NODE.JS app as a systemd service with CI controller

myapp-node-watcher.path

#########
# File: myapp-node-watcher.path
#
# Save this to /etc/systemd/system/
# Run systemctl enable myapp-node-watcher.path && systemctl daemon-reload && systemctl start myapp-node-watcher.path
#
[Path]
PathModified=/home/myuser/myappdir/public_html

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

myapp-node-watcher.service

#########
# File: myapp-node-watcher.service
#
# Save this to /etc/systemd/system/
# Run systemctl enable myapp-node-watcher.service && systemctl daemon-reload
#
[Unit]
Description=MyApp Server Watcher
#After=network.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/bin/systemctl restart myapp-node

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

myapp-node.service

#########
# File: myapp-node.service
#
# Save this to /etc/systemd/system/
# Run systemctl enable myapp-node.service && systemctl daemon-reload && systemctl start myapp-node
#
[Unit]
Description=MyApp Server

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node /home/myuser/myappdir/public_html/server.js
# Required on some systems
WorkingDirectory=/home/myuser/myappdir/public_html
Restart=always
 # Restart service after 10 seconds if node service crashes
RestartSec=10
 # Output to syslog
StandardOutput= /home/myuser/myappdir/logs/myapp.out.log
StandardError= /home/myuser/myappdir/logs/myapp.err.log
SyslogIdentifier=nodejs-myapp
User=myuser
Group=mygroup
# Define what port is supposed to have node listening. In this example we choosed 60000
Environment=NODE_ENV=production PORT=60000

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

myapp_node_systemd_services.md

To setup a node app as a systemd service and get it being reloaded each time you change code files use the following. This approach requires THREE files:

• myapp-node.service (where your node server is started)
• myapp-node-watcher.service (where your node server is restarted when changes in files are made)
• myapp-node-watcher.path (that checks if any file is changed)

Change the name to something meaningful but keep in mind that the *-watcher.service and the *-watcher.path must have the same name

Do it all as root or, better, as superuser.

After this issue the command systemctl status myapp-node -l to check if myapp is running. Change a file on the directory defined at the last file wait a sec and do the last command again.