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https://github.com/aspnetde/nodejs-webserver-guide

Node.js Webserver Guide - Install and run Node.js and MongoDB on Ubuntu
https://github.com/aspnetde/nodejs-webserver-guide

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Node.js Webserver Guide - Install and run Node.js and MongoDB on Ubuntu

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# Node.js Web Server Guide



## Purpose



The main purpose of this guide is to summarize all the steps one has to take to get Node.js and MongoDB up and running on a Ubuntu web server. It is not 100% complete but it covers hopefully the most things you need to know to run different Node.js applications behind nginx, using MongoDB as a database.



If you find anything you can't agree with, please let me know. Send me an email or just a pull request and I will see if I am able to fix this ;-).



This guide contains some details regarding security that won't necessarily matter if you only want to run a single website on your server. In that case take a look at ["Setting up Ubuntu Server for running a single Website with Node.js and MongoDB"](https://github.com/aspnetde/ubuntu-nodejs-mongodb-guide).



## Initial server installation



### Make Tools



The make tools are essential to build some npm packages and other stuff. So it’s generally a good idea to install them early.



	sudo apt-get install gcc make build-essential



(If the installation of build-essential fails, see Misc/Missing packages section).



### nginx



	sudo apt-get install nginx

	

Once the setup of nginx is complete, you should be able to call http://{server_ip} and see the default page with the “Welcome to nginx!” headline.



Also make sure the server starts automatically after booting the system (Should be enabled by default):



	sudo update-rc.d nginx defaults

	

### Node.js



	wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.14.0/install.sh | bash



	# Refresh Path

	source ~/.profile



	# Use latest Node.JS version

	nvm install v0.11.13

	

	# Make it default

	nvm use default v0.11.13



### Bower



	sudo npm install bower -g



### PM2



PM2 manages the different node applications running on this server.



	sudo npm install pm2 -g



### Glances



Glances can be used to monitor the overall state of the server.



	sudo apt-get install python-pip build-essential python-dev

	sudo pip install Glances

	sudo apt-get install lm-sensors

	sudo pip install PySensors



### Git



	sudo apt-get install git



### Zip



	sudo apt-get install zip



### MongoDB



For a detailed explanation see [http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/tutorial/install-mongodb-on-ubuntu/](http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/tutorial/install-mongodb-on-ubuntu/).



#### Install the database service



	sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv 7F0CEB10

	echo 'deb http://downloads-distro.mongodb.org/repo/ubuntu-upstart dist 10gen' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb.list

	sudo apt-get update

	sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org



#### Pin the current version



	echo "mongodb-org hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections

	echo "mongodb-org-server hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections

	echo "mongodb-org-shell hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections

	echo "mongodb-org-mongos hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections

	echo "mongodb-org-tools hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections



#### Set up security



##### Set up mongod.conf



	sudo vi /etc/mongod.conf 



Set:



	auth = true

	bind_ip = 127.0.0.1



##### Add admin user



Open the Mongo Console with `mongo`.



	use admin

	db.createUser({ user: "",

          pwd: "",

          roles: [ "userAdminAnyDatabase",

                   "dbAdminAnyDatabase",

                   "readWriteAnyDatabase"



	]})



##### Restart the service



	sudo service mongod restart



## Installation of a new website



### Create a MongoDB database



	mongo -u admin -p {adminpassword} --authenticationDatabase admin



Add a MongoDB user for the website



	use website-com

	db.createUser(

    {

      user: "website-com",

      pwd: "{newpassword}",

      roles: [

		{ role: "readWrite", db: "website-com" }

	]})



### Add the website’s directories



Websites are organized as follows:



The main identifier is the domain name of a website, while dots are replaced by dashes. 



Directory | Path

------------ | -------------

Single website’s root | /var/www/xyz-com

Single website’s Git repository	 | /var/www/xyz-com/repo

Single website’s web root | /var/www/xyz-com/www



Examples: 



- blog.xyz.de => blog-xyz-de

- website.com => website-com

	

### Add a dedicated website user



Use the domain name for the user’s name:



	sudo adduser website-com



### Make the user the owner of the website’s directories



In `/var/www` execute:



	sudo chown website-com website-com –R



### Create a Git repository



In `/var/www/website-com/repo` run



	git init --bare



### Add the Git deployment hook



This hook is used to deploy changes made to the master repository. It can be customized for each website depending on the specific needs.



