Language and Framework Guides
Run an AngularJS Container App

21min
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Back4App Containers is a powerful platform for hosting AngularJS applications. With its ability to automatically deploy Dockerized AngularJS apps, you can launch your project in a scalable and flexible environment with ease. 
In this guide, we will walk you through the process of preparing and deploying your AngularJS application on Back4App Containers, covering everything from simple projects to more complex setups. We will begin with the necessary preparations, then move on to dockerizing the application, testing it locally, pushing the project to GitHub, setting up the project on Back4App Containers, monitoring deployment, and troubleshooting common issues.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to join the conversation in the #Containers channel on the Back4app Community on Slack. Anytime you can also contact us at [email protected].
 At any time, if you want to check a sample working AngularJS project on Back4app containers, go to: https://github.com/templates-back4app/containers-angularjs-sample﻿
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1-Prepare your AngularJS application
a. Project Structure: Verify that your AngularJS application follows a proper directory structure, with all necessary files and folders, such as app, components, and assets, organized appropriately. The main entry point for your application should be the app.js file.
b. Dependencies: Check if all required dependencies are listed in the package.json file, including their correct versions. Ensure that you have installed all dependencies using npm install or yarn install to generate a package-lock.json or yarn.lock file.
c. Build Process: For more complex projects that involve a build process, ensure that your build scripts and configurations (e.g., Webpack, Gulp, or Grunt) are properly set up. You should be able to run the build process locally without any issues.
d. Environment Variables: If your application relies on environment variables, ensure that you have a .env file with the necessary variables defined. When deploying to Back4App Containers, you will need to configure these environment variables in the deployment settings.
e. Server Setup (if applicable): If your AngularJS application includes a custom server (e.g., Express), make sure it is correctly set up and configured to serve your AngularJS application. Test your server locally to ensure it works as expected.
f. Application Optimization: Optimize your AngularJS application by minimizing bundle sizes, using code-splitting, and implementing performance best practices. Use tools like Lighthouse to audit your application and address any performance or accessibility issues.
g. Cross-Browser Compatibility: Test your application across multiple browsers and devices to ensure proper rendering and functionality.
Once you have thoroughly reviewed and prepared your AngularJS application, you can proceed to the next step, which is creating a Dockerfile for your project.
2-Dockerization
Dockerizing an AngularJS application involves creating a Dockerfile in the root directory of your project. The Dockerfile contains instructions to build a Docker image of your application, which can then be deployed to Back4App Containers. Here's a detailed explanation of how to create a Dockerfile for a regular AngularJS application:
1-Create a new file named Dockerfile (without any file extension) in the root directory of your AngularJS application.
2-Define the base image: Start the Dockerfile by specifying a base image using the FROM command. For a typical AngularJS application, the base image should be a Node.js image, e.g., node:14 or node:16.
Dockerfile
FROM node:14
FROM node:14
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3-Set the working directory: Use the WORKDIR command to set the working directory for your application within the Docker container. This is where your application files will be stored and executed.
Dockerfile
WORKDIR /app
WORKDIR /app
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3-Copy package.json and package-lock.json: Copy the package.json and package-lock.json files from your local machine to the Docker container using the COPY command. These files are required to install your application's dependencies.
Dockerfile
COPY package*.json ./
COPY package*.json ./
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4-Install dependencies: Use the RUN command to install your application's dependencies from the package.json file. This is typically done using npm ci, which installs the exact dependency versions specified in the package-lock.json file.
Dockerfile
RUN npm ci
RUN npm ci
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5-Copy the rest of the project files: Use the COPY command again to copy the remaining files and folders from your local machine to the Docker container.
Dockerfile
COPY . .
COPY . .
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6-Build the AngularJS application: Add a RUN command to build your AngularJS application using your build script, typically npm run build. This generates a production-ready version of your AngularJS application in the dist folder.
Dockerfile
RUN npm run build
RUN npm run build
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7-Configure the server: You need a server to serve your built AngularJS application. One common choice is nginx. First, set the base image for nginx:
Dockerfile
FROM nginx:1.21-alpine
FROM nginx:1.21-alpine
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8-Copy the built AngularJS application: Use the COPY command to copy the built AngularJS application from the previous stage to the nginx HTML directory.
Dockerfile
COPY --from=0 /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html
COPY --from=0 /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html
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9-Expose the server port: Use the EXPOSE command to specify the port on which your server will run inside the Docker container. For example, you can use port 80.
Dockerfile
EXPOSE 80
EXPOSE 80
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10-Start the server: The CMD command is not needed in this case, as the default CMD command for the nginx:1.21-alpine image starts the server.
The complete Dockerfile for a regular AngularJS application should look like this:
Dockerfile
FROM node:14 as builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM nginx:1.21-alpine
COPY --from=builder /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html
EXPOSE 80
FROM node:14 as builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM nginx:1.21-alpine
COPY --from=builder /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html
EXPOSE 80
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Example 1: 
Dockerfile
FROM node:14

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci

COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM nginx:alpine
COPY --from=0 /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html
EXPOSE 80
CMD ["nginx", "-g", "daemon off;"]

FROM node:14

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci

COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM nginx:alpine
COPY --from=0 /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html
EXPOSE 80
CMD ["nginx", "-g", "daemon off;"]
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Example 2:  AngularJS application with a custom server:
Dockerfile
FROM node:14

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci

COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM node:14

WORKDIR /app/server

COPY server/package*.json ./
RUN npm ci

COPY server/ .

ENV NODE_ENV production
ENV PORT 8000
EXPOSE 8000

CMD ["npm", "start"]

FROM node:14

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci

COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM node:14

WORKDIR /app/server

COPY server/package*.json ./
RUN npm ci

COPY server/ .

ENV NODE_ENV production
ENV PORT 8000
EXPOSE 8000

CMD ["npm", "start"]
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4-Test your Project Locally:
Before deploying your AngularJS application on Back4App Containers, it's important to test it locally using Docker. This helps ensure that your application runs as expected and helps you identify and fix any issues before deployment.
Build the Docker image for your AngularJS application:
In your terminal, navigate to your project's root directory and run the following command, replacing your-app-name with the name of your application:
docker build -t your-app-name .
Run the Docker container locally:
Next, run the following command to start the Docker container locally. This command maps the container's exposed port (e.g., 80) to a port on your local machine (e.g., 3000):
docker run -p 3000:80 your-app-name
Test your application:
Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000 to view your AngularJS application. Make sure everything works as expected. If you encounter any issues, address them before moving on to the next step.
5-Push your project to GitHub:
Create a .gitignore file in your project's root directory to exclude unnecessary or sensitive files from your repository (e.g., node_modules, .env, dist, etc.). Initialize a Git repository, commit your project files, and push them to a remote repository (e.g., on GitHub).
MacOS
gitCopy codegit add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin <your-remote-repo-url>
git push -u origin master```
gitCopy codegit add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin <your-remote-repo-url>
git push -u origin master```
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6-Deploy your application on Back4app Containers
After creating your Back4app account you can follow the steps listed on the Docs:
﻿1- Connect you GitHub repo with Back4app﻿
﻿2- Prepare your project for deployment﻿
In summary, containers will follow the instructions detailed in your Dockerfile and start to create your app.
7-Monitor deployment and address possible errors:
Keep an eye on the deployment logs and status on the Back4App Containers dashboard. Address any errors or issues that arise during deployment. In case of more complex projects, ensure that all necessary services (such as databases or external APIs) are correctly configured and accessible.
8-Troubleshooting common problems:
Common deployments errors when running an AngularJS App on Back4App Containers are listed here. Other possible common errors when deploying an AngularJS Application are:
Incorrect port configuration
AngularJS applications should be configured to run on a specified port when deployed on Back4App Containers. If the application is still not accessible, check the Dockerfile to make sure the correct port is exposed (e.g., EXPOSE 3000 for port 3000).
Incompatible or missing dependencies
Ensure that all required dependencies are listed in the package.json file and that their versions are compatible with each other and your application code. Missing or incompatible dependencies can lead to runtime errors.
Invalid environment variables or configuration
Check if your application relies on specific environment variables or configuration files, and ensure they are correctly set up in the Back4App Containers environment. Set any necessary environment variables in your Dockerfile using the ENV command.
Application crashes or unhandled exceptions
Unhandled exceptions or crashes in your AngularJS application code can cause deployment failures or unexpected behavior. Examine your application logs for any error messages, and address any issues in your code. Check the container logs by running docker logs your-app-name to see if there are any errors or exceptions being thrown. Use a tool like Sentry to track and monitor errors in your application.
Server-side rendering configuration
If your AngularJS application uses server-side rendering (SSR), ensure that your SSR setup is correctly configured in your Dockerfile and that it starts your application using the right entry point.
If you encounter any other issues while deploying your AngularJS application on Back4App Containers, contact the Back4App support team at [email protected].
9-Scale your application
For more complex projects that require additional resources or horizontal/vertical scaling, consider upgrading your Back4app Containers plan to handle increased traffic and load.
10-Sample Application
For a sample AngularJS application project you can go to : https://github.com/templates-back4app/containers-angular-sample﻿https://github.com/templates-back4app/containers-angular-sample﻿
Updated 19 Apr 2023
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