Deploy Nodejs App to DigitalOcean in 10 Minutes (Free SSL & Custom Domain)

About this video

• Video Title: Deploy Nodejs App to DigitalOcean in 10 Minutes (Free SSL & Custom Domain)
• Channel: Hayk Simonyan
• Speakers: Hayk Simonyan
• Duration: 00:10:59

Overview

This video provides a comprehensive guide on deploying a Node.js application to a DigitalOcean server. It covers the entire process from setting up a DigitalOcean account and server, to logging in, installing necessary software, cloning and preparing the application, running it with a process manager, and finally configuring security measures like a firewall, Nginx as a reverse proxy, connecting a custom domain, and obtaining a free SSL certificate for HTTPS.

Key takeaways

• DigitalOcean Setup: Create a DigitalOcean account (with a referral for credit) and set up a server (droplet), choosing a region close to users and using Ubuntu as the OS. SSH key authentication is recommended over password-based authentication.
• Server Configuration: Log into the server via SSH and install Node.js (using NVM) and Git. Clone your application's repository from GitHub and install its dependencies.
• Application Deployment: Use PM2 as a process manager to keep the Node.js application running and set it up to start automatically on server reboot.
• Security Enhancements: Implement a UFW firewall to allow only necessary ports (SSH, HTTP, HTTPS). Configure Nginx as a reverse proxy to handle incoming requests and serve the application on the default port.
• Domain and SSL: Purchase a domain (e.g., from Namecheap) and connect it to your DigitalOcean droplet by configuring DNS records. Obtain and install a free SSL certificate using Certbot for HTTPS, with a reminder that these certificates expire every 90 days and need renewal.