Import an existing Node.js application

When you deploy with the Node.js template, you can either create a new Node.js application in your Git repository or select an existing one. Follow the steps below to import a Node.js application you already have.

Using Git for your Node.js projects gives you automated deployments, infrastructure rollbacks when something fails, and deployment insights — who deployed what, when, and where.

1. Select the Node.js template

On the starting screen, select the Node.js template in the Free Application Templates section. These templates are free forever. You're redirected to a page where you connect your Git account, choose a cluster to deploy to, and deploy.

On the left side, a link points to the source code of this template on Microtica's GitHub account.

2. Import your Git repository

First, connect a Git account (GitHub, Bitbucket, or GitLab). If you already have a Git account connected to Microtica, choose it from the list. Select the repository with your existing application code, click Save, and every Git push deploys automatically in Microtica.

3. Prepare your Git repository

When you import an existing project in Microtica, certain files must be present in the repository for the CI/CD pipelines to work correctly. These files live in the .microtica folder, whose content you can preview on our GitHub account.

Clicking Add creates a new .microtica folder in your Node.js repository that contains, among other files, the microtica.yaml pipeline spec and a Dockerfile. These files ship with default configurations, so update them if you have anything specific to your application.

Before you continue, verify that these files are present in the repository. Click Validate to run a check. Once everything is set up correctly in your Git repo, continue to choose where to deploy your application.

4. Select a cluster

Next, choose the Kubernetes cluster where your application deploys. You have these options to run your container app:

• Create a new EKS cluster on the spot.
• Connect an existing cluster.

4.1. Create a new EKS cluster on the spot

To deploy your Node.js application on your own AWS account, create an AWS-managed Kubernetes (EKS) cluster by clicking Create Amazon EKS Cluster.

This is the recommended option for production applications, as it gives you full ownership of your cloud infrastructure and applications.

This opens the popup shown in the image above. Select the environment where you want this cluster deployed. If you don't have an existing environment, create one by selecting Create Environment from the dropdown menu.

Once you select an environment, select an AWS account and region where the EKS cluster deploys. If you don't have a connected AWS account, connect one here by clicking the Connect AWS Account button. This starts a CloudFormation stack that gives Microtica permission to provision infrastructure on your AWS account. Once you create the stack, the connection is established automatically, and the AWS account appears in the dropdown list of accounts.

Select the account, select a region, then click Deploy to start deploying your environment.

4.2. Connect an existing cluster

You can also connect an existing Kubernetes cluster and deploy your applications there. Connect Kubernetes clusters running on almost any cloud provider or on-premise. By connecting a cluster, you get the full capabilities of Microtica's Kubernetes automation.

To connect an existing Kubernetes cluster and deploy your Node.js application there, follow the documentation linked below.

5. Deploy the template to your cluster

Once you've selected the cluster, trigger a deployment of the environment by clicking Deploy.

It takes approximately 4–5 minutes for this application to deploy on the cloud. Meanwhile, follow the detailed deployment logs by clicking View Logs.

6. Access the application

When the deployment finishes, click View Applications to open the Apps tab inside the environment. Here you see all your live applications deployed and running on the cloud.

Select your Node.js application to open the overview page with basic information about the app. Click the domain field or the Visit button to preview your application live in the browser.

For more information, check the Deployments and Monitoring tabs, which show the pipeline history, resource consumption metrics, and logs for your instances.

Next steps

• Node.js template overview
• Scale applications in Microtica
• Connect an existing Kubernetes cluster