Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine, designed to execute JavaScript code on the server side. It is well-suited for building scalable and high-performance web applications due to its event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, making it lightweight and efficient for data-intensive real-time applications on distributed devices. Traditionally, web developers used JavaScript for the frontend and languages like Java, .NET, or PHP for the back end; Node.js allows frontend developers to use JavaScript across the entire stack.

Official Image

The official Node.js image is available at: https://hub.docker.com/_/node

Building a Simple Web Server

1. Coding

Creating a basic HTTP server in Node.js requires the built-in http module. Here is an example implementation:

const http = require('http');
const hostname = '0.0.0.0';
const port = 8080;

const requestHandler = (request, response) => {
    response.statusCode = 200;
    response.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain');
    response.end('Greetings from Node!');
};

const webServer = http.createServer(requestHandler);
webServer.listen(port, hostname, () => {
    console.log(`Server running at http://${hostname}:${port}/`);
});

2. Writing the Dockerfile

The following Dockerfile defines the environment for the application:

# Use a specific lightweight Node.js version
FROM node:10-alpine

# Define the working directory inside the container
WORKDIR /usr/src/app

# Copy package files if applicable, then app code
COPY package*.json ./
COPY server.js ./

# Install dependencies (if using package.json)
RUN npm install

# Expose the port the app runs on
EXPOSE 8080

# Start the application
CMD [ "node", "server.js" ]

3. Build and Run

Build the image using the following command:

docker build -t node-web-app .

Run the container:

docker run -p 3000:8080 node-web-app

For quick script execution without rebuilding images, you can mount a local directory and run the script directly using the Node image:

docker run -it --rm \
  -v /local/path/to/script:/app \
  -w /app \
  node:10-alpine \
  node script.js

Setting Up a Team Documentation Site with Hexo

Hexo is a fast, static site generator that parses Markdown files and renders them into static web pages using various themes. It is ideal for blogs, documentation sites, and official websites. Key advantages include:

• Rich Theme Ecosystem: Numerous open-source themes are available.
• Extensive Plugins: Supports search, word count, compression, and more.
• Flexible & Extensible: Easy to modify themes and plugins with basic JavaScript and HTML knowledge.
• Markdown Support: Team members can write content in Markdown, which is automatically converted to a styled site.

1. Installation

Ensure the folllowing prerequisites are installed:

• Node.js (version 6.9 or higher)
• Git

Install the Hexo command-line interface global:

npm install -g hexo-cli

2. Initialization

Create a new Hexo project:

hexo init my-documentation-site
cd my-documentation-site
npm install

3. Configuring Site Information

Edit the _config.yml file in the root directory to set site title, author, language, and other parameters. Refer to the official configuration guide.

4. Generating Static Files

Hexo initializes with a default theme and a sample post. Generate the static site:

hexo generate

The output will be located in the public folder. You can also deploy the site to platforms like GitHub Pages using hexo deploy.

5. Local Hosting with hexo-server

Install the local server component:

npm install hexo-server --save

Start the server on a specific port:

hexo server -p 5000

Access the site at http://localhost:5000.

6. Containerized Build and Hosting

To containerize the Hexo site, use the following Dockerfile:

FROM node:10.15.3-alpine

# Set up environment
EXPOSE 8000

# Set working directory
WORKDIR /doc-site

# Copy project files
COPY . .

# Install Hexo CLI and project dependencies
RUN npm config set unsafe-perm true && \
    npm config set registry https://registry.npm.taobao.org && \
    npm install -g hexo-cli && \
    cd src && \
    npm install && \
    npm install hexo-neat --save && \
    npm install hexo-wordcount --save && \
    npm install hexo-prism-plugin --save && \
    npm install hexo-generator-search --save && \
    npm install hexo-permalink-pinyin --save && \
    hexo generate && \
    npm install hexo-server --save

# Switch to source directory
WORKDIR /doc-site/src

# Run the server
ENTRYPOINT ["hexo", "server", "-p", "8000"]

This Dockerfile installs necessary tools, generates the static site, and serves it using the Hexo internal server within the container.