Deploying a Node.js Application with MySQL on DomainIndia.com Shared Hosting: A Practical Guide

A Node.js app on Domain India shared hosting can use the MySQL databases that come with your plan. You create the database in your control panel, create the app with the panel's Node.js tool, and connect to the database on localhost. This guide covers the database side in detail and the app setup in brief, and shows where a larger app belongs.

1. What you need

Node.js 20 and older have reached end of life, so choose 22 or 24 if your app supports them. On Webuzo we could not confirm a Node.js tool, so ask support. The panel always shows the current version list.

2. Create the database and user

Always use the full prefixed names in your code. A missing prefix is the most common cause of "Access denied" and "Unknown database" errors. See How to connect to your MySQL database for the details.

3. Prepare your app

Install the mysql2 driver in your project and commit package.json:

npm install express mysql2

A minimal app.js that reads its settings from environment variables and uses a small connection pool:

const express = require('express');
const mysql = require('mysql2/promise');

const pool = mysql.createPool({
  host: process.env.DB_HOST || 'localhost',
  port: Number(process.env.DB_PORT || 3306),
  user: process.env.DB_USER,
  password: process.env.DB_PASS,
  database: process.env.DB_NAME,
  connectionLimit: 5,
  charset: 'utf8mb4'
});

const app = express();
app.use(express.json());

app.get('/api/products', async (req, res) => {
  try {
    const [rows] = await pool.query(
      'SELECT id, name FROM products WHERE category = ?',
      [req.query.category || '']
    );
    res.json(rows);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error(err);
    res.status(500).json({ error: 'Database error' });
  }
});

const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;
app.listen(port, () => console.log(`Listening on ${port}`));

Three rules matter on shared hosting:

• Listen on process.env.PORT. The server runs your app behind Apache using Phusion Passenger and passes the port in. A fixed port won't work.
• Keep the pool small. Your account has a limit on simultaneous database connections. A handful is plenty for a small app.
• Use placeholders (?) for every value that comes from a visitor, as above. Never build SQL by joining strings.

If you have a React or other front end, run npm run build on your own computer and upload the output, not the source.

4. Create the app and add your settings

Keeping the password in the panel's environment variables means it never sits in a file inside public_html. Restart the app after every change to the code or the variables.

5. Create your tables

Open phpMyAdmin from your control panel, select the database and run your SQL in the SQL tab, or import a .sql file with Import. The cPanel phpMyAdmin import limit is 50 MB, so split larger files or ask support. If your app uses a migration tool, you can run it from the app's environment over SSH once jailed SSH is enabled (section 7); the app page shows the command that enters that environment.

6. Troubleshooting

If you can log in to phpMyAdmin with the same user and password, the credentials are right and the problem is in your environment variables or code.

7. Working from your own computer

Port 3306 is closed to outside connections on our shared servers, and adding your IP under Remote Database Access doesn't open it. Use phpMyAdmin, or an SSH tunnel. Jailed SSH access is available on every shared hosting plan (cPanel, DirectAdmin, Webuzo). It is off by default; ask support to enable it for your account. You log in with an SSH key, and tunnels work:

ssh -N -L 3307:localhost:3306 [email protected]

Then point your local tool at 127.0.0.1, port 3307. See Enabling and accessing jailed SSH.

8. Where Domain India fits

Shared hosting suits a small Node.js app with a MySQL database next to your website. Your app shares the account's CPU and memory limits, and it is not a place for background workers. Prices on the cards are live and exclude 18% GST.

For a production app, the App Platform builds and deploys Node.js apps automatically and includes a PostgreSQL database and SSL. It has no MySQL and no SSH. If you need MySQL with full control, choose a self-managed VPS.

Ready to deploy? Follow the Node.js deployment guide, compare cPanel hosting plans, or look at the App Platform for a production app. If your app still can't reach the database, open a support ticket with the exact error.