Putting Node.js/Socket.io Onto a Website

Question

So I'm getting into working with node.js and socket.io to make real-time web games, but I'm running into some obstacles.

I've already figured out how to install node.js and socket.io on my computer, and I can run basic servers and open them through http://localhost:8888/.

But now what I don't understand, and there doesn't seem to be anything on the web that explains this, is how to get this onto a website. Obviously, someone else on the internet that enters that same URL isn't going to see the same thing as what's on my screen. How do I get this onto a webpage so that anyone that visits that URL accesses the server?

I tried opening the port and then using http://<my external IP>:8888 but that doesn't work. Some sources seem to say that I need to install something on the website, but I installed node.js on my computer through command prompt, so I don't understand how that would work on a website. I found instructions for Linux, but I'm running Windows.

Answer 1

What you need is a:

• web server - to host your game. You can, for instance, rent an EC2 instance from Amazon and install there all software required (Node.js, database, ...) or go with PaaS (Platform as a Service) solution like Nodejitsu or Heroku where you'll be given Node.js out of the box.
• domain - to register a human-readable name for your web serwer (like. www.my-game.com). Normally, once you get your server, it'll have some IP address assigned to it. Domain name is an alias for it, easier to type and remember. Similar to, as in your case, localhost is just an alias for an IP 127.0.0.1 (special address meaning local system).

Of course, another solution would be to host app on your local PC and set up your router to forward traffic from it's external IP to your PC (assuming your ISP assigned you public IP). But then you'll have to worry about your PC, router and internet link being always online. And it'd be way slower than when going with external, dedicated hosting.