Docker vs node.js

Question

I'm fairly new to React-native. Im sorry about quite a convoluted question but I have dilemma. I am building an API that communicates with a server app that Im working on, I have been using Docker successfully to run containers BUT I'm constantly being told that I don't need to run Docker at all. I understand the principles of Docker and Node.JS but in all honesty I cant imagine how I would run server side without Docker. Ive tried Node.js and seemed to require a PHP server, which I was also told I did not need. Is this true? which is better Docker or Node.JS? and If Node JS is better how to run it without a php server as it is my understanding that php serves the pages and React consumes the pages.

Answer 1

'You can just install Node, frequently through your OS's package manager. It doesn't require PHP or other language interpreters. I find working directly with Node much easier than using Node in Docker: it is actually a local development environment that my IDE is comfortable with, and not a path to run a Node interpreter "somewhere else" that's isolated from my desktop tooling. '

1)After a few weeks of research I found that I didn't need docker at all. Within Node is the ability to run a server using either fastify or express. I just needed to check on the relevant documentation for usage

2) I linked fastify to ngrok and exposed my local IP address to a public facing direction 3) I linked the ngrock url to my freedns and voila. it worked. 4) I had a small problem with the port which was resolved by using the command ngrok http 127.0:0.1:5000