# \[uibuilder\] The next step - 3rd-party comms with a uibuilder front-end

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/uibuilder-the-next-step-3rd-party-comms-with-a-uibuilder-front-end/51684>\
**Category:** Share Your Nodes\
**Tags:** uibuilder\
**Created:** [29 September 2021 20:25 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/uibuilder-the-next-step-3rd-party-comms-with-a-uibuilder-front-end/51684 "2021-09-29T20:25:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 19

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**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [30 December 2021 22:47 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/uibuilder-the-next-step-3rd-party-comms-with-a-uibuilder-front-end/51684/19 "2021-12-30T22:47:40Z")

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> [@dczysz](#):
>
> So it's a bit weird the way Node-RED works in Docker. I followed the [official instructions for installing extra nodes](https://nodered.org/docs/getting-started/docker#dockerfile-which-copies-in-local-resources). The line `COPY package.json .` copies it to `/usr/src/node-red` and installs the node\_modules in that directory. So that's where `socket.io` lives apparently.

Oh poo! That is not good. But I probably should have thought of it. That's the problem with node.js and Node-RED, there are multiple locations things can be installed and npm has no robust way of finding things no matter where they are installed, you kind of have to know at least some things. A right pain!

> [@dczysz](#):
>
> And nothing is installed in what I believe would be the Docker version of Node-RED's `userDir` .

It would be interesting to see if Node-RED was happy with things installed there though - I think it would be. It is a pain in the butt to have things effectively installed globally which is what the instructions are doing.

Well, OK, thanks for the info. At least we know that things still work when installed that way. It is just a warning message really anyway so I can make some simple ammendments to it.

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_[View the full topic](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/uibuilder-the-next-step-3rd-party-comms-with-a-uibuilder-front-end/51684)._