Hello World - Node.js

A simple, production-ready Node.js web application that demonstrates how to deploy to DigitalOcean App Platform. Perfect for getting started or as a foundation for building REST APIs.

What This Template Includes

• Express.js Web Server: Lightweight and fast Node.js framework
• RESTful API Endpoints: Multiple example endpoints demonstrating different patterns
• Health Checks: Built-in health monitoring endpoint
• Graceful Shutdown: Proper signal handling for zero-downtime deployments
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling middleware
• Production Ready: Security best practices and environment-based configuration

Tech Stack

• Runtime: Node.js 18.x or higher
• Framework: Express.js 4.18.x
• Deployment: DigitalOcean App Platform
• Dependencies: Minimal (only Express.js)

Features

This Hello World application provides several useful endpoints:

• GET / - Welcome message with timestamp and environment info
• GET /health - Health check endpoint for monitoring (returns uptime and status)
• GET /api/info - API documentation and available endpoints
• POST /api/echo - Echo endpoint that returns your request body

Prerequisites

• DigitalOcean account (Sign up here)
• Basic understanding of Node.js (optional, for local development)

Estimated Cost

• Compute: Basic XXS (512MB RAM, 1 vCPU) - $5/month
• Bandwidth: 100GB included
• Total: ~$5/month for a production-ready application

Cost can be reduced further by using App Platform's free tier (if available) or by scaling down when not in use.

Deployment Instructions

One-Click Deploy

1. Click the "Deploy to DigitalOcean" button above
2. Authorize DigitalOcean to access the GitHub repository (read-only)
3. Configure deployment settings:
   • App Name: Choose a unique name for your app
   • Region: Select the closest region to your users
   • Branch: Keep as main (or change if deploying from a different branch)
4. Review environment variables (defaults are set for production)
5. Click "Deploy"
6. Wait 2-5 minutes for the build and deployment to complete

Post-Deployment

Once deployed, your application will be available at:

https://[your-app-name].ondigitalocean.app

Test Your Deployment:

# Test the welcome endpoint
curl https://[your-app-name].ondigitalocean.app/

# Check health status
curl https://[your-app-name].ondigitalocean.app/health

# Get API information
curl https://[your-app-name].ondigitalocean.app/api/info

# Test echo endpoint
curl -X POST https://[your-app-name].ondigitalocean.app/api/echo \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"message": "Hello from DigitalOcean!"}'

Local Development

Want to test or modify the application locally? Follow these steps:

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18.x or higher installed
• npm (comes with Node.js)

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bikram20/AppPlatform-Templates.git
cd AppPlatform-Templates/templates/hello-world-nodejs

# Install dependencies