# Bitnami Secure Image for Node.js

## What is Node.js?

> Node.js is a runtime environment built on V8 JavaScript engine. Its event-driven, non-blocking I/O model enables the development of fast, scalable, and data-intensive server applications.

[Overview of Node.js](https://nodejs.org/)
Trademarks: This software listing is packaged by Bitnami. The respective trademarks mentioned in the offering are owned by the respective companies, and use of them does not imply any affiliation or endorsement.

## TL;DR

```console
docker run -it --name node bitnami/node:latest
```

## Why use Bitnami Secure Images?

Those are hardened, minimal CVE images built and maintained by Bitnami. Bitnami Secure Images are based on the cloud-optimized, security-hardened enterprise [OS Photon Linux](https://vmware.github.io/photon/). Why choose BSI images?

- Hardened secure images of popular open source software with Near-Zero Vulnerabilities
- Vulnerability Triage & Prioritization with VEX Statements, KEV and EPSS Scores
- Compliance focus with FIPS, STIG, and air-gap options, including secure bill of materials (SBOM)
- Software supply chain provenance attestation through in-toto
- First class support for the internet’s favorite Helm charts

Each image comes with valuable security metadata. You can view the metadata in [our public catalog here](https://app-catalog.vmware.com/bitnami/apps). Note: Some data is only available with [commercial subscriptions to BSI](https://bitnami.com/).

![Alt text](https://github.com/bitnami/containers/blob/main/BSI%20UI%201.png?raw=true "Application details")
![Alt text](https://github.com/bitnami/containers/blob/main/BSI%20UI%202.png?raw=true "Packaging report")

If you are looking for our previous generation of images based on Debian Linux, please see the [Bitnami Legacy registry](https://hub.docker.com/u/bitnamilegacy).

## Choosing between the _Standard_ and _Minimal_ image

This asset is available in two flavors: _Standard_ and _Minimal_; designed to address different use cases and operational needs.

### Standard images

The standard images are full-featured, production-ready containers built on top of secure base operating systems. They include:

- The complete runtime and commonly used system tools.
- A familiar Linux environment (shell, package manager, debugging utilities).
- Full compatibility with most CI/CD pipelines and existing workloads.

Recommended for:

- Development and testing environments.
- Workloads requiring package installation or debugging tools.
- Applications that depend on system utilities or shared libraries.

### Minimal images

The minimal images are optimized, distroless-style containers derived from a stripped-down base. They only ship what’s strictly necessary to run the application; no shell, package manager, or extra libraries. They provide:

- Smaller size: Faster pull and startup times.
- Reduced attack surface: Fewer components and potential vulnerabilities.
- Simpler maintenance: Fewer dependencies to patch or update.

Recommended for:

- Production environments prioritizing performance and security.
- Regulated or security-sensitive workloads
- Containers built via multi-stage builds (e.g., Golang static binaries).

## Supported tags and respective `Dockerfile` links

Learn more about the Bitnami tagging policy and the difference between rolling tags and immutable tags [in our documentation page](https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-tanzu/application-catalog/tanzu-application-catalog/services/tac-doc/apps-tutorials-understand-rolling-tags-containers-index.html).

## Get this image

The recommended way to get the Bitnami Node.js Docker Image is to pull the prebuilt image from the [Docker Hub Registry](https://hub.docker.com/r/bitnami/node).

```console
docker pull bitnami/node:latest
```

To use a specific version, you can pull a versioned tag. You can view the [list of available versions](https://hub.docker.com/r/bitnami/node/tags/) in the Docker Hub Registry.

```console
docker pull bitnami/node:[TAG]
```

If you wish, you can also build the image yourself by cloning the repository, changing to the directory containing the Dockerfile and executing the `docker build` command. Remember to replace the `APP`, `VERSION` and `OPERATING-SYSTEM` path placeholders in the example command below with the correct values.

```console
git clone https://github.com/bitnami/containers.git
cd bitnami/APP/VERSION/OPERATING-SYSTEM
docker build -t bitnami/APP:latest .
```

## Entering the REPL

By default, running this image will drop you into the Node.js REPL, where you can interactively test and try things out in Node.js.

```console
docker run -it --name node bitnami/node
```

**Further Reading:**

- [nodejs.org/api/repl.html](https://nodejs.org/api/repl.html)

## Configuration

### Running your Node.js script

The default work directory for the Node.js image is `/app`. You can mount a folder from your host here that includes your Node.js script, and run it normally using the `node` command.

```console
docker run -it --name node -v /path/to/app:/app bitnami/node \
  node script.js
```

### Running a Node.js app with npm dependencies

If your Node.js app has a `package.json` defining your app's dependencies and start script, you can install the dependencies before running your app.

```console
docker run --rm -v /path/to/app:/app bitnami/node npm install
docker run -it --name node  -v /path/to/app:/app bitnami/node npm start
```

or by modifying the [`docker-compose.yml`](https://github.com/bitnami/containers/blob/main/bitnami/node/docker-compose.yml) file present in this repository:

```yaml
node:
  ...
  command: "sh -c 'npm install && npm start'"
  volumes:
    - .:/app
  ...
```

**Further Reading:**

- [package.json documentation](https://docs.npmjs.com/files/package.json)
- [npm start script](https://docs.npmjs.com/misc/scripts#default-values)

### FIPS configuration in Bitnami Secure Images

The Bitnami Node.js Docker image from the [Bitnami Secure Images](https://go-vmware.broadcom.com/contact-us) catalog includes extra features and settings to configure the container with FIPS capabilities. You can configure the next environment variables:

- `OPENSSL_FIPS`: whether OpenSSL runs in FIPS mode or not. `yes` (default), `no`.

