Static Node.js builds

1 min read Updated 20 hours ago

Static Node.js builds

Deploy pre-built Node.js applications with optimized static file serving through Nginx.

When to use static mode

Choose static deployment when your application:

  • Generates all content at build time
  • Doesn't require server-side logic
  • Can run entirely in the browser
  • Benefits from CDN and caching

SPA routing configuration

Single-page applications require all routes to serve index.html. Ploi Cloud automatically configures Nginx to handle SPA routing:

  • All routes return index.html
  • Direct file requests (CSS, JS, images) are served normally
  • 404s for missing assets return proper 404 status

Build output structure

Your build should generate:

/var/www/html/
└── index.html

Optimizing static builds

Asset optimization

  • Enable build-time compression
  • Use content hashing for cache busting
  • Optimize images and fonts
  • Minimize JavaScript bundles

Build commands

# Install dependencies and build
npm ci && npm run build

# With environment check
npm ci && NODE_ENV=production npm run build

Converting from runtime to static

If your Node.js app can work as static:

  1. Remove server-side code
  2. Build to static files
  3. Remove start command in settings
  4. Ensure build outputs to correct directory
  5. Deploy changes