Running NodeSource N|Solid on Microsoft Azure
Today, we're excited to announce the availability of NodeSource N|Solid on the Azure Marketplace. 🎉
You can now deploy both the N|Solid Console and the N|Solid Runtime to Microsoft Azure, directly from the Azure Marketplace. Deploying N|Solid on Azure is now incredibly simple - you can be up and running with an enterprise-grade Node.js runtime on Azure in a matter of minutes.
Get Up and Running with N|Solid on Azure
Step 0: Create a Microsoft Azure Account
To deploy N|Solid on Azure, you'll need to have a Microsoft Azure account. If you don't already have one, you can easily sign up for one - creating an account is free!
Once you've got an account, you'll need to login into the Microsoft Azure Portal, which is where we'll be spinning up an instance of N|Solid on Azure.
Step 1: Installing the N|Solid Console and Runtime from the Azure Marketplace
Access Marketplace, as seen on the dashboard. If you don't see the Marketplace on your Dashboard, or you've navigated somewhere else within Azure, you can easily access the Marketplace any time from the search bar at any time - just search for "Marketplace".
Once you're in the Marketplace, search for "nsolid". With this search, both the N|Solid Runtime and the N|Solid Console will reutrn as results.
Installing the N|Solid Console
To start, you'll need to install the N|Solid Console. You can do so by selecting the N|Solid Console in the Marketplace, and then selecting "Create". Simply follow the setup steps - set your instance name, username, credentials, and resource group. If you don't already have a resource group, you should create a new one with a logical name - something like nsolid.
Once you've set all the information, you'll need to select a VM size. Any of the VM sizes will work - for production use of the N|Solid Console, we reccomend DS3_V2 or larger images.
Once your N|Solid Console has deployed successfully, you'll be able to access it by opening up the the VM's IP address in your browser. You'll be promped to login with basic authentication - by default on Azure, the username is nsolid and the password is nodesource.
Note: The configuration for the external proxy that provides the basic authentication is located at
/etc/nginx/sites-enabled-nsolid-nginx.confin the N|Solid Console instance. If you'd like to change the default login credentials (we highly suggest you do), you can do so there.
Once you're in, you'll need to provide an N|Solid license key. If you don't already have one, you can easily get one quickly with the "Get Started" button at the bottom of the console.
Adding Instances of the N|Solid Runtime on Azure
Now that you've got the N|Solid Console set up, it's time to get started with the N|Solid Runtime. Back on the Azure Marketplace, you'll want to follow the same process that you followed to create a N|Solid Console VM. Search for "nsolid" on the Marketplace, but this time select "N|Solid Runtime". After that, set your instance name, username, credentials, and resource group. We highly suggest using the same resource group that you set your N|Solid Console to, although it's not a requirement.
One key benefit of using N|Solid to run your Node.js applications on Azure is that you will only need to create one N|Solid Console to monitor your all your Node.js applications. You can spin up and connect as many instances of the N|Solid Runtime to your N|Solid Console as you'd like, and you'll be able to monitor them all centrally for performance drops, security vulnerabilities, and more.
On Azure, every N|Solid instance is a simple Linux box that has the bare essentials needed to run Node.js. As you would with a Node.js application deployed to Azure, if there are additional needed components for you projects and applications, you can simply SSH into the instance and install as needed.
Deploy Your First Node.js Application with N|Solid on Azure
Once you've got both an N|Solid Console and an N|Solid Runtime VM provisioned, you'll be able to run any Node.js applications in your N|Solid Runtime VM with the nsolid command and hook them into your N|Solid Console.
In order to connect an instance of the N|Solid Runtime to an instance of an N|Solid Console on Azure, you'll need to set the following environment variables to reference the correct IP:port combination:
- Environment Variable:
NSOLID_COMMAND- Value:
CONSOLE_IP_OR_NAME:9001
- Value:
- Environment Variable:
NSOLID_DATA- Value:
CONSOLE_IP_OR_NAME:9002
- Value:
- Environment Variable:
NSOLID_BULK- Value
CONSOLE_IP_OR_NAME:9003
- Value
Beyond this basic configuration, if you want to learn more about deploying your first Node.js application with N|Solid on Azure, we've got everything you'll need to know in the N|Solid Docs.
Additionally, you'll find deep dives into the features of N|Solid - like CPU profiles, heap snapshots, and security vulnerability monitoring, and more - to ensure your Node.js applications are secure, reliable, and connected.
Want to learn more about NodeSource?
NodeSource is the Node.js Company, providing production solutions for businesses that rely on Node.js as a platform of choice. In addition to N|Solid, we provide NodeSource Certified Modules to ensure that your third-party JavaScript is safe, secure, and reliable. We also provide enterprise-grade, 24/7 Node.js support for businesses that need to ensure that they've got answers to questions when they have them. We also offer a few services, like Architecture Evaluations for businesses that want to optimize their Node.js infrastructure and Node.js Training with our industry-leading team.