Running NodeJS apps as systemd processes

In DollarDeploy, we run your apps as isolated systemd processes instead of Docker containers. This gives you reliable process management, automatic restarts, and native Linux logging — without the overhead of containerization.

Why systemd?

When you deploy a Node.js app on DollarDeploy, we create a systemd service that:

• Starts automatically when your server boots
• Restarts on failure with configurable delays
• Collects logs via journald with automatic rotation
• Runs with security hardening (no root, restricted filesystem access)

Read more about systemd basics here.

systemd vs Docker: When to use each

What DollarDeploy generates

When you deploy a Node.js app, we create a systemd unit file like this:

[Unit]
Description=My Node.js App
After=network-online.target

[Service]
User=app
WorkingDirectory=/home/app/myapp
ExecStart=/home/app/.nvm/versions/node/v20/bin/npm run start
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5
EnvironmentFile=/home/app/myapp/.env

# Security hardening
NoNewPrivileges=true
ProtectSystem=strict
ProtectHome=read-only
PrivateTmp=true
PrivateDevices=true

# Logging
StandardOutput=append:/var/log/myapp/app.log
StandardError=inherit
SyslogIdentifier=myapp

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Key settings explained

• Restart=on-failure — Automatically restart if your app crashes
• RestartSec=5 — Wait 5 seconds before restarting (prevents crash loops)
• NoNewPrivileges=true — Process can't escalate permissions
• ProtectSystem=strict — Filesystem is read-only except allowed paths
• PrivateTmp=true — Isolated /tmp directory

Log rotation

We also configure logrotate to manage your logs:

/var/log/myapp/*.log {
    daily
    rotate 14
    compress
    missingok
    notifempty
    copytruncate
}

This keeps 14 days of compressed logs without manual maintenance.

Managing your service

You can check your app status directly via SSH:

# View status
sudo systemctl status myapp

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u myapp -f

# Restart manually
sudo systemctl restart myapp

But with DollarDeploy, you usually don't need to — the dashboard handles restarts and shows logs directly.

Key takeaway

systemd gives you production-grade process management without Docker's complexity. For single-app deployments where you want maximum performance and simplicity, it's the right choice. DollarDeploy handles all the configuration automatically — you just push code.

Want to see it in action? Deploy your first Next.js app and check the systemd service we create.