Node.js services and tools
We maintain Node.js services, scripts and serverless functions that business systems depend on, keep them on supported Node.js versions and bring their packages under control.
What you probably want to know first
- We have Node.js scripts and services nobody owns. Can you take them on?
- Yes, provided you hold the source code. We find where each one runs, what triggers it and what it touches, then put it in source control with an automated release and monitoring. Small services written in a hurry are common, and they are usually quick to make safe.
- Our Node.js version is out of support. How hard is the upgrade?
- Usually modest. Each even-numbered Node.js release has long-term support for about two and a half years. Moving up one or two versions is mostly a matter of upgrading the packages that depend on the old version, then running the tests.
- What access do you need?
- Read access to the source code and to wherever the code runs, such as the server or the AWS account for serverless functions. Nothing changes on the live system while we look.
- What have you built with Node.js?
- We run our own automation on Node.js, including serverless functions on AWS Lambda that review code changes and plan testing for each sprint on the OpenIRIS project, and the build and check scripts behind this website.
Who this page is for
This page is for IT managers who have found Node.js somewhere in their estate, often a service, a set of integration scripts or serverless functions written by a contractor, and need it owned, kept current and made reliable.
Where Node.js turns up in business systems
Node.js is rarely the main application in the systems we see. It is the glue: a script that moves files between two systems every night, a small API in front of a database, a function that sends notifications, the build tools for a web front end. Because each piece is small, it is often written quickly, deployed by hand and forgotten until it fails.
How we approach it
We list every piece, where it runs and what it touches, then bring each one up to the same standard: source control, a supported Node.js version, current packages, secrets out of the code, an automated release and an alert when it fails. None of that changes what the code does, and most of it can be done in days rather than weeks.
Talk to us
Describe the system and what you need. You will hear back from someone who can answer technical questions.
Discuss your Node.js service 0800 433 7990What we do with Node.js
- Find and document it
- Every script, service and function, where it runs, what triggers it and what depends on it.
- Supported Node.js versions
- Upgrades to the current long-term support release, planned ahead of end-of-life dates.
- Package security
- Known vulnerabilities in dependencies found and fixed, with automated checks so new ones are flagged.
- Serverless functions
- AWS Lambda functions with their configuration in source control and secrets out of the code.
- Automated releases
- Build, test and deploy from a pipeline rather than from someone's laptop.
- Errors you can see
- Logging and error alerts, so a failing background job is noticed the same day.
A good fit when
- Integration scripts or background jobs written in Node.js have no owner.
- A Node.js service is on an out-of-support version.
- Functions are deployed by hand and nobody is sure which version is live.
Probably not for you if
- A new consumer app or startup MVP built from scratch.
Questions we are asked
Do you use TypeScript?
Where we can. TypeScript catches a class of mistakes before the code runs, which matters most for code that is changed rarely and by different people.
Tell us about your system
Say what it does, what it is built on and what is worrying you. We will reply with what we would look at first and whether we are the right people to help.