Deploying a Node.js application can be a complex task, but with a structured approach, it becomes manageable. This blog post outlines the complete setup of a Node.js application named YourProject, from installing dependencies to configuring Apache as a reverse proxy and enabling HTTPS.

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Prerequisites

• A server with Ubuntu installed.

• Access to the root account or sudo privileges.

• Basic understanding of Git, Node.js, and server management.

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Steps to Deploy YourProject

1. Update System and Install Dependencies Start by updating the package manager and installing essential tools like Git and Node.js:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install git
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x -o /tmp/nodesource_setup.sh
sudo bash /tmp/nodesource_setup.sh
sudo apt install nodejs

2. Set Up Git Deployment Create directories for your repository and deployment destination:

mkdir -p ~/apps/YourProject/repo
mkdir -p ~/apps/YourProject/dest
cd ~/apps/YourProject/repo
git --bare init

Create a post-receive Git hook to automate deployment:

nano hooks/post-receive

Add the following script:

#!/bin/bash -l
echo 'post-receive: Triggered'
cd ~/apps/YourProject/dest/
echo 'post-receive: git checkout...'
git --git-dir=/root/apps/YourProject/repo/ --work-tree=/root/apps/YourProject/dest/ checkout master -f
echo 'post-receive: npm install & build...'
npm install && cd client && npm install && npm run build
forever restart YourProject

Make the hook executable:

chmod ug+x hooks/post-receive

3. Configure Environment Variables Navigate to the destination directory and create an .env file for your environment variables:

cd ../dest
nano .env

Add the following configuration:

NODE_ENV=production
PORT=5000
MONGO_URL=mongodb+srv://random_user:random_password@randomproject.mongodb.net/RandomProject?retryWrites=true&w=majority&appName=RandomProject
JWT_SECRET=RandomSecretJWT
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7d
CLOUD_NAME=randomcloud123
CLOUD_API_KEY=123456789012345
CLOUD_API_SECRET=RandomCloudSecretKey12345

4. Set Up Apache as a Reverse Proxy Install and configure Apache:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2 -y
sudo a2enmod proxy
sudo a2enmod proxy_http
sudo a2enmod rewrite headers expires

Create a virtual host configuration for your domain:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/yourdomain.com.conf

Add the following configuration:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName yourdomain.com
    ServerAlias www.yourdomain.com

    ProxyRequests Off
    ProxyPreserveHost On
    ProxyVia Full

    <Proxy *>
        Require all granted
    </Proxy>

    ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:5100/
    ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:5100/
</VirtualHost>

Enable the site and restart Apache:

sudo a2dissite 000-default
sudo a2ensite yourdomain.com.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2

5. Add SSL Using Certbot Install Certbot and enable HTTPS:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache
sudo certbot -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com --apache --agree-tos -m musavir119s@gmail.com --no-eff-email --redirect

6. Install Forever for Process Management Install forever globally to keep your application running:

npm install forever -g

7. Clone the Repository Locally For local development, clone the repository:

mkdir ~/hostinger
cd ~/hostinger
git clone git@github.com:username/YourProject.git

Add the remote for deployment:

cd YourProject
git remote add hostinger ssh://root@148.135.136.174/root/apps/YourProject/repo/

Push your code to deploy it:

git push hostinger master

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Conclusion With this setup, you can seamlessly deploy your Node.js application using Git hooks and manage it with Apache as a reverse proxy. This ensures a robust and secure deployment process with automated builds and SSL support.