need a little help to create an rpm package for a nodejs app

Question

I've prepared a build box following this instructions, I've search around and did a hello world rpm build, but still not sure what's the best way to go about packaging a bunch of js files (nodejs app). I'd like to :

1. deploy the files to a location
2. run # npm install
3. run a command to start node listener/daemon.

I've done a very simple spec file that looks like this:

Name:           nodejsapp
Version:        1.0
Release:        0
Summary:        API for a Platform

Group:          Group
License:        License
URL:            somewebsite
Distribution:   Linux CentOS
Source0:        %{name}-%{version}.tar.gz

%description
CDR Platform is awesome product.


%prep

%install
install -m 755 -d $RPM_BUILD_ROOT/opt/cdr/api

%clean
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT


%files
%defattr(-,root,root,-)

the above builds but nothing happens when I install! I'm not sure I fully understand how rpmbuild does business.

So in this case which macro I need to use? Do I need to create a file list under %files? Do I need to gzip files before running rpmbuild? or can I gzip them during the rpmbuild?

Any help is appreciated.

Answer 1

The guidelines for packaging nodejs apps for the Fedora EPEL repo can be found here. They are a good reference when packaging your own nodejs apps.

You don't mention what version or which distribution you are using, but I am going to assume it is a recent distribtion, so the service you want to start will be running under systemd. The Fedora systemd packaging guidlines can be found here.

I am also assuming you are using github to manage the code and it is a pure JS application.

For nodejs module/app that has no dependencies or only has dependencies on nodejs modules already packaged in the EPEL the following SPEC file (saved as SPECS/nodejs-myapp.spec) will work.

%define debug_package %{nil}
#
# automatically generate requires and provides from package.json
#
%{?nodejs_find_provides_and_requires}

#
# filter out any false provides created due to dependencies with native components
#
%{?nodejs_default_filter}

#
# name of zip file containing source without .zip extension
#
%define modname myapp

Summary: A nodejs app with a systemd daemon
Name:    nodejs-%{modname}
Group:   Applications/Tools
Version: 0.1
Release: 1
License: Unlicense
URL:     https://github.com/myuser/myapp
Source0: %{modname}-%{version}.zip
BuildRoot: %{_tmppath}/%{name}-%{version}-%{release}-root-%(%{__id_u} -n)
BuildArch: noarch
ExclusiveArch: %{nodejs_arches} noarch
BuildRequires: nodejs-packaging
BuildRequires: systemd

%description
A nodejs app that installs as a systemd service

%prep
%setup -q -n %{modname}-%{version}

%build

%{__rm} -f .gitignore
#
# Fedora guidlines do not allow bundled modules
# use nodejs_symlink_deps in the install section to generate
# links based on package.json contents
#
%{__rm} -rf node_modules

%install
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT

#
# copy in the module source
#
%{__install} -d  $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{nodejs_sitelib}
%{__cp} -r $RPM_BUILD_DIR/%{modname}-%{version} $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{nodejs_sitelib}/%{modname}
#
# link the daemon binaries into sbindir
#
%{__install} -d  $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_sbindir}
%{__ln_s} %{nodejs_sitelib}/%{modname}/bin/myappd $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_sbindir}/myappd

#
# link in any dependent nodejs modules referenced in package.json
#
%nodejs_symlink_deps

#
# documents will be handled by %doc, so remove them from buildroot
#
%{__rm} -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{nodejs_sitelib}/%{modname}{CHANGELOG.md,LICENSE.md,README.md,docs}

#
# Create a systemd unit file
#
cat << __EOF > $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_unitdir}/myappd.service
[Unit]
Description=MyApp provides the best API
Documentation=man:myapp.service(8)

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/myappd

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
__EOF

%clean
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT

%files
%defattr(-,root,root)
%doc CHANGELOG.md LICENSE.md README.md docs
%{nodejs_sitelib}/%{modname}
%{_sbindir}/myappd
%{_unitdir}/myappd.service

%changelog
* Sun Mar 22 2015 BitByteDog
- Initial spec file for myapp

This spec file will also cope with nodejs modules that have dependencies that are already packaged as part of the EPEL. The auto requires/provides feature of RPM uses the package.json file in the module to create the necessary requires dependencies in the final RPM package.

The source zip should be downloaded from github into the SOURCES directory using a command such as:

wget -O SOURCES/myapp-0.1.zip https://github.com/myuser/myapp/archive/v0.1.zip

The RPM is built with the command:

rpmbuild -ba SPECS/nodejs-myapp.spec

The systemd unit file created is very simple, read the link provided plus the associated systemd documentation to customize to your requirements. You will need to enable and start the service with the following commands:

systemctl enable myappd.service
systemctl start myappd.service

It will automatically start after that.

If you want to include bundled modules in your JS app, it can be done using npm. First add the tags:

BuildRequires: npm
AutoReq: no
AutoProv: no

To suppress auto requires/provides generation. Then remove the line

%{__rm} -rf node_modules

from the %build section. Also change the line

%nodejs_symlink_deps

in the %install for the lines

#
# npm will bundle in all dependent modules from the npm registry
# (bundling is OK for private packages but not for EPEL packages)
#
npm -g -q --production --prefix="${RPM_BUILD_ROOT}%{_prefix}" install

All modules bundled in the app and all dependencies listed in package.json will be bundled into your app, making it a standalone app.

Explanation of npm usage in the above command

• npm install is executed in the package/application directory and works on the package contained in that directory.
• -g install the package in the current working directory as a global package
• -q print warnings and errors only
• --production don't copy devDependencies
• --prefix= install in prefix directory

The effect is to copy the nodejs app in the local directory to ${RPM_BUILD_ROOT}%{_prefix} ready for packaging.