Running NodeBB

The preferred way to start and stop NodeBB is by invoking its executable:

  • ./nodebb start Starts the NodeBB server
  • ./nodebb stop Stops the NodeBB server
  • Alternatively, you may use npm start and npm stop to do the same

The methods listed below are alternatives to starting NodeBB via the executable.

Simple Node.js Process

To start NodeBB, run it with node (some distributions use the executable nodejs, please adjust accordingly):

$ cd /path/to/nodebb/install
$ node app

However, bear in mind that crashes will cause the NodeBB process to halt, bringing down your forum. Consider some of the more reliable options, below:

Supervisor Process

Using the supervisor package, you can have NodeBB restart itself if it crashes:

$ npm install -g supervisor
$ supervisor app

As supervisor by default continues to pipe output to stdout, it is best suited to development builds.

Forever Daemon

Another way to keep NodeBB up is to use the forever package via the command line interface, which can monitor NodeBB and re-launch it if necessary:

$ npm install -g forever
$ forever start app.js