Custom Domain Setup Summary and Checklist Complete Guide for Node.js Deployment

Custom Domain Setup Summary and Checklist

This is a complete summary of everything needed to set up a custom domain for your Node.js application on AWS EC2.

The Complete Process

1. Buy a domain name
2. Allocate an Elastic IP on EC2
3. Configure DNS records (A record)
4. Configure Nginx server blocks
5. Add SSL with Let's Encrypt
6. Update backend CORS and cookies
7. Update frontend environment variables
8. Verify everything works
9. Set up monitoring and auto-renewal

Step-by-Step Checklist

1. Buy a Domain

• Choose a short, brandable domain name
• Select a TLD (.com recommended)
• Buy from Namecheap or Cloudflare
• Enable WHOIS privacy
• Enable auto-renewal
• Enable 2FA on your registrar account

2. Allocate Elastic IP

• Go to AWS Console → EC2 → Elastic IPs
• Click Allocate Elastic IP address
• Associate with your EC2 instance
• Note the IP address (e.g., 12.34.56.78)

3. Configure DNS

• Set up Cloudflare for DNS (recommended) or use registrar's DNS
• Update nameservers at the registrar (if using Cloudflare)
• Create A record: @ → EC2 IP (root domain)
• Create A record: api → EC2 IP (API subdomain)
• Create A record: app → EC2 IP or CNAME for Vercel
• Create CNAME: www → yourdomain.com
• Verify with dig yourdomain.com A +short

4. Configure Nginx

• Create server block for api.yourdomain.com (proxy to Node.js)
• Create server block for app.yourdomain.com (static files)
• Create server block for yourdomain.com (redirect to app)
• Add WebSocket headers for /socket.io/
• Add proxy headers (Host, X-Real-IP, X-Forwarded-For, X-Forwarded-Proto)
• Remove the default site
• Test with sudo nginx -t
• Reload with sudo systemctl reload nginx

5. Add SSL

• Install certbot: sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
• Get certificate: sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com -d api.yourdomain.com -d app.yourdomain.com
• Verify HTTPS: curl -I https://yourdomain.com
• Test auto-renewal: sudo certbot renew --dry-run

6. Update Backend

• Set CLIENT_URL=https://app.yourdomain.com in .env
• Update CORS: origin: ["https://app.yourdomain.com"]
• Set app.set("trust proxy", 1) in Express
• Update cookie settings: secure: true, sameSite: "none", domain: ".yourdomain.com"
• Restart PM2: pm2 restart devtinder-api

7. Update Frontend

• Set VITE_API_URL=https://api.yourdomain.com/api
• Set VITE_SOCKET_URL=https://api.yourdomain.com
• Ensure Axios has withCredentials: true
• Rebuild and redeploy

8. Verify

• DNS resolves: dig yourdomain.com A +short returns EC2 IP
• HTTP redirects to HTTPS: curl -I http://yourdomain.com returns 301
• HTTPS works: curl -I https://yourdomain.com returns 200
• API works: curl https://api.yourdomain.com/api/health
• Frontend loads: visit https://app.yourdomain.com
• Login works: test signup and login
• Cookies persist: refresh the page and stay logged in
• WebSocket works: test chat functionality
• SSL grade: test at ssllabs.com/ssltest

9. Monitoring and Maintenance

• Set up UptimeRobot for uptime monitoring
• Set up SSL expiry alerts
• Set up domain expiry alerts
• Enable certbot auto-renewal (default)
• Document all DNS records
• Export DNS records as backup

Architecture Summary

User visits app.yourdomain.com
    ↓
DNS resolves to EC2 Elastic IP (via Cloudflare)
    ↓
Cloudflare (CDN, DDoS protection, SSL)
    ↓
Nginx (port 443, SSL, reverse proxy)
    ↓
Node.js (port 3000, Express, Socket.io)
    ↓
MongoDB Atlas

DNS Records Summary

Nginx Server Blocks Summary

Environment Variables Summary

Backend (.env):

PORT=3000
MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://...
JWT_SECRET=...
NODE_ENV=production
CLIENT_URL=https://app.yourdomain.com

Frontend (.env):

VITE_API_URL=https://api.yourdomain.com/api
VITE_SOCKET_URL=https://api.yourdomain.com

The Takeaway

Setting up a custom domain involves: buying a domain, allocating an Elastic IP, configuring DNS (A records and CNAME), setting up Nginx server blocks for each subdomain, adding SSL with Let's Encrypt, updating backend CORS and cookie settings, updating frontend environment variables, and verifying everything works. Use Cloudflare for free DNS, CDN, and DDoS protection. Set up monitoring and auto-renewal for long-term maintenance.