Update Node.js and Node-RED

Updates of the OL Connect Automate nodes are available through the Node-RED palette manager, accessed from the upper right menu.

The following explains how to update Node.js and Node-RED manually, without a new installer from Objectif Lune.

Note: If manually updating Node-RED, we recommend you do not update to a new major version. New major versions of Node-RED may contain changes that affect the operation of OL Connect Automate or OL Connect nodes. New major versions of Node-RED are usually incorporated in the next release of OL Connect Automate. Manual updates of Node-RED to new minor versions (i.e. going from 4.2 to 4.3) or patch releases generally will not conflict with your existing OL Connect Automate version.

Update Node.js

OL Connect Automate includes a Node.js runtime that is used by certain components and functionality. In some cases, it may be necessary to update Node.js to address security vulnerabilities or apply maintenance updates.

The following procedure describes how to manually update the Node.js runtime used by OL Connect Automate.

Before you begin

  • Ensure that the new Node.js version belongs to the same major release line as the currently installed version. For example, if Node.js 24.x.x is installed, select a newer version from the 24.x.x release line.

  • Ensure you have administrator privileges on the system.

Note: Do not upgrade to a different major Node.js version unless that version is explicitly supported by your OL Connect Automate release.

Step 1: Check the installed Node.js version

  1. Open the Windows Command Prompt (CMD).

  2. Navigate to the Node.js installation directory:
    cd "C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect Automate\nodejs"

  3. Enter the following command to display the currently installed Node.js version:
    node -v

  4. Note the version number displayed, for example:
    v24.21.0.

Step 2: Download the updated Node.js version

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to the official Node.js download page.

  2. Select the latest suitable version within the same major release line as the currently installed version, for example Node.js 24.x.x.

  3. Select Windows as the operating system.

  4. Select x64 (64-bit) as the architecture.

  5. Download the Standalone Binary (.zip) distribution.

  6. Extract the downloaded ZIP archive to a temporary folder.

Step 3: Stop OL Connect Automate

  1. Use the Stop OL Connect Automate shortcut or close the OL Connect Automate server application and its associated services.

  2. Verify that the services have stopped before proceeding.

Step 4: Replace the Node.js runtime

  1. Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to:

    C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect Automate\nodejs

  2. Create a backup of the existing contents of this directory so that the previous version can be restored if necessary.

  3. Delete all contents of the NodeJS directory.

  4. Copy the contents of the extracted Node.js ZIP archive into the now-empty NodeJS directory.

    Note: Copy the files and folders from inside the extracted archive directly into the NodeJS directory. Do not introduce an additional nested directory.

Step 5: Verify the Node.js update

  1. Open a new Windows Command Prompt (CMD).

  2. Navigate to the Node.js installation directory:

    cd "C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect Automate\nodejs"

  3. Run:

    node -v

  4. Confirm that the reported version matches the newly installed Node.js version.

Step 6: Restart OL Connect

  1. Restart OL Connect and its associated services.

  2. Verify that the services start successfully.

  3. Verify that OL Connect operates as expected, particularly any processes or scripts that depend on Node.js.

The Node.js runtime update is now complete.

Note: This procedure replaces the bundled Node.js runtime manually. It does not update OL Connect Automate itself. Only use Node.js versions that are compatible with your installed OL Connect Automate release.

Update Node-RED

To manually update Node-RED from the command line:

  1. Stop the Node-RED service.
  2. Update Node.js if necessary (see note above).

  3. Open the command prompt in administrator mode, in the node.js folder.

  4. Run the following command:

    Copy 
    .\npm install -g --unsafe-perm --prefix "<OL Connect Automate install folder>\node-red" node-red@latest

    If you want a specific Node-RED version, replace @latest with @theVersionNumber (e.g., @4.0.1).

  5. Restart the Node-RED service.