Production deployment#

Production requires persistent storage, HTTPS for the browser surface and a separate TCP route for Telnet.

Before you start#

• A strong NODEHOUSE_SYSOP_PASSWORD for the first boot.
• Persistent storage for the database and file library.
• A reverse proxy and certificate for the web hostname.
• A direct TCP forwarding path if Telnet will be public.
• A recent backup and rollback image for upgrades.

Docker Compose#

1. Copy .env.example to .env.
2. Set NODE_ENV=production and the SysOp password.
3. Edit compose.yaml and replace the committed example values for NODEHOUSE_ALLOWED_ORIGINS, NODEHOUSE_PUBLIC_WEB_URL, NODEHOUSE_PUBLIC_TELNET_HOST, and NODEHOUSE_PUBLIC_TELNET_PORT. Those service-level values override matching entries in .env.
4. Start with docker compose up -d --build.
5. Route HTTPS to host port 8088 with WebSocket upgrades intact.
6. Route public TCP 23 directly to the Telnet listener if offered.

The Compose service mounts ./data and ./files. Do not replace them with an ephemeral container filesystem.

Managed hosting#

Use one service replica because active nodes and session coordination are held in the process. Mount a persistent volume at /app/data, set NODEHOUSE_DB_PATH=/app/data/nodehouse.db, expose HTTP using the platform's PORT, and configure a separate TCP service for Telnet.

Verify#

npm run smoke

Also verify the public /healthz, browser terminal, WebSocket connection and Telnet banner from outside the host network. Sign in as SysOp and confirm recent call data is written to the persistent database.

If it does not work#