node deploy doesn't run npm install

[abulka]

Shouldn't deploying a node app git push piku master run npm install?

                    User Name: ubuntu
                    Password:  ubuntu (sudo su -)
Enumerating objects: 5, done.
Counting objects: 100% (5/5), done.
Delta compression using up to 4 threads
Compressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.
Writing objects: 100% (3/3), 280 bytes | 140.00 KiB/s, done.
Total 3 (delta 2), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0
remote: -----> Deploying app 'node-js-sample'
remote: HEAD is now at 378c3ba change
remote: -----> Node app detected.
remote: -----> Checking requirements: ['nodejs', 'npm']
remote: [None, '/usr/bin/npm']
remote: -----> Checking requirements: ['node', 'npm']
remote: ['/usr/bin/node', '/usr/bin/npm']
remote: -----> Checking requirements: ['npm']
remote: ['/usr/bin/npm']
remote: -----> picking free port 42981
remote: -----> nginx NGINX_IPV4_ADDRESS will be set to 0.0.0.0
remote: -----> nginx NGINX_IPV6_ADDRESS will be set to [::]
remote: -----> nginx BIND_ADDRESS will be set to 127.0.0.1
remote: -----> Removing uwsgi configs to trigger auto-restart.
remote: -----> spawning 'node-js-sample:web.1'
remote: -----> nginx will talk to the 'web' process via 127.0.0.1:42981
To vmt5:node-js-sample
   c6b98dd..378c3ba  master -> master

my logs say

web.1 |   ^
web.1 |
web.1 | Error: Cannot find module 'express'
web.1 | Require stack:
web.1 | - /home/piku/.piku/apps/node-js-sample/index.js
web.1 |     at Module._resolveFilename (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1075:15)
web.1 |     at Module._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:920:27)
web.1 |     at Module.require (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1141:19)
web.1 |     at require (node:internal/modules/cjs/helpers:110:18)
web.1 |     at Object.<anonymous> (/home/piku/.piku/apps/node-js-sample/index.js:1:15)
web.1 |     at Module._compile (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1254:14)
web.1 |     at Module._extensions..js (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1308:10)
web.1 |     at Module.load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1117:32)
web.1 |     at Module._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:958:12)
web.1 |     at Function.executeUserEntryPoint [as runMain] (node:internal/modules/run_main:81:12) {
web.1 |   code: 'MODULE_NOT_FOUND',
web.1 |   requireStack: [ '/home/piku/.piku/apps/node-js-sample/index.js' ]
web.1 | }
web.1 |
web.1 | Node.js v18.16.0

[chr15m]

Is the package.json file present in your deployed app? If you have the piku helper installed you can check with piku run ls package.json and paste the output here.

[abulka]

Yes, I have a package.json - its the same node sample project I deploy to dokku, for testing.

$ piku run ls package.json
package.json

Re-deploying didn't work. So I rebuilt it.

piku destroy
git push piku master

which seems to have kicked off the npm install! I think the troubles started because I didn't have node installed on the server. Even after I installed node manually, and re-deploying, npm install didn't run. So the destroy seems to have fixed things.

web.1 | machine: x86_64
web.1 | clock source: unix
web.1 | pcre jit disabled
web.1 | detected number of CPU cores: 2
web.1 | current working directory: /home/piku/.piku/uwsgi-enabled
web.1 | detected binary path: /usr/bin/uwsgi-core
web.1 | chdir() to /home/piku/.piku/apps/node-js-sample
web.1 | your processes number limit is 15227
web.1 | your memory page size is 4096 bytes
web.1 | detected max file descriptor number: 1024
web.1 | lock engine: pthread robust mutexes
web.1 | thunder lock: disabled (you can enable it with --thunder-lock)
web.1 | your mercy for graceful operations on workers is 60 seconds
web.1 | *** Operational MODE: no-workers ***
web.1 | !!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
web.1 | no request plugin is loaded, you will not be able to manage requests.
web.1 | you may need to install the package for your language of choice, or simply load it with --plugin.
web.1 | !!!!!!!!!!! END OF WARNING !!!!!!!!!!
web.1 | spawned uWSGI master process (pid: 5281)
web.1 | [uwsgi-daemons] spawning "node index.js" (uid: 1002 gid: 33)

the package.json

{
  "name": "node-js-sample",
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "description": "A sample Node.js app using Express 4",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.13.3"
  },
  "engines": {
    "node": "4.0.0"
  },

Procfile

web: node index.js

Git
git remote add piku piku@vmt5:node-js-sample

However I'm not sure how to access the app on my vmware server, and on what port? I'm used to using dokku and virtual naming via /etc/hosts. But both curl vmt5 and curl node-js-sample.vmt5 give me 403 forbidden, where /etc/hosts is

192.168.86.130  vmt5
192.168.86.130  node-js-sample.vmt5

Am a bit worried about the log messsage

web.1 | no request plugin is loaded, you will not be able to manage requests.

can't seem to find any documentation on this. Not sure why I need to do anything extra, surely express should be handling all of this.

[rcarmo]

That depends on how you use express. Take a look at the sample node app - note how it uses environment variables to bind to an interface and port, and that it logs that out for you to confirm.

(piku is able to set up nginx as a reverse proxy for your app - see the Node-RED example app, which also uses express under the hood - but it’s probably best for you to test against a known IP and port first if you’ve got VMware in the mix)

And don’t worry about the “no request plugin” warning, that is because there is no plugin loaded inside uwsgi to run an app, and it is outside our control.

(Final edit: moved to discussions)