This article was originally published at [https://gist.github.com/joepie91/73ce30dd258296bd24af23e9c5f761aa](https://gist.github.com/joepie91/73ce30dd258296bd24af23e9c5f761aa).
Hi there! Since this post was originally written, `nvm` has gained some new tools, and some people have suggested alternative (and potentially better) approaches for modern systems. Make sure to have a look at the comments on the [original Gist](https://gist.github.com/joepie91/73ce30dd258296bd24af23e9c5f761aa), *before* following this guide!
Trickier than it seems. ### 1. Set up nvm[](https://gist.github.com/joepie91/73ce30dd258296bd24af23e9c5f761aa#1-set-up-nvm) Let's assume that you've already created an unprivileged user named `myapp`. You should never run your Node.js applications as root! Switch to the `myapp` user, and do the following: 1. `curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.31.0/install.sh | bash` (however, this will immediately run the nvm installer - you probably want to just download the `install.sh` manually, and inspect it before running it) 2. Install the latest stable Node.js version: `nvm install stable` ### 2. Prepare your application[](https://gist.github.com/joepie91/73ce30dd258296bd24af23e9c5f761aa#2-prepare-your-application) Your package.json must specify a `start` script, that describes what to execute for your application. For example: ```javascript ... "scripts": { "start": "node app.js" }, ... ``` ### 3. Service file[](https://gist.github.com/joepie91/73ce30dd258296bd24af23e9c5f761aa#3-service-file) Save this as `/etc/systemd/system/my-application.service`: ```ini [Unit] Description=My Application [Service] EnvironmentFile=-/etc/default/my-application ExecStart=/home/myapp/start.sh WorkingDirectory=/home/myapp/my-application-directory LimitNOFILE=4096 IgnoreSIGPIPE=false KillMode=process User=myapp [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target ``` You'll want to change the `User`, `Description` and `ExecStart`/`WorkingDirectory` paths to reflect your application setup. ### 4. Startup script[](https://gist.github.com/joepie91/73ce30dd258296bd24af23e9c5f761aa#4-startup-script) Next, save this as `/home/myapp/start.sh` (adjusting the username in both the path *and* the script if necessary): ```bash #!/bin/bash . /home/myapp/.nvm/nvm.sh npm start ``` This script is necessary, because we can't load nvm via the service file directly. Make sure to make it executable: ```bash chmod +x /home/myapp/start.sh ``` ### 5. Enable and start your service[](https://gist.github.com/joepie91/73ce30dd258296bd24af23e9c5f761aa#5-enable-and-start-your-service) Replace `my-application` with whatever you've named your service file after, running the following **as root**: 1. `systemctl enable my-application` 2. `systemctl start my-application` To verify whether your application started successfully (don't forget to `npm install` your dependencies!), run: ```bash systemctl status my-application ``` ... which will show you the last few lines of its output, whether it's currently running, and any errors that might have occurred. Done!