Setup Node.js, Nginx, SSL to server

Node.js Deployment

This guide shows you how to deploy a Node.js app to DigitalOcean using PM2, NGINX as a reverse proxy, and an SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt.

Spin up a server

You can use any hosting provider or a local Linux server. We recommend using Ubuntu.

Create a droplet and log in via SSH

We will use the root user for this setup, but we suggest creating a new non-root user.

Install Node and NPM

curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_12.x | sudo -E bash -
 
sudo apt install nodejs
 
node --version

Clone your project from GitHub

There are a few ways to get your files onto the server. We suggest using Git:

git clone yourproject.git

Install dependencies and test the app

cd yourproject
npm install
npm start
 # stop app
ctrl+C

Setup PM2 process manager to keep your app running

sudo npm i pm2 -g
pm2 start app
 
 # Other pm2 commands
pm2 show app
pm2 status
pm2 restart app
pm2 stop app
 pm2 logs (Show log stream)
 pm2 flush (Clear logs)
 
 # To make sure the app starts when reboot
pm2 startup ubuntu

You should now be able to access your app using your IP and port. Next, we will set up a firewall to block that port and configure NGINX as a reverse proxy. This lets us access the app directly on port 80 (HTTP).

Setup UFW firewall

Configure the firewall to restrict traffic. Run the following commands to allow SSH, HTTP, and HTTPS connections.

sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status
sudo ufw allow ssh (Port 22)
sudo ufw allow http (Port 80)
sudo ufw allow https (Port 443)

Install NGINX and configure

Install NGINX to act as your web server. The diagram below shows the reverse proxy flow.

sudo apt install nginx
 
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Add the following configuration to the location block in your NGINX server config.

    server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
 
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:5000; #whatever port your app runs on
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }

 # Check NGINX config
sudo nginx -t
 
 # Restart NGINX
sudo service nginx restart

You should now be able to visit your IP with no port (port 80) and see your app. Now let's add a domain.

Add domain in Digital Ocean

In Digital Ocean, go to networking and add a domain. Add an A record for @ and for www pointing to your droplet.

Register and/or set up domain from the registrar

We prefer Namecheap for domains. Please use this link if you are going to use them: https://namecheap.pxf.io/c/1299552/386170/5618

Choose "Custom nameservers" and add these three addresses:

• ns1.digitalocean.com
• ns2.digitalocean.com
• ns3.digitalocean.com

DNS propagation may take some time.

Add SSL with Let's Encrypt

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:certbot/certbot
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com
 
 # Only valid for 90 days, test the renewal process with
certbot renew --dry-run

Now visit https://yourdomain.com and you should see your Node app.