Node.js on Google App Engine

App Engine offers you a choice between two Node.js language environments. Both environments have the same code-centric developer workflow, scale quickly and efficiently to handle increasing demand, and enable you to use Google’s proven serving technology to build your web, mobile and IoT applications quickly and with minimal operational overhead. While the two environments have a lot in common, they differ in a few important ways.

Choose your preferred environment

Standard environment

• Beta.

• Support only for the newest version of Node.js 8.

• Limited free tier.

• Application can scale to 0 instances when there is no traffic. Most cost-effective for applications that have significant periods where they are not serving traffic.

• Fast deployment time.

• Runtime image cannot be customized.

• Ubuntu OS

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Flexible environment

• Generally available.

• Supports any Node.js version.

• No free tier. Application always has a minimum number of running instances. Most cost-effective for applications that serve traffic continuously.

• Longer deployment time.

• Runtime image can be customized.

• Use custom machine types to configure CPU count and memory size.

• Debian OS.

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Choosing an environment

You can run an App Engine application in two environments, the standard environment and the flexible environment. See a summary of differences between the two environments.

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