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VPS - Deploying Multiple Node.js Apps on a VPS with Nginx, PM2, and SSL

1. Connect to Your VPS via SSH​

ssh root@your_server_ip

Ajibolatao1.

2. Update Your VPS​

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo adduser newuser
sudo usermod -aG sudo newuser
su - newuser
sudo whoami

3. Install Node.js, NPM, and Git​

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x -o nodesource_setup.sh
sudo -E bash nodesource_setup.sh
sudo apt install -y nodejs
sudo apt install git -y

Verify Installation:

node -v
npm -v
git --version

4. Install PM2 (Process Manager)​

sudo npm install -g pm2

Verify Installation:

pm2 -v

5. Install and Configure Nginx​

sudo apt install nginx

Start & Enable Nginx:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl status nginx

Allow Access to Required Ports:

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx HTTP'
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo ufw allow 8080

6. Setup SSH Keys for GitHub (Private Repo Access)​

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
  • (Add the key at GitHub → Settings → SSH Keys) (here)
git clone [email protected]:your-username/your-private-repo.git

7. Clone Your App​

git clone your_repository_url /path/to/your/app
git pull

Navigate & Install Dependencies:

cd /path/to/your/app
npm install

8. Run Apps with PM2​

Navigate into app folder, then run:

pm2 start npm --name *appName* --watch -- start

# e.g pm2 start npm --name RevampCode --watch -- start

OR

pm2 start server.js --name app1 --watch -- 5000
pm2 start app.js --name app2 --watch -- 5001

PM2 Useful Commands:

pm2 list
pm2 stop all
pm2 delete all
pm2 monit
pm2 restart app1
pm2 save

9. Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy​

Default config (drop unwanted requests):

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
server {
    listen 80 default_server;
        server_name _;
        location / {
        return 444;
        }
}

App 1 Configuration:​

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/app1

# e.g sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/RevampCode
# For a node app
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name app1.domain.com; # Replace with api.revampcode.com if using subdomain
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
        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;
    }
}
# HTML website (static files)
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name revampcode.com www.revampcode.com;
    root /var/www/revampcode;
    index index.html;
}

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name mywatch.com www.mywatch.com;
    root /var/www/mywatch;
    index index.html;
}

Enable Config:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/app1 /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

(Repeat for each app.)

10. Reload Nginx​

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

11. Update DNS A Records​

TypeNameValue
A Recordapp1VPS_IP_ADDRESS
A Recordapp2VPS_IP_ADDRESS

12. Setup SSL with Let’s Encrypt​

Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Obtain Certificates:

sudo certbot --nginx -d app1.domain.com -d app2.domain.com

Auto-Renew:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

13. Enable PM2 on Reboot​

pm2 startup
pm2 save

14. Monitoring & Maintenance​

Monitor CPU & Memory:

htop
free -h

Check Used Ports:

sudo lsof -i :8081
sudo kill -9

Misc:

passwd username # Change user password

 

USED PORTS

8080- ScholarshipPulse

8081  - RevampCode

8082 - CSMTech

8083 - Photonics

8084 - RecolorPro

8085 - Qdyizhiyou

8086 - STN

8087 - MzorlineWears

8088 - Template