## Working with private npm modules

To work with npm private modules, it is necessary to be logged into npm. npm CLI uses *auth tokens* for authentication. Check the official [npm documentation](https://www.npmjs.com/package/get-npm-token) for further information about how to obtain the token.

If you are working in a Docker environment, you can inject the token at build time in your Dockerfile by using the ARG parameter as follows:

- Create a `npmrc` file within the project. It contains the instructions for the `npm` command to authenticate against npmjs.org registry. The `NPM_TOKEN` will be taken at build time. The file should look like this:

```console
//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=${NPM_TOKEN}
```

- Add some new lines to the Dockerfile in order to copy the `npmrc` file, add the expected `NPM_TOKEN` by using the ARG parameter, and remove the `npmrc` file once the npm install is completed.

You can find the Dockerfile below:

```dockerfile
FROM bitnami/node

ARG NPM_TOKEN
COPY npmrc /root/.npmrc

COPY . /app

WORKDIR /app
RUN npm install

CMD node app.js
```

- Now you can build the image using the above Dockerfile and the token. Run the `docker build` command as follows:

```console
docker build --build-arg NPM_TOKEN=${NPM_TOKEN} .
```

| NOTE: The "." at the end gives `docker build` the current directory as an argument.

Congratulations! You are now logged into the npm repo.

### Further reading

- [npm official documentation](https://docs.npmjs.com/private-modules/docker-and-private-modules).

## Accessing a Node.js app running a web server

By default the image exposes the port `3000` of the container. You can use this port for your Node.js application server.

Below is an example of an [express.js](http://expressjs.com/) app listening to remote connections on port `3000`:

```javascript
var express = require('express');
var app = express();

app.get('/', function (req, res) {
  res.send('Hello World!');
});

var server = app.listen(3000, '0.0.0.0', function () {

  var host = server.address().address;
  var port = server.address().port;

  console.log('Example app listening at http://%s:%s', host, port);
});
```

To access your web server from your host machine you can ask Docker to map a random port on your host to port `3000` inside the container.

```console
docker run -it --name node -v /path/to/app:/app -P bitnami/node node index.js
```

Run `docker port` to determine the random port Docker assigned.

```console
$ docker port node
3000/tcp -> 0.0.0.0:32769
```

You can also specify the port you want forwarded from your host to the container.

```console
docker run -it --name node -p 8080:3000 -v /path/to/app:/app bitnami/node node index.js
```

Access your web server in the browser by navigating to `http://localhost:8080`.

## Connecting to other containers

If you want to connect to your Node.js web server inside another container, you can use docker networking to create a network and attach all the containers to that network.

### Serving your Node.js app through an nginx frontend

We may want to make our Node.js web server only accessible via an nginx web server. Doing so will allow us to setup more complex configuration, serve static assets using nginx, load balance to different Node.js instances, etc.

#### Step 1: Create a network

```console
docker network create app-tier --driver bridge
```

#### Step 2: Create a virtual host

Let's create an nginx virtual host to reverse proxy to our Node.js container.

```nginx
server {
    listen 0.0.0.0:80;
    server_name yourapp.com;

    location / {
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header HOST $http_host;
        proxy_set_header X-NginX-Proxy true;

        # proxy_pass http://[your_node_container_link_alias]:3000;
        proxy_pass http://myapp:3000;
        proxy_redirect off;
    }
}
```

Notice we've substituted the link alias name `myapp`, we will use the same name when creating the container.

Copy the virtual host above, saving the file somewhere on your host. We will mount it as a volume in our nginx container.

#### Step 3: Run the Node.js image with a specific name

```console
docker run -it --name myapp --network app-tier \
  -v /path/to/app:/app \
  bitnami/node node index.js
```

#### Step 4: Run the nginx image

```console
docker run -it \
  -v /path/to/vhost.conf:/bitnami/nginx/conf/vhosts/yourapp.conf:ro \
  --network app-tier \
  bitnami/nginx
```

## Notable Changes

### Starting January 16, 2024

- The `docker-compose.yaml` file has been removed, as it was solely intended for internal testing purposes.

### 6.2.0-r0 (2016-05-11)

- Commands are now executed as the `root` user. Use the `--user` argument to switch to another user or change to the required user using `sudo` to launch applications. Alternatively, as of Docker 1.10 User Namespaces are supported by the docker daemon. Refer to the [daemon user namespace options](https://docs.docker.com/engine/security/userns-remap/) for more details.

### 4.1.2-0 (2015-10-12)

- Permissions fixed so `bitnami` user can install global npm modules without needing `sudo`.

### 4.1.1-0-r01 (2015-10-07)

- `/app` directory is no longer exported as a volume. This caused problems when building on top of the image, since changes in the volume are not persisted between Dockerfile `RUN` instructions. To keep the previous behavior (so that you can mount the volume in another container), create the container with the `-v /app` option.

## License

Copyright &copy; 2026 Broadcom. The term "Broadcom" refers to Broadcom Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at

<http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0>

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
