This is an example of how to set up a Node.js application to deploy on Kinsta’s Application Hosting services.
During the deployment process, Kinsta automatically installs dependencies defined in your package.json file.
- Create a new repository from this template (Use this template > Create a new repository): Kinsta – Hello World – Node.js
- In MyKinsta, add an application with the Hello World – Node.js repository. The Start command can be left blank for the web process as Kinsta automatically detects the required command during the first deployment.
The app is available as soon as the build finishes and a Hello World page loads at your application’s URL.

Web Server Setup
Port
Kinsta automatically sets the PORT
environment variable. You do not need to define it yourself or hard-code it into the application. Use process.env.PORT
in your code when referring to the server port.
app.listen(process.env.PORT, () => {
console.log(`Hello World Application is running on port ${process.env.PORT}`)
})
Start Command
When you deploy an application, Kinsta automatically creates a web process with npm start
as the Start comand. Make sure you use this command to run your server. If you want to use a different command, you need to modify the web process in MyKinsta.
"scripts": {
"start": "node server.js"
},
Deployment Lifecycle
Whenever a deployment is initiated (through creating an application or re-deploying due to an incoming commit), the npm build
command is run, followed by the npm start
command.