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How to deploy a NodeJS server with NGINX on a VPS
This is how I (currently, as of July 2, 2021) deploy NodeJS servers. Eventually I will figure out Docker, but for right now this is good enough. This tutorial also includes information for using Redis on the same VPS for caching.
Create a VPS (I use Vultr–that's my referral link). I use Ubuntu; if you use another distro you will have to use your distro's package manager for installing software.
You'll probably want a domain name anyways, so point a domain (I will use example.com for the tutorial) at the VPS.
SSH into the VPS:
Update the machine:
sudo apt update; sudo apt upgradeInstall programs that will be useful:
sudo apt install nginx redis-server python3-certbot-nginxInstall a text editor (I prefer Neovim):
sudo apt install neovimnvim /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.comIn the
proxy_pass value, the port should be whichever port you plan to run your NodeJS server on.server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:3000/;
}
}Run
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabledEdit your
redis.conf file:nvim /etc/redis/redis.confFind the
supervised key; set the value to systemd.Restart Redis:
sudo systemctl restart redis.service
sudo systemctl restart rediscurl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.11/install.sh | bashExit your SSH session and start a new one:
Install NodeJS:
nvm install v15.11.0git clone https://probablygithub.com/yourusername/yourrepo.gitChange directory into your server directory:
cd yourrepo.gitInstall your packages:
npm installInstall
pm2 globally:npm install pm2 -gStart your server (change
server.js to the path of your main file):pm2 start server.js
pm2 startup
pm2 save
sudo rebootUse LetsEncrypt:
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.comEnter the required information, and soon enough you will have SSL for your server.
Congrats! You have a deployed NodeJS server with Redis for caching and SSL through LetsEncrypt!
You may want to create a different user so you are not running the server as
root.You may want to use
ufw for added security. I would reference Brad Traversy's deployment strategy.If this tutorial is broken at any point in the process, let me know by leaving a comment below. Thank you!