Installing Node.js and PM2 on AWS EC2 Setting Up the Production Environment

Installing Node.js and PM2 on AWS EC2

After launching your EC2 instance, the next step is installing Node.js, PM2, and other tools needed to run your application.

Step 1: Update the System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This updates all packages to their latest versions. Always do this first on a new instance.

Step 2: Install Node.js 20

Using NodeSource repository for the latest LTS version:

# Add NodeSource repository
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -

# Install Node.js
sudo apt install -y nodejs

Verify the installation:

node --version
# v20.x.x

npm --version
# 10.x.x

Step 3: Install PM2

PM2 is a process manager for Node.js. It keeps your app running, restarts on crash, and starts on system boot.

sudo npm install -g pm2

Verify:

pm2 --version
# 5.x.x

Step 4: Install Nginx

Nginx will serve as a reverse proxy, sitting in front of your Node.js app:

sudo apt install -y nginx

Verify:

nginx --version
# nginx version: nginx/1.18.0

Step 5: Install Git

sudo apt install -y git
git --version

Step 6: Install Build Tools

Some npm packages require compilation:

sudo apt install -y build-essential

Step 7: Configure PM2 Startup

Make PM2 start on system boot:

pm2 startup systemd

This outputs a command. Copy and run it:

sudo env PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin /usr/lib/node_modules/pm2/bin/pm2 startup systemd -u ubuntu --hp /home/ubuntu

Step 8: Clone Your Project

cd /home/ubuntu
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/devtinder-backend.git
cd devtinder-backend
npm install

Step 9: Configure Environment Variables

cp .env.example .env
nano .env

Add your production values:

PORT=3000
MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://your-atlas-connection-string
JWT_SECRET=your_production_secret
NODE_ENV=production
CLIENT_URL=https://yourdomain.com

Step 10: Start the App with PM2

pm2 start src/server.js --name devtinder-api

Verify it's running:

pm2 status

You should see:

┌────────────────┬────┬───────────┬───────┬───────────┐
│ name           │ id │ mode      │ status│ restarts  │
├────────────────┼────┼───────────┼───────┼───────────┤
│ devtinder-api  │ 0  │ fork      │ online│ 0         │
└────────────────┴────┴───────────┴───────┴───────────┘

Step 11: Save PM2 Process List

pm2 save

This saves the current process list so PM2 knows what to restart on boot.

Step 12: Test the API

curl http://localhost:3000/api/health

Or from your local machine:

curl http://your-ec2-public-ip:3000/api/health

(Only works if port 3000 is open in your security group.)

PM2 Commands Cheat Sheet

The Takeaway

Setting up a Node.js production environment on EC2 involves: updating the system, installing Node.js 20 via NodeSource, installing PM2 globally for process management, installing Nginx for reverse proxy, installing Git and build tools, configuring PM2 startup for auto-restart on boot, cloning the project, configuring .env, and starting the app with PM2.