Using Node.js Libraries

Declaring and managing dependencies

Dependencies for Node.js applications are declared in a standard package.json file. For example:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "lodash": "^4.0.1"
  }
}

You can use any Linux-compatible Node.js package with App Engine flexible environment, including packages that require native (C) extensions.

During deployment, the Node.js runtime automatically installs all dependencies declared in your package.json file. By default the npm install command is used unless a yarn.lock file exists and is not listed in the app.yaml file's skip_files section, in which case yarn install --production is used instead.

Installing a web framework

You'll need to use a web framework to enable your app to serve web requests. You can use any Node.js web framework including the following:

• Express.js
• Geddy.js
• Hapi.js
• Loopback.js
• Koa.js
• Kraken.js
• Restify.js
• Sails.js

To use a particular web framework, just add it to your package.json file:

• Using npm:

  npm install --save express

• Using yarn:

  yarn add express

Installing Google Cloud Client Libraries for Node.js

The Google Cloud Client Library for Node.js is the idiomatic way for Node.js developers to integrate with Google Cloud Platform services, such as Cloud Datastore and Cloud Storage. See the list of Node.js libraries in Node.js APIs & Libraries.

Here's an example of installing the Node.js client library for Cloud Storage:

To install the library locally with npm:

npm install --save @google-cloud/storage

or with yarn:

yarn add @google-cloud/storage

You can configure the Google Cloud Node.js libraries to handle authentication automatically or you can provide credentials manually.