Deploy a Node.js Application on a VPS

Why Deploy Node.js on a VPS Rather Than on a Managed Platform?

What You Gain with a VPS for Node.js

• A persistent Node.js process, ideal for WebSocket, SSE and long-running tasks with no cold start
• Automatic restart after a crash and when the server reboots, thanks to PM2
• Cluster mode to use every CPU core of the VPS without changing your code
• An Nginx reverse proxy in front of Node for HTTPS, compression and static files
• Queue workers (BullMQ, Agenda) and scheduled jobs running next to the API on the same machine
• Several applications on one VPS, each on its own internal port (3000, 3001…) and subdomain behind Nginx
• Server-side rendering for frameworks such as Nuxt or Next.js, served by the same Node.js and PM2 foundation
• A fixed, predictable cost, with no per-request billing and no scaling surprises
• Full control over the Node.js version and system dependencies

Prerequisites

Starting from the Node.js Stack Template

Deploy a Node.js Application to Production

1. 01

   Prepare the VPS and Install Node.js

   On an Ubuntu 24.04 VPS, update the system and install an LTS version of Node through nvm (nvm install --lts) or the NodeSource repository. Check with node -v and npm -v. Create a non-root user dedicated to the application instead of running everything as root: that user will own the code, the .env file and the PM2 processes. With the Node.js Stack template, Node.js, npm and PM2 are already installed, so only the user creation remains.

2. 02

   Fetch the Code and Build

   Clone your repository on the VPS, install the production dependencies (npm ci --omit=dev) and run the build if needed (npm run build).

   Put sensitive variables in an uncommitted .env file that only the application user can read (chmod 600 .env). No library is needed to read it: since Node.js 20.6, the --env-file option loads that file into process.env at startup.

3. 03

   Prepare the PostgreSQL Database

   If the application needs a database, create a dedicated role and database instead of working with the superuser:

   sudo -u postgres createuser --pwprompt monapp
   sudo -u postgres createdb --owner=monapp monapp

   Then set DATABASE_URL=postgres://monapp:<password>@127.0.0.1:5432/monapp in the .env. Since PostgreSQL listens only locally, no database port has to be opened in the firewall.

4. 04

   Start the Application with PM2

   Install PM2 globally (npm install -g pm2, already done on the template), then start the app from the project folder, asking Node to load the .env:

   pm2 start app.js --name monapp -i max --node-args="--env-file=.env"

   The -i max flag enables cluster mode across all cores. PM2 automatically restarts the process if it crashes.

5. 05

   Enable Automatic Startup at Boot

   Generate the systemd script with pm2 startup, run as the application user, execute the command it prints with sudo, then freeze the current state with pm2 save. On the next VPS reboot, your application will be restarted automatically, with no intervention.

6. 06

   Configure Nginx as a Reverse Proxy

   Install Nginx if it is not already there and create /etc/nginx/sites-available/monapp, a virtual host that proxies to Node's local port. The Upgrade and Connection headers are for WebSockets, and X-Forwarded-Proto tells the application that the client is on HTTPS:

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name yourdomain.com;
   
       location / {
           proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
           proxy_http_version 1.1;
           proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
           proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
           proxy_set_header Host $host;
           proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
           proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
       }
   }

   Enable the site, remove the default page, test the configuration and reload:

   ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/monapp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
   nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx

7. 07

   Secure with HTTPS via Let's Encrypt

   Install Certbot and its Nginx plugin, then request the certificate:

   apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
   certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

   Certbot obtains the certificate, sets up the HTTP→HTTPS redirect and schedules automatic renewal. Your Node application is now served over HTTPS.

Centralize the Configuration in ecosystem.config.js

module.exports = {
  apps: [
    {
      name: 'api',
      cwd: '/home/monapp/app',
      script: 'app.js',
      instances: 'max',
      exec_mode: 'cluster',
      node_args: '--env-file=.env',
      max_memory_restart: '500M',
      env: { NODE_ENV: 'production', PORT: 3000 }
    },
    {
      name: 'worker',
      cwd: '/home/monapp/app',
      script: 'worker.js',
      node_args: '--env-file=.env'
    }
  ]
}

Logs: Reading Them, Then Rotating Them

pm2 install pm2-logrotate
pm2 set pm2-logrotate:max_size 50M
pm2 set pm2-logrotate:retain 7