Is Node.js preparing the site or handling requests?

It can do either. If Node.js only prepares page files, the host can deliver those finished files. If it handles a visitor’s booking request, a compatible runtime has to be available when that request arrives.

Three places to look for Node.js
Place	Job to identify
Your computer	Runs the project’s commands while you work, such as a local preview.
Build service	Installs packages or creates files the host delivers later.
Live request handler	Checks a request, calls the app’s storage if needed and responds.

How can you tell whether Node handles a request in your project?

Ask the maintainer to point to the command and the receiving code. Use a disposable local copy with no live data or connections. A response that only shows a sample time is enough for this check.

Find the sample address
Choose a local route that returns a made-up repair time and has no side effects.
Change its sample answer
Have the maintainer change the server-side sample from 3:00 to 3:30. Use the project’s normal local restart or refresh if needed.
Open it again
Check that the response shows 3:30. Ask where that code would run after deployment. This check does not prove that a booking is saved.

Does Node.js check TypeScript when it runs a file?

The built-in lightweight mode can remove supported type annotations and run the remaining code without checking the types. It does not run .tsx files or apply the project’s full TypeScript configuration.

Keep the project’s separate type-check command if it uses TypeScript. Confirm the expected command works in the same release process that runs the app. A file starting successfully only shows that the runtime could execute that file.

Which Node.js version should your host run?

For a live app, choose an Active LTS or Maintenance LTS release that your host and project dependencies support. The upstream schedule lists Node 26, 24 and 22 in long-term support and Node 20 as out of support.

Record the project’s Node line and confirm what the build environment and the live service use. Keep the package lockfile if you use npm. Try a normal app flow on the target version before changing what runs for visitors.

What do you pay for or carry to another host?

The Node.js project is open source under the MIT license, with notices for bundled components. The hosting bill comes from where you build or run your app and the services it uses.

Keep the source, dependency files, runtime version and start command. List the separate storage and environment settings the app relies on. A new process can start successfully while looking at the wrong database, so check the saved result in a test copy.