Node.js Runtime Checklist

Node.js, npm, package managers, ports and services. Last updated August 31, 2026.

Node.js incidents often come from a runtime mismatch rather than a JavaScript bug. The shell may use one Node version, CI may use another, the production service may start from a stale directory, or the package manager may install a lockfile differently than expected. Node.js publishes current downloads and release options at nodejs.org/en/download; this checklist focuses on proving what is actually running.

Identify Node and package managers

node --version
npm --version
npx --version
corepack --version
which node
which npm

# Windows PowerShell
node --version
npm --version
Get-Command node
Get-Command npm
where node
where npm

Read package intent before running scripts

Before you rerun a failing app, inspect the scripts, engines and dependency manager hints. This prevents accidental production-like commands on the wrong host.

node -p "process.version"
node -p "process.execPath"
node -p "process.platform + ' ' + process.arch"
npm pkg get scripts
npm pkg get engines
ls package-lock.json yarn.lock pnpm-lock.yaml 2>/dev/null

Install and dependency checks

npm ci
npm audit --omit=dev
npm outdated --depth=0
npm ls --depth=0
node -e "console.log(process.env.NODE_ENV || 'NODE_ENV not set')"

Ports, processes and logs

When a Node API, Vite app, Next.js app or Express server does not respond, prove the process, port and service manager first.

ps aux | grep '[n]ode'
ss -tulpn | grep -E 'node|:3000|:5173|:8080' 2>/dev/null
pm2 list 2>/dev/null
pm2 logs --lines 80 2>/dev/null
systemctl status my-node-app --no-pager
journalctl -u my-node-app -n 120 --no-pager

Common Node.js runtime failures

Symptom	Check first	Likely direction
Build works locally, fails in CI	Node version, lockfile, package manager, environment variables	CI does not match the developer runtime.
Port already in use	`ss`, `netstat`, service manager, PM2 list	An old process is still bound to the port.
Module not found	Lockfile, install command, workspace path, `NODE_PATH`	Dependencies were installed in a different directory or mode.
Static build stale	Build output timestamp, deployment commit, CDN cache	The server is serving an older artifact.
Memory crash	Container limits, `NODE_OPTIONS`, logs, heap usage	The process limit differs from the host memory.

Deployment evidence to save

date -Is
hostname
git rev-parse --short HEAD
node --version
npm --version
npm pkg get scripts
printenv | grep -E 'NODE|NPM|PORT|HOST|DATABASE|REDIS' | sort

Before changing JavaScript, prove the runtime. Node version, package manager, script command, working directory, port and service logs usually reveal the real failure path.