Go to `/var/www/website-com/repo/hooks` and create a new file called “post-receive”:



	vi post-receive

	

Add the following commands to it:



	#!/bin/bash



	# Make this executable: chmod +x post-receive



	PREPARATION_DIR="/var/www/website-com/repo/$(uuidgen)"

	WEBSITE_ROOT="/var/www/website-com/www"

	PM2_APP_NAME="website-com"



	echo "Deployment started"



	read oldrev newrev branch



	if [[ $branch =~ .*/master$ ]];

	then

    	echo "Master received. Deploying to production..."



    	# Creates a temporary working directory

	    mkdir $PREPARATION_DIR



    	# Checks out the master from the repository

	    GIT_WORK_TREE="$PREPARATION_DIR" git checkout -f



    	# Installing all npm and bower modules/packages

	    cd $PREPARATION_DIR

	    npm install --allow-root

	    bower install --allow-root



	    # Removes all files in the Website's root

    	cd $WEBSITE_ROOT

		rm -rf *



		# Copies all files over

		cd $PREPARATION_DIR

		cp -r . $WEBSITE_ROOT



		# Restart the Website via PM2

		pm2 restart $PM2_APP_NAME



		# Removes the preparation directory

		rm -R $PREPARATION_DIR

	else

    	echo "$branch successfully received. Nothing to do: only the master branch may be deployed on this server."

	fi



	echo "Deployment finished"



Remember the value of **PM2_APP_NAME** and use it as an identifier for your pm2 application later.



After saving, make the script executable:



	chmod +x post-receive



### Push your application to your repository



By cloning your deployment repository on your local development machine and pushing the first version to the master branch, you should receive a fresh version at `/var/www/website-com/www` (Check with `ls –l`).



	git clone ssh://{username}@{ipaddress}/var/www/website-com/repo website-com



Make sure the user you’re connecting with has the necessary rights to run the Git repository. It’s recommended to connect with the user you have just created before to run the website, because he/she has the necessary access rights.



### Set up PM2



#### Give the user temporary root privilige



Call `visudo` and add the following line:



	{username} ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL



#### Run the startup script



To start pm2 with the system:



	pm2 startup ubuntu

	

PM2 will tell you, you have to run this command as root, and print the full command to execute, for example:



	sudo env PATH=$PATH:/home/{username}/.nvm/v0.10.32/bin pm2 startup ubuntu -u {username}



#### Remove root privilege



Call `visudo` again and remove the line you did just add before.



#### Start your application 



	cd /var/www/website-com/www/

	pm2 start app.js --name "website-com"



**Note: The PM2 instance is now running in the context if your website's user. This is especially useful to limit file access, but you can't see any other PM2 process or applications as you could see if running all websites under one single user.**



If everything works PM2 reponds with `Process {nameofstarting.js}` launched. Wait a few seconds and use



	pm2 list



for a fresh status update. For more information see



	pm2 help



### Configure the website in nginx



We’re using a single configuration, which can be found at:



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



nginx is running as a reverse proxy to handle all the public stuff on port 80 for us. It then passes all the traffic we want to to our node application.



	server {

    	listen 80;



	    server_name your-domain.com;



    	location / {

        	proxy_pass http://localhost:{YOUR_PORT};

	        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;

	    }

	}



After saving the configuration, use



	sudo service nginx reload



to tell the server it should use it.



## Backup



As I am currently using a Hetzner server, I am also able to use 100 GB backup space which they offer free of charge. But anyway: If you're not hosting your server at Hetzner this may also apply to your actual hosting environment.



### Directory structure



Directory | Path

------------ | -------------

Backup Root | /var/backup

Website Backups | /var/backup/www

MongoDB Backups | /var/backup/mongo

nginx Backups | /var/backup/nginx



### MongoDB



#### Backup user



There needs to be a user with a backup role to create backups of all databases:



	use admin

	db.createUser(

    	{

	      user: "backup”,

    	  pwd: "{newpassword}",

	      roles: [{ role: "backup", db: "admin" }]

    	}

	)



#### Backup script



Save the following shell script as `/var/backup/create-backup-for-mongo` and make it executable:



	#!/bin/bash



	echo "Mongo Backup started"



	ADMIN_USERNAME="backup"

	ADMIN_PASSWORD="{password}"



	BACKUP_TARGET_ROOT="/var/backup/mongo"

	CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET="$BACKUP_TARGET_ROOT/$(uuidgen)"



	# Remove all but the latest 30 backups

	cd $BACKUP_TARGET_ROOT

	rm -rf `ls -t | tail -n +30`



	# Back up all the databases to a new directory

	mongodump -u $ADMIN_USERNAME -p $ADMIN_PASSWORD -o $CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET --authenticationDatabase admin



	zip -r "$(uuidgen).zip" $CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET

	rm -rf  $CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET



	echo "Mongo Backup finished"



#### Websites



Create the script `/var/backup/create-backup-for-www` and make it executable:



	#!/bin/bash



	echo "WWW Backup started"



	BACKUP_SOURCE="/var/www"



	BACKUP_TARGET_ROOT="/var/backup/www"

	CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET="$BACKUP_TARGET_ROOT/$(uuidgen)"

	cd $BACKUP_TARGET_ROOT

	rm -rf `ls -t | tail -n +30`



	# Back up all the websites to a new directory

	rsync -a -E -c --stats $BACKUP_SOURCE $CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET



	zip -r "$(uuidgen).zip" $CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET

	rm -rf  $CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET



	echo "WWW Backup finished"

	

#### nginx



Create the script `/var/backup/create-backup-for-nginx` and make it executable:



	#!/bin/bash



	echo "nginx Backup started"



	BACKUP_SOURCE="/etc/nginx"



	BACKUP_TARGET_ROOT="/var/backup/nginx"

	CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET="$BACKUP_TARGET_ROOT/$(uuidgen)"



	# Remove all but the latest 30 backups

	cd $BACKUP_TARGET_ROOT

	rm -rf `ls -t | tail -n +30`



	rsync -a -E -c --stats $BACKUP_SOURCE $CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET



	zip -r "$(uuidgen).zip" $CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET

	rm -rf  $CURRENT_BACKUP_TARGET



	echo "nginx Backup finished"



### Mount the backup server 



#### Install cifs-utils



	sudo apt-get install cifs-utils



##### Mounting



This will mount the backup server as a local drive and it will reconnect on each reboot (it’s a single line added to fstab).



	sudo vi /etc/fstab 



 

	//u100445.your-backup.de/backup /mnt/backup-server       cifs    iocharset=utf8,rw,credentials=/var/backup/backup-credentials.txt,uid={localusername},gid={localusergroupid},file_mode=0660,dir_mode=0770 0       0



(If you are not aware of the group id, just type `id` and it will be displayed for the current user (in case you want to mount the drive in his/her context)).



#### Credentials



	vi /var/backup/backup-credentials.txt

	

Set:



	username={username}

	password={password}



#### Transfer script



Create a script that combines all backup actions and that finally transfers everything from the current backup folder to the backup server. Save that script as `/var/backup/create-and-transfer-backups` and make it executable.



	#!/bin/bash



	echo "Global Backup started"



	#Important: use absolute paths to be independent of the user context

	/var/backup/create-backup-for-mongo

	/var/backup/create-backup-for-www

	/var/backup/create-backup-for-nginx



	rsync -avzE --delete --stats /var/backup /mnt/backup-server



	echo "Global Backup finished"



#### Schedule backup



	sudo vi /etc/crontab 



Set:



	# m  h  dom mon dow user command

	10 14 *   *   *   root bash /var/backup/create-and-transfer-backups



(Runs the backup every day at 2:10 pm.)



## Miscellaneous



### Commands



Action | Command

------------ | -------------

Change User name |	passwd

Grant root priviliges | visudo, add: {username} ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

System UpdateS: Fetching the list of available updates	| sudo apt-get update

System UpdateS: Strictly upgrading the current packages | sudo apt-get upgrade

System UpdateS: Installing updates (new ones) | sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Reboot | sudