How to install node.js as windows service?

Question

Late to the party, but node-windows will do the trick too.

It also has system logging built in.

There is an API to create scripts from code, i.e.

var Service = require('node-windows').Service;

// Create a new service object
var svc = new Service({
  name:'Hello World',
  description: 'The nodejs.org example web server.',
  script: 'C:\\path\\to\\helloworld.js'
});

// Listen for the "install" event, which indicates the
// process is available as a service.
svc.on('install',function(){
  svc.start();
});

svc.install();

FD: I'm the author of this module.

I found the thing so useful that I built an even easier to use wrapper around it (npm, github).

Installing it:

npm install -g qckwinsvc

Installing your service:

qckwinsvc

prompt: Service name: [name for your service]
prompt: Service description: [description for it]
prompt: Node script path: [path of your node script]
Service installed

Uninstalling your service:

qckwinsvc --uninstall

prompt: Service name: [name of your service]
prompt: Node script path: [path of your node script]
Service stopped
Service uninstalled

WinSer is a node.js friendly wrapper around the popular NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager)

I'm not addressing the question directly, but providing an alternative that might also meet your requirement in a more node.js fashion way.

Functionally the requirements are:

1. Have the logic (app) running in the background
2. Be able to start/stop the logic
3. Automatically start the logic when system boots up

These requirements can be satisfied by using a process manager (PM) and making the process manager start on system startup. Two good PMs that are Windows-friendly are:

• PM2
• forever

To make the PM start automatically, the most simple way is to create a scheduled task with a "At Startup" trigger: