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https://github.com/akashdeep023/mern-ec2-docs

A step-by-step guide to deploying a MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) stack application on an AWS EC2 instance.
https://github.com/akashdeep023/mern-ec2-docs

aws aws-ec2 deploy mern-stack nginx pm2 private-repository

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A step-by-step guide to deploying a MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) stack application on an AWS EC2 instance.

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README 

          
# **MERN EC2 Docs**



_**A step-by-step guide to deploying a MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) stack application on an AWS EC2 instance.**_



---



## 🧰 **Prerequisites**



-   AWS account

-   Basic knowledge of Terminal Ubuntu, and Linux

-   A MERN stack project (client & server folders)

-   Domain name

-   GitHub repo access (if deploying via Git)



---



## 🔑 **Create AWS Account**



1. Sign up at the [AWS Cloud](https://aws.amazon.com/free)

2. Choose: **Business** account type (recommended)

3. Account Name: Any (does **not** need to match your project name)

4. Payment Method: Use a **Credit Card** (some **Debit Cards** may work)

5. Fill in required personal or business details

6. Complete identity verification (email/phone)

7. Log into the console once your account is active



---



## 🖥️ **Launch EC2 Instance**



1. In the AWS Console, search for and open the **EC2** service

2. Go to: **EC2 > Instances > Launch Instance**

3. Enter instance name: e.g., `mern-server` or your project name

4. Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI):

    - **Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS** (Recommended)

5. Choose Instance Type:

    - **t2.micro** (Free Tier eligible)

6. Create or select a key pair:

    - **Key pair type:** RSA

    - **Private key format:** `.pem`

    - Save the `.pem` file securely (you’ll need it to SSH)

7. Configure other settings as needed (default is usually fine)

8. Click **Launch Instance**

9. Wait a few moments and check the instance status:

    - **Instance state:** Running

    - **Status check:** 2/2 checks passed ✅



---



## 🔐 Connect to EC2 via SSH



1. Go to the **EC2 > Instances** page

2. Find your running instance and click on the **Instance ID**

3. On the top-right, click the **Connect** button

4. Choose the **SSH Client** tab (used for terminal access)



---



## 🧭 Steps to Connect Using Terminal



1. **Open an SSH client** (Terminal on macOS/Linux, or PowerShell on Windows)

2. **Locate your private key file**  

   The key used to launch this instance is:  

   `aws-instance-login.pem`

3. **Set the correct permission** for your `.pem` file:



    ```bash

    # Run this command once to set the correct permission for your PEM file

    chmod 400 "aws-instance-login.pem"

    ```



4. **Connect to your instance using its Public DNS**  

   Example Public DNS:  

   `ec2-00-0-000-000.ap-south-1.compute.amazonaws.com`



5. 🖥️ **Example SSH Command**  

   To connect to your EC2 instance, you must use it like this:



    ```bash

    # Connect to your EC2 instance using this command:

    ssh -i "aws-instance-login.pem" ubuntu@ec2-00-0-000-000.ap-south-1.compute.amazonaws.com

    ```



    > ✅ Make sure you’re in the directory where your `.pem` file is saved



    > ✅ Replace the DNS with your actual `EC2 Public DNS`



    > ✅ Use `ubuntu@` for Ubuntu instances, or `ec2-user@` for Amazon Linux



    > ✅ If successful, you'll be logged into your EC2 instance via the terminal.



---



## ⚙️ Install Node.js and NVM



1. Go to [Node.js Downloads](https://nodejs.org/en/download)

2. Select the exact Node.js version your project uses

3. Since we're using **Ubuntu**, choose the **macOS/Linux** tab

4. Choose the **nvm** installation option

5. This will also install **npm** (Node Package Manager)

6. Install NVM and Node.js Command



    ```bash

    # Download and install NVM:

    curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.3/install.sh | bash



    # Load NVM into current shell (without restarting terminal):

    \. "$HOME/.nvm/nvm.sh"



    # Install Node.js (version 23 in this case):

    nvm install 23

    ```



7. Verify Installations Command



    ```bash

    # Check npm version:

    npm -v   # Should print "10.9.2"



    # Check Node.js version:

    node -v  # Should print "v23.11.1"

    nvm current  # Should print "v23.11.1"

    ```



    > 📌 Make sure you're connected to the internet when running these commands.



    > 📌 You can change the Node.js version later using `nvm install ` or `nvm use `



8. Exit from your EC2 Instance (Virtual Machine)



    ```bash

    exit

    ```



9. Reconnect to your EC2 Instance using Terminal



    ```bash

    ssh -i "aws-instance-login.pem" ubuntu@ec2-00-0-000-000.ap-south-1.compute.amazonaws.com

    ```



---



## 🗃️ **Clone Your MERN Project**



### 📂 **Clone Public Repositories on EC2**



1. Frontend Repository



    ```bash

    git clone https://github.com/your-username/frontend-repo.git

    ```



2. Backend Repository



    ```bash

    git clone https://github.com/your-username/backend-repo.git

    ```



3. Verify Cloned Repo



    ```bash

    ls

    ```



---



### 🔐 **Clone Private Repositories on EC2**



  Click to view full instructions



#### 1. ✅ Configure Git to Store Credentials



```bash

git config --global credential.helper store

```



> This stores your credentials locally so you don’t need to enter them every time (⚠️ not recommended for production environments).



---



#### 2. 🔑 Generate a GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT)



1. Go to [**GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens**](https://github.com/settings/tokens)

2. Click **"Fine-grained tokens"** or **"Tokens (classic)"**

3. Click **Generate new token**

4. Set the **expiration date** and **name**

5. Enable the required scopes (for private repo access, enable at least: `repo`)

6. Click **Generate token**

7. Copy the token **immediately** — you won’t see it again!



#### 3. 📥 Clone the **Private Repository**



1.  Frontend Repository



    ```bash

    git clone https://:@github.com//.git

    ```



2.  Backend Repository



    ```bash

    git clone https://github.com/your-username/backend-repo.git

    ```



#### 4. 📂 Verify Cloned Repo



```bash

ls

```



#### ⚠️ Security Warning



-   **Do not share or commit your token in code**

-   For production or shared servers, use **SSH keys** or **GitHub CLI**



---



## ⚙️ Install Nginx and PM2



**Update Ubuntu package list**



```bash

sudo apt update

```



> This command refreshes the list of available packages and their versions.



> It's recommended to run before installing any new software.



### Nginx Commands



1.  Install Nginx to deploy our project



    ```bash

    sudo apt install nginx

    ```



2.  Start Nginx



    ```bash

    sudo systemctl start nginx

    ```



3.  Enable Nginx on boot



    ```bash

    sudo systemctl enable nginx

    ```



4.  Restart Nginx



    ```bash

    sudo systemctl restart nginx

    ```



### PM2 Commands



1.  Install PM2 to run our server 24X7



    ```bash

    npm install pm2 -g

    ```



2.  Start the server with PM2



    ```bash

    pm2 start npm -- start # pm2 start (run pm2 server), npm start (project start command)

    pm2 start npm --name "backend" -- start # or with a custom name

    ```



3.  Check server logs



    ```bash

    pm2 logs

    ```



4.  Remove (flush) PM2 server logs



    ```bash

    pm2 flush  # by name

    # or

    pm2 flush  # by id

    ```



5.  View all list of PM2 server



    ```bash

    pm2 list # show all start server

    ```



6.  Stop pm2 server



    ```bash

    pm2 stop  # by name

    # or

    pm2 stop  # by id

    ```



7.  Restart pm2 server



    ```bash

    pm2 restart  # by name

    # or

    pm2 restart  # by id

    ```



8.  Delete pm2 server



    ```bash

    pm2 delete  # by name

    # or

    pm2 delete  # by id

    ```



9.  Custom name of pm2 server



    ```bash

    pm2 start npm --name "backend" -- start

    ```



---



## 🌐 **Setup Frontend (React) with Nginx on AWS EC2**



1.  Navigate to the Frontend Project



    ```bash

    cd frontend-repo

    ```



2.  Install Dependencies & Build the Project



    ```bash

    npm install

    npm run build

    ```



    



    ⚠️ Build failed? Click to view memory fix instructions.



    If the build fails due to memory limitations (common on small EC2 instances), follow these steps to add a swap file:



    1.  Check Available Memory



        ```bash

        free -h

        ```



    2.  Create & Enable Swap File (2GB)



        ```bash

        sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/swapfile bs=1M count=2048

        sudo mkswap /swapfile

        sudo swapon /swapfile

        echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

        ```



    3.  Confirm Swap is Active



        ```bash

        sudo swapon --show

        free -h

        ```



    4.  Retry Build with Increased Memory Allocation



        ```bash

        NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=4096" npm run build

        ```



       



3.  Setup `.env` File



    -   Create `.env` file:



        ```bash

        sudo nano .env

        ```



    -   Paste it all your frontend environment variables



        ```bash

        # Example environment variables

        BACKEND_URL=/api

        ```



        > Save and Exit



4.  Deploy Build Files to Nginx Directory



    ```bash

    # Start & Enable Nginx

    # copy code from build to Nginx web root

    sudo scp -r build/* /var/www/html/ # dist

    ```



    > **Note**: Make sure `/var/www/html/` is empty or only contains files from your intended deployment.



5.  Enable HTTP Access on Port 80 (in AWS EC2)



    -   Before accessing your frontend in the browser, make sure port 80 is open on your instance:



    1. Go to the **EC2 > Instances** page

    2. Find your running instance and click on the **Instance ID**

    3. GO the **Security** tab

    4. Click on the linked **Security groups**

    5. Under **Inbound rules**, click **Edit Inbound Rules**

    6. Add a rule:

        - Type `HTTP`

        - Port `80`

        - Source `0.0.0.0/0` (for public access)

    7. Click **Save rules**



6.  Your Frontend is Now Live!



    -   Open your browser and go to:



        ```bash

        http:///

        # or

        http://domain.com/

        ```



---



## 🌍 **Setup Backend (Node + Express) on AWS EC2**



1. Navigate to the Backend Project



    ```bash

    cd backend-repo

    ```



2. Install Dependencies



    ```bash

    npm install

    ```



3. Whitelist EC2 IP in MongoDB Atlas



    - Go to [MongoDB Atlas](https://www.mongodb.com/)

    - Navigate to **Network Access** -> Add IP Address

    - Add your EC2 public IP address or use `0.0.0.0/0` (for open access)



4. Setup `.env` File



    - Create `.env` file:



        ```bash

        sudo nano .env

        ```



    - Paste it all your backend environment variables



        ```bash

        # Example environment variables

        PORT=7777

        MONGO_DB=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/dbname

        ```



        > Save and Exit



5. Start the backend server with PM2



    ```bash

    pm2 start npm --name "backend" -- start

    ```



    > This keeps your server running in the background, even after SSH disconnects.



6. Configure Nginx to Reverse Proxy to Node.js



    - Open the Nginx default config:



        ```bash

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

        ```



    - Replace or update the contents with:



        ```bash

        # ...

        # Add searver name and location

        server_name 00.0.000.000; # Domain Name or Instance IP Address

        location /api/ {

                proxy_pass http://localhost:7777/;  # (PORT - 7777) Pass the request to the Node.js app

                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;

        }

        # Correctly redirects all unknown (404) routes to index.html

        location / {

                # First attempt to serve request as file, then

                # as directory, then fall back to displaying a 404.

                # try_files $uri $uri/ =404;

                try_files $uri /index.html;

        }

        # ...

        ```



7. Save and Exit



    - Press `CTRL + O`, Enter to save

    - Press `CTRL + X` to exit



8. Restart Nginx



    ```bash

     sudo systemctl restart nginx

    ```



9. Enable HTTP Access on Port `7777` (in AWS EC2)



    - Before accessing your backend in the browser, make sure port `7777` is open on your instance:



    1. Go to the **EC2 > Instances** page

    2. Find your running instance and click on the **Instance ID**

    3. GO the **Security** tab

    4. Click on the linked **Security groups**

    5. Under **Inbound rules**, click **Edit Inbound Rules**

    6. Add a rule:

        - Type `HTTP`

        - Port `7777`

        - Source `0.0.0.0/0` (for public access)

    7. Click **Save rules**



10. Your Backend is Now Live!



    - You can now access your backend API via:



        ```bash

        http:///api/

        # or

        http://domain.com/api/

        ```



---



## 🧯 **Troubleshooting**



-   If it doesn't load, make sure:



    -   **Nginx is running** `sudo systemctl status nginx`

    -   **Your build files** correctly copied to `/var/www/html`

    -   **Port not open?** Check AWS Security Groups

    -   **App crashing?** Run `pm2 logs`

    -   **Server can't connect to MongoDB Atlas?** Check IP whitelisting



---



## ✅ **Done!**



Your MERN stack is now live on AWS EC2. 🎉



```bash

http://

#or

http://domain.com

```



---



## Redploy MERN Project



### Backend & Frontend Repo Redeploy Guide



#### Frontend Repository



1. Navigate to the Frontend Project



    ```bash

    cd frontend-repo

    ```



2. Pull latest code & Install dependencies

    ```bash

    git pull

    npm install

    ```

3. Build the project (with extended memory if needed)



    ```bash

    npm run build

    #or

    NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=4096" npm run build

    ```



4. Deploy Build Files to Nginx Directory



    ```bash

    sudo scp -r build/* /var/www/html/ # dist

    ```



#### Backend Repository



1. Navigate to the Backend Project



    ```bash

    cd backend-repo

    ```



2. Pull latest code & Install dependencies



    ```bash

    git pull

    npm install

    ```



3. Restart the PM2 server



    ```bash

    pm2 restart  # by name

    # or

    pm2 restart  # by id

    ```



## 📎 **Resources**



-   [MongoDB Atlas](https://www.mongodb.com/)

-   [Node.js Docs](https://nodejs.org/en)

-   [PM2 Docs](https://pm2.keymetrics.io/)

-   [Nginx Config Reference](https://nginx.org/)