Best Node.js Hosting for Apps That Need a Real Process, Not a Script

A standard shared hosting stack is built around a web server handing PHP files to a script interpreter per request, then discarding the process. Node.js apps work the opposite way: you start the process once, it listens on a port continuously, and every incoming request is handled by that same running instance. Hosts that only support the PHP model have nowhere to put a persistent Node process, so 'Node support' on generic shared plans is often limited or nonexistent.

Where shared hosting does support Node, it's usually through a dedicated app-manager interface that lets you pick a Node version, point it at your entry file, and start/stop/restart it — effectively a lightweight PM2 substitute built into the control panel. That works for small apps but gives you less control over environment variables, custom startup flags, or running multiple processes than doing it yourself on a VPS.

A Node app that isn't automatically restarted after a crash or a server reboot will eventually go down and stay down until someone notices. PM2 is the most common answer — it keeps your process running, restarts it on failure, and can manage multiple app instances for basic load handling. Systemd works similarly for teams that prefer a native service rather than an npm-installed process manager.

Either way, you'll typically front the Node process with a reverse proxy (commonly Nginx) that handles incoming traffic on port 80/443 and forwards it to your app's internal port, which is also where free SSL gets terminated. VPS hosting gives you the root access to set all of this up exactly how your app needs it, rather than hoping a shared plan's built-in Node manager covers your specific setup.