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Migrating a Next.js application to the Node.js Selector in cPanel

The Node.js Selector in cPanel allows you to run Node.js applications directly from your hosting account. If you already have a Next.js application, you can migrate it to the Node.js Selector with a few adjustments to ensure compatibility.

Preparing Your Next.js Project for Migration

Section titled “Preparing Your Next.js Project for Migration”

  1. Install Node.js and npm locally

    Section titled “Install Node.js and npm locally”
    • Make sure you have Node.js (v18.17 or higher) and npm installed on your development machine.

  2. Create or use an existing Next.js project

    Section titled “Create or use an existing Next.js project”

    • If starting fresh:

      npx create-next-app@latest

    • If you already have a project, skip this step.

  3. Create a custom server file

    Section titled “Create a custom server file”

    • In your project root, create a file named server.js.

    • Example:

      const { createServer } = require('http');
      const { parse } = require('url');
      const next = require('next');
      

      const dev = process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production';
      const hostname = 'localhost';
      const port = 3000;
      

      const app = next({ dev, hostname, port });
      const handle = app.getRequestHandler();
      

      app.prepare().then(() => {
        createServer(async (req, res) => {
          try {
            const parsedUrl = parse(req.url, true);
            const { pathname, query } = parsedUrl;
      

            if (pathname === '/a') {
              await app.render(req, res, '/a', query);
            } else if (pathname === '/b') {
              await app.render(req, res, '/b', query);
            } else {
              await handle(req, res, parsedUrl);
            }
          } catch (err) {
            console.error('Error occurred handling', req.url, err);
            res.statusCode = 500;
            res.end('internal server error');
          }
        }).listen(port, () => {
          console.log(`Ready on http://${hostname}:${port}`);
        });
      });
      Update package.json

    • Replace the start script with:

      "start": "NODE_ENV=production node server.js"

  4. Build and package the app

    Section titled “Build and package the app”
npm run build
zip -r ../nextapp.zip . --exclude ".git/*" .gitignore "node_modules/*" README.md

Migrating to cPanel

Section titled “Migrating to cPanel”

  1. Upload the project

    Section titled “Upload the project”
    • Log in to cPanel.
    • Use File Manager to upload nextapp.zip to your account.
    • Extract it into public_html/nextapp.

  2. Create a Node.js application

    Section titled “Create a Node.js application”
    • Go to Tools → Software → Setup Node.js App.
    • Click Create Application.
    • Select the Node.js version (must be ≥ 18.17).
    • Set Application Mode to Production.
    • Set Application Root to nextapp.
    • Set Application Startup File to server.js.
    • Click Create.

  3. Install dependencies

    Section titled “Install dependencies”
    • Click Run NPM Install in the Node.js Selector interface.
    • Wait for installation to complete.

  4. Start the application

    Section titled “Start the application”
    • Click Start App.
    • Visit your domain (e.g., example.com) to confirm the Next.js app is running.