How to Deploy an Express.js App on an Ubuntu Server using PM2 and Nginx | techahmed.com

🚀 How to Deploy an Express.js App on an Ubuntu Server using PM2 and Nginx

Deploying your Express.js app to a production server might sound daunting at first, but with tools like PM2 for process management and Nginx as a reverse proxy, the process becomes smooth and scalable.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through deploying a Node.js/Express application on an Ubuntu server. We'll use PM2 to keep our app running and Nginx to handle traffic and provide SSL termination.

🛠️ Prerequisites

Before diving in, make sure you have the following:

• Ubuntu server: A running Ubuntu server (preferably Ubuntu 20.04 or later)
• Root access: or a user on that OS with sudo privileges
• App: Your Express.js app ready to deploy
• Domain: A domain name (optional, but needed for SSL)

📁 Step 1: Connect to Your Server

First of all, we need to log into the server using SSH and upgrade all Ubuntu dependencies.

ssh your_user@your_server_ip
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

📦 Step 2: Install Node.js and npm

We’ll use NVM (Node Version Manager) to install Node.js:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install --lts

Verify installation:

node -v
npm -v

📁 Step 3: Get Your Express App to the Server

You can either clone the project from GitHub or upload it manually using SCP/FTP. If you're cloning from GitHub, it's recommended to use SSH for secure access.

git clone git@github.com:yourusername/your-repo.git
cd your-repo
npm install

📡 Step 4: Run Dev Server (Optional)

For testing purposes, you can run the app using:

node app.js

You can then access it at: http://your_server_ip:PORT

🔄 Step 5: Install and Use PM2

Install PM2 globally:

npm install -g pm2

Start your app with PM2:

pm2 start app.js --name myapp

Enable auto-restart on system reboot:

pm2 save
pm2 startup

Follow the instructions shown to run the generated command.

🌐 Step 6: Install and Configure Nginx

Install Nginx:

sudo apt install nginx -y

Create a new Nginx config file:

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

Paste this configuration (adjust domain and port):

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        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;
    }
}

Enable the site and restart Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

🔒 Step 7: (Optional) Enable HTTPS with Let's Encrypt

Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Request a free SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

Set up auto-renew:

sudo systemctl enable certbot.timer

✅ Final Checklist

• ✅ App running via PM2: pm2 list
• ✅ Nginx serving your app: systemctl status nginx
• ✅ HTTPS configured (if domain available)
• ✅ Auto-start enabled on reboot: pm2 save && pm2 startup

🎉 Conclusion

Congratulations! Your Express.js app is now deployed on an Ubuntu server, managed by PM2, and served by Nginx. This setup ensures that your app is production-ready, stable, and scalable.

If you're hosting multiple apps or domains, consider using Nginx with subdomains or even Docker + Nginx proxy manager for more advanced deployments.