Install the Node.js agent

Our Node.js agent is publicly available on the Node Package Manager (npm) repository as well as on GitHub. You can use our launcher, or follow the instructions in this document to complete a basic Node.js agent installation.

Install the Node.js agent

To install the Node.js agent:

1. Create a New Relic account. Don't have one? Sign up for free! No credit card required.

2. Ensure you meet the system requirements. In particular, make sure you use a supported Node version.

3. Use the command npm install newrelic --save for each application you want to monitor.

4. From node_modules/newrelic, copy newrelic.js into the root directory of your app.

5. Configure agent via the newrelic.js file or via environment variable:

   • Customize the license_key setting with your license key.
   • Customize the app_name setting with one or more meaningful app names.

6. Add require('newrelic'); as the first line of your app's main module.

7. Optional: For additional Node.js runtime-level statistics, ensure the @newrelic/native-metrics package is installed.

8. Generate some traffic, then wait a few minutes for data to appear in the APM UI.

You can further customize your agent behavior via newrelic.js or an environment variable. To keep the agent configuration separate from your app, edit the NEW_RELIC_HOME environmental variable.

Keep your Node.js agent up-to-date

To ensure that you have the most up-to-date version of New Relic, refer to the Node.js release notes. When applicable, the release notes include a download link with instructions on how to update the Node.js agent.

Troubleshooting

After you update the agent, generate some traffic and wait a few minutes. If no data appears in the New Relic UI, see the troubleshooting procedures.