Deploying a Node.js project with Docker makes your development and production setup consistent and scalable. Here’s how I containerized a simple Node.js app and ran it locally using Docker and Docker Compose.

Step 1: Create a dockerfile

In your project root, create a .dockerfile (you can also name it Dockerfile without the dot prefix for convention):

FROM node:16-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
EXPOSE 3033
CMD [ "node", "index.js" ]

Step 2: Build the Docker Image

docker build -t devk3/mongotest .

This command packages your app into a Docker image tagged as devk3/mongotest.

Step 3: Run the Container Locally

docker run -p 2000:3033 devk3/mongotest

Now your Node.js app will be running on http://localhost:2000, forwarding traffic to the container’s port 3033.

Step 4: Push to Docker Hub

Make sure you’re logged in (docker login) and then push:

docker push devk3/mongotest:latest

Your image is now publicly available on Docker Hub and can be pulled from anywhere.

Step 5: Use Docker Compose for Simpler Setup

To simplify local development or multi-container setups, use Docker Compose. Create a docker-compose.yml file:

version: "3.8"
services:
  web:
    image: devk3/mongotest
    ports:
      - "2222:3033"
    env_file:
      - .env

Start it with: docker-compose up

Access your app at http://localhost:2222.

Using Docker and Docker Compose:

• Keeps development and production environments consistent
• Easily share and deploy your app anywhere
• Secure and scale with additional services (like MongoDB, Redis, etc.)

Github link:

https://github.com/khatridev/nodejs-mongo-docker-boilerplate