Deploying an Express API on Netlify fails with a MODULE_NOT_FOUND error and a missing build command. Use this sample:
const apiServer = require('express')();
apiServer.get('/ping', (req, res) => res.send('Server Active'));
apiServer.listen(7000);
Considering my prior experience with similar deployments, I recommend thoroughly checking your package.json and Netlify configuration settings. In my case, the MODULE_NOT_FOUND error often pointed to dependency issues, where certain modules weren’t properly installed or recognized. Although Express works fine in local development, deploying on Netlify required explicit instructions. I found that adding a netlify.toml with a clear build command and proper settings for functions helped a lot. Double-check that all dependencies are correctly listed and build commands are specified to avoid such errors.
hey ethan, even though express works locally, netlify can be fussy. try relocating your api code so that your build command picks it up or double-check that your node_modules are in the right folder. setting netlify.toml properly solved it for me in a similar sitch.
In my experience, deploying an Express API on Netlify requires careful configuration of your functions. I encountered a similar MODULE_NOT_FOUND error when dependencies weren’t installed in the functions directory correctly. It helped to ensure that your server code was referenced properly in your netlify.toml, with a build command dedicated to functions deployment. Verifying that the functions setup aligns with the package.json dependencies and using Netlify’s logging for detailed messages can greatly assist in identifying what might be missing. Adapting these practices can lead to a smoother deployment process.
In a similar project, I discovered that treating the Express application as a typical serverless function rather than a standard Node service made a significant difference. I resolved the MODULE_NOT_FOUND error by restructuring my project to isolate the API logic and ensuring that the build command in package.json directly invoked the correct directory. This meant my dependencies were in the expected location at deployment time. Also, subtle adjustments in how the build process is invoked on Netlify ensured that the API code was properly bundled. It was a trial-and-error process, but once the setup was correct, deployments progressed without any issues.
In my experience, the deployment issues were often related to how the environment interpreted the application structure rather than missing dependencies per se. I resolved a similar issue by rethinking the project layout entirely. Instead of keeping the Express code in the root, I moved it to a dedicated folder and adjusted the build script in package.json accordingly. Testing locally with a production-simulated build helped identify path discrepancies. The key was ensuring that every file and dependency was referenced relative to the final structure expected by the deployment environment.