title: Nodejs app on Google Cloud App Engine not starting
body: <p>Good day,</p>
  
  <p>my very basic Nodejs app is deployed on a Google Cloud App Engine instance is not starting. The app works locally, deployment with <code>app deploy</code> runs without error - and on the app instance the app runs successfully when started manually through Cloud shell (with <code>&gt;npm start</code>).
  However, as soon as the Cloud Shell is closed my app is dead. What am I missing? How do I start-up the app to run permanently?</p>
  
  <p>The app consists of </p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>bot4.js file,  </li>
  <li>npm dependencies</li>
  <li>app.yaml</li>
  <li>package.json</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>app.yaml:</p>
  
  <pre><code>runtime: nodejs8
  handlers:
  - url: /
    script: auto
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>package.json:</p>
  
  <pre><code>{
    "name": "blexplorer",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "description": "",
    "main": "bot4.js",
    "scripts": {
      "start": "node bot4.js"
    },
    "author": "oystersauce",
    "license": "ISC",
    "dependencies": {
      "discord.js": "^11.4.2",
      "request": "^2.88.0"
    }
  }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Again, the app is running fine when started through the Cloud Shell but no longer, as soon as the Cloud Shell is closed. Also, it's a super simple discord-bot - hence there is no front-end whatsoever.</p>
  
  <p>EDIT: 
  this is how I thought I started the app manually - but what I did here is starting the app within the cloud shell and not on the app instance: 
  <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zkK67.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zkK67.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p>here is how I deploy the app: 
  <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/NoN8P.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/NoN8P.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>