Add OSD Node.js compatibility and instructions for using alternative …

…version of Node.js runtime binary (#6232) * Add OSD Node.js compatibility and instructions for using alternative version of Node.js runtime binary Signed-off-by: Miki <[email protected]> * Apply suggestions from code review Signed-off-by: kolchfa-aws <[email protected]> * Apply suggestions from code review Co-authored-by: Melissa Vagi <[email protected]> Signed-off-by: kolchfa-aws <[email protected]> * Update _install-and-configure/install-dashboards/index.md Signed-off-by: kolchfa-aws <[email protected]> * Update _install-and-configure/install-dashboards/index.md Signed-off-by: kolchfa-aws <[email protected]> * Update _install-and-configure/install-dashboards/index.md Signed-off-by: kolchfa-aws <[email protected]> --------- Signed-off-by: Miki <[email protected]> Signed-off-by: kolchfa-aws <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: kolchfa-aws <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: Melissa Vagi <[email protected]>
opensearch-project · Jan 19, 2024 · 313a4ca · 313a4ca
1 parent e893208
commit 313a4ca
Showing 1 changed file with 35 additions and 0 deletions.
diff --git a/_install-and-configure/install-dashboards/index.md b/_install-and-configure/install-dashboards/index.md
@@ -31,6 +31,41 @@ OpenSearch Dashboards supports the following web browsers:
 
 Other Chromium-based browsers might work, as well. Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge Legacy are **not** supported.
 
+## Node.js compatibility
+
+OpenSearch Dashboards requires the Node.js runtime binary to run. One is included in the distribution packages available from the [OpenSearch downloads page](https://opensearch.org/downloads.html){:target='\_blank'}.
+
+OpenSearch Dashboards 2.8.0 and newer can use Node.js versions 14, 16, and 18. The distribution packages for OpenSearch Dashboards 2.10.0 and newer include Node.js 18 and 14 (for backward compatibility). 
+
+To use a Node.js runtime binary other than the ones included in the distribution packages, follow these steps:
+
+1. Download and install [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en/download){:target='\_blank'}; the compatible versions are `>=14.20.1 <19`.
+2. Set the installation path to the `NODE_HOME` or `NODE_OSD_HOME` environment variables.
+
+    - On UNIX, if Node.js is installed to `/usr/local/nodejs` and the runtime binary is `/usr/local/nodejs/bin/node`:
+    ```bash
+    export NODE_HOME=/usr/local/nodejs
+   ```
+
+    - If Node.js is installed using NVM and the runtime binary is `/Users/user/.nvm/versions/node/v18.19.0/bin/node`:
+   ```bash
+   export NODE_HOME=/Users/user/.nvm/versions/node/v18.19.0
+   # or, if NODE_HOME is used for something else:
+   export NODE_OSD_HOME=/Users/user/.nvm/versions/node/v18.19.0
+   ```
+
+    - On Windows, if Node.js is installed to `C:\Program Files\nodejs` and the runtime binary is `C:\Program Files\nodejs\node.exe`:
+   ```powershell
+   set "NODE_HOME=C:\Program Files\nodejs"
+   # or using PowerShell:
+   $Env:NODE_HOME = 'C:\Program Files\nodejs'
+   ```
+
+   Consult your operating system's documentation to make a persistent change to the environment variables.
+
+The OpenSearch Dashboards start script,`bin/opensearch-dashboards`, searches for the Node.js runtime binary using `NODE_OSD_HOME`,
+and then `NODE_HOME`, before using the binaries included with the distribution packages. If a usable Node.js runtime binary is not found, the start script will attempt to find one in the system-wide `PATH` before failing.
+
 ## Configuration
 
 To learn how to configure TLS for OpenSearch Dashboards, see [Configure TLS]({{site.url}}{{site.baseurl}}/install-and-configure/install-dashboards/tls/).