A Beginner's Guide to Installing Node.js on Shared Hosting Using cPanel (No Root/Sudo Required)

Have you ever wondered how to install Node.js on shared hosting using cPanel without root or sudo access? If so, you're in the right place. This guide will walk you through the process step by step, making it easy for beginners to follow along.

Step 1: Logging in via SSH

The first step is to log in to your hosting account via SSH. This will bring you to the command line interface where you can input commands directly to your server.

Step 2: Creating a New Folder for Node

Once you're logged in, you'll need to create a new folder for Node.js. To do this, use the following commands:

mkdir node
cd node
    

Step 3: Downloading and Unzipping Node

Next, you'll need to download Node.js and unzip it. You can do this with the following commands:

Step 4: Adding Node and npm to PATH

The next step is to add Node and npm to your PATH. This will allow you to run Node and npm from any folder. You can do this with the following commands:

export PATH=$PATH:/opt/cpanel/ea-nodejs16/bin/

Step 5: Testing Your Installation

Now that you've installed Node.js, it's a good idea to test it to make sure everything is working correctly. You can do this by running the following commands:

node -v
npm -v
    

Potential Limitations

While this process should work for most shared hosting providers, there may be some limitations depending on your specific host. For example, on VentraIP, you may not be able to use Node to compile VuePress due to limits on the number of threads each account can create. However, other commands should work fine.

Conclusion

Installing Node.js on shared hosting using cPanel without root or sudo access may seem complicated, but it's actually quite straightforward when you break it down into steps. By following this guide, you should be able to get Node.js up and running on your shared hosting account in no time.