. (VPS and dedicated plans run Node.js too, but require manual CLI setup — not the panel flow described here.) Each plan includes a set number of Web Apps — if you hit the limit, remove unused apps or upgrade.

  • A Node.js project with a package.json. Supported runtimes: Node.js 18, 20, 22, and 24.

  • The source: a GitHub repository (yours, or any public repo URL), or an archive of your project.

Hostinger auto-detects most popular frameworks: React, Create React App, Vue, Angular, Vite, Parcel, Preact, Next.js, Nuxt, Nitro, Astro, Svelte, SvelteKit, Gatsby, React Router, Express, NestJS, Fastify, Hono. Anything outside that list deploys as Other — you fill in build settings manually.

Deploy from GitHub (recommended)

  1. In hPanel, open Websites → Add Website.

  2. Pick Node.js web app.

  3. Choose Import Git repository and click Connect with GitHub. A popup asks you to install the Hostinger GitHub App and choose which repositories it can access. One GitHub account is connected at a time — switching accounts replaces the connection.

  4. Pick the repo containing your app and click Deploy. Use the search box or Refresh repositories if a repo is missing.

  5. Hostinger detects the framework and pre-fills the deploy settings — framework preset, branch, Node version, build command, output directory, entry file. Review and adjust if needed.

  6. Click Deploy.

Subsequent updates: push to the connected branch and Hostinger triggers a rebuild automatically. See GitHub deployments for connection management, redeploys, and webhook details.

Deploy a public repository

Don't own the repo? Paste any public GitHub repository URL into the repository picker. Hostinger clones it into a new repository on your GitHub account — you pick the repository name and whether it's private (default) — then deploys from your copy. Future pushes to your copy auto-deploy as usual.

Deploy by uploading an archive

  1. Zip your project, omitting node_modules and .git to keep the archive small:

  2. In hPanel, open Websites → Add Website → Node.js web app.

  3. Choose Upload your files.

  4. Upload your archive — .zip, .tar, .tar.gz, or .tgz, one project archive at a time.

  5. Confirm or edit the auto-detected deploy settings.

  6. Click Deploy.

If the domain you're deploying under is already added to your hosting plan, remove that website first — the Node.js deploy flow expects to create a fresh slot for the domain.

Deploy from your code editor

The onboarding flow also offers Build with Hostinger Connector — an MCP extension for VS Code, Cursor, and Claude Code. Type a prompt in your editor and the Connector deploys the app for you. See Hostinger Connector.

Deploy settings

When the framework can't be auto-detected, or you want to override the defaults, fill in:

Field
What it is

Framework preset

Your framework, or Other for custom apps.

Branch

Git deploys only — the branch that triggers builds. Defaults to the repo's default branch.

Node.js version

18, 20, 22 (default), or 24. Projects targeting anything older run on Node 18.

Build command

npm script Hostinger should run after install (e.g. npm run build), picked from your package.json scripts.

Package manager

npm (default), yarn, or pnpm — auto-detected from your lockfile.

Output directory

Folder containing build artifacts — common values: dist, build, out, .next. Required for static frontend apps.

Entry file

Server apps only — the script that starts your app, e.g. server.js. Must end in .js, .mjs, or .cjs.

Environment variables

Anything your app reads from process.env at build or runtime. See Environment Variables.

If you're not sure what to put, check your project's package.json scripts block. Full field reference: Build Settings.

After deploy

Build artifacts land in:

  • ~/domains/{domain}/hbuilds/current/nodejs — server-side apps.

  • ~/domains/{domain}/public_html — frontend / static-output apps.

current is a symlink to the live build. Full layout, timestamps, and manual-edit rules: File Structure.

Hostinger generates an .htaccess in public_html to route requests to your Node.js process. Redeploying regenerates it, so don't hand-edit.

For server-side apps (Express, Next.js, NestJS, …), click the Running badge in the dashboard to Restart the process. Static frontend apps don't expose Restart — there's nothing live to restart.

Logs

  • Build logs — deploy-time output, streamed live during a deploy. Find past builds under Deployments. See Deployments.

  • Runtime Logs — what your running app prints to stdout/stderr. See Runtime Logs.

If a build fails, Hostinger generates an AI analysis of the failure with a diagnosis and suggested fix — see Deployments.

Connect a database

The Web App dashboard includes a guided Connect a database wizard — currently Supabase and MongoDB Atlas:

  • Supabase — one-click connect via Supabase authorization (link an existing database or create a new one), or enter the Project URL and Anon key manually. Sets SUPABASE_URL and SUPABASE_ANON_KEY.

  • MongoDB Atlas — paste your Connection string; the guide walks through allowlisting your hosting IP. Sets MONGODB_URI.

The wizard merges the variables into your app's environment variables, shows sample client code, and redeploys the app. Disconnecting removes the variables and redeploys.

Vulnerability monitoring

Hostinger automatically scans the npm packages your app installs for known vulnerabilities after every deployment. For Git-connected apps, flagged packages can be fixed with an auto-generated GitHub pull request. See Vulnerability Scanning.

Resource usage

The dashboard plots live CPU, RAM, and I/O against your plan's limits. If a metric is sitting near the red dotted line, optimize the app or move up a plan.

Programmatic deploys

For CI/CD, skip the panel entirely:

  1. Call the Generate Upload URL endpoint to get a one-time URL.

  2. PUT your archive to it.

  3. Trigger a build via the Start Node.js build endpoint.

Troubleshooting

Build failed Open the failed deployment under Deployments — the AI-generated analysis explains the failure with a diagnosis and solution, and offers Fix and redeploy. Otherwise, check the build logs: verify your package.json scripts, the declared output directory, and that your Node.js version matches what your dependencies need.

Repository is missing a package.json The Node.js flow needs a package.json at the app root. Add one, or use the Deploy as static option to serve the repo contents as a static site via Git deployment.

App not responding after a green build For server apps, check Runtime Logs — a build can succeed while the process crashes on startup. Most common causes: missing env vars, or binding to the wrong port.

403 after a redeploy The .htaccess in public_html is stale or was hand-edited. Redeploy to regenerate it.

Last updated: September 9, 2026

PreviousNode.js Hosting Overview
NextFile Structure

Last updated

Was this helpful?