Deploy to Node.js

EmDash runs on any Node.js 22+ hosting platform. This guide covers deployment to common providers using SQLite and local or S3-compatible storage.

Prerequisites

• Node.js v22.12.0 or higher
• A Node.js hosting provider or VPS

Configuration

Configure EmDash for Node.js deployment:

import { defineConfig } from "astro/config";
import node from "@astrojs/node";
import emdash, { local, s3 } from "emdash/astro";
import { sqlite } from "emdash/db";

export default defineConfig({
	output: "server",
	adapter: node({ mode: "standalone" }),
	integrations: [
		emdash({
			database: sqlite({ url: "file:./data/emdash.db" }),
			storage: local({
				directory: "./data/uploads",
				baseUrl: "/_emdash/api/media/file",
			}),
		}),
	],
});

Build and Run

1. Build the project:

npm run build

2. Initialize the database:

   npx emdash init --database ./data/emdash.db

3. Start the server:

   node ./dist/server/entry.mjs

The server runs on http://localhost:4321 by default.

Production Storage

For production, use S3-compatible storage instead of local filesystem:

import emdash, { s3 } from "emdash/astro";

export default defineConfig({
	integrations: [
		emdash({
			database: sqlite({ url: `file:${process.env.DATABASE_PATH}` }),
			storage: s3({
				endpoint: process.env.S3_ENDPOINT,
				bucket: process.env.S3_BUCKET,
				accessKeyId: process.env.S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID,
				secretAccessKey: process.env.S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY,
				publicUrl: process.env.S3_PUBLIC_URL, // Optional CDN URL
			}),
		}),
	],
});

Docker

Add a .dockerignore to keep the build context small:

node_modules
dist
.git

Create a Dockerfile:

FROM node:22-alpine AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM node:22-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY --from=builder /app/package.json ./
COPY --from=builder /app/seed ./seed
COPY --from=builder /app/astro.config.mjs ./

RUN mkdir -p data

ENV HOST=0.0.0.0
ENV PORT=4321

EXPOSE 4321
CMD ["sh", "-c", "npx emdash init && node ./dist/server/entry.mjs"]

Build and run:

docker build -t my-emdash-site .
docker run -p 4321:4321 -v emdash-data:/app/data my-emdash-site

Or use Docker Compose:

services:
  emdash:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "4321:4321"
    volumes:
      - emdash-data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  emdash-data:

docker compose up -d

Environment Variables

Required for Production

Database and Storage

Persistent Storage

SQLite requires persistent disk storage. Ensure your hosting platform provides:

• A mounted volume or persistent disk
• Write access to the database directory
• Backup mechanisms for the database file

Health Checks

Add a health check endpoint for load balancers:

export const GET = () => {
  return new Response("OK", { status: 200 });
};

Configure your platform to check /health for liveness probes.