Install a node application as a Windows service

There is a NPM package node-windows which can install a node application as a Windows service. This service can be automatically started when the server restarts. The node-windows can do this for us. Run the following commands:

npm install -g node-windows

Then, in your project root, run:

npm link node-windows

Once the package is installed it can be used to install the application as a service with the following node script:

scripts/cli/install-windows.service.js

const { cwd } = require('process');
const appRoot = cwd();
const { join } = require('path');
const filePath = join(appRoot, 'src\\index.js');
const Service = require('node-windows').Service;

// Create a new service object
const svc = new Service({
  name: 'Feathers opcua server',
  description: 'Feathers opcua server application as Windows Service',
  script: filePath,
  nodeOptions: [
    '--harmony',
    '--max_old_space_size=4096'
  ],
  env: [{
    name: 'NODE_ENV',
    value: 'production' // env NODE_ENV = 'production'
  },
  {
    name: 'IS_SHOW_LOG', 
    value: false // env IS_SHOW_LOG = true|false; Is show log for production
  },
  {
    name: 'START_APP',
    value: 'win_service' // env START_APP = 'win_service'; Start application as windows service
  },

  ]
});

// Listen for the "install" event, which indicates the
// process is available as a service.
svc.on('install', function () {
  svc.start();
  console.log('Install complete.');
});

// Error - Fired in some instances when an error occurs.
svc.on('error', function (err) {
  console.log('feathers-opcua-server.Error:', err);
});

svc.install();

Just run the script as any other node script:

node install-windows-service.js

If User Account Control (UAC) is enabled on Windows you will have to give permission a few times to complete the installation. Once this script has finished the service is installed and the application is running. You can find the service in the Services dialog. It will have the name that you have passed to the Service class in the node script.

If the service ever needs to be uninstalled, the Service class also has an uninstall method:

scripts/cli/uninstall-windows.service.js

const { cwd } = require('process');
const appRoot = cwd();
const { join } = require('path');
const filePath = join(appRoot, 'src\\index.js');
const Service = require('node-windows').Service;

// Create a new service object
const svc = new Service({
  name: 'Feathers opcua server',
  description: 'Feathers opcua server application as Windows Service',
  script: filePath
});

// Listen for the "uninstall" event so we know when it's done.
svc.on('uninstall', function () {
  console.log('Uninstall complete.');
  console.log('The service exists: ', svc.exists);
});

// Uninstall the service.
svc.uninstall();

This can also be run as any other node script:

node uninstall-windows.service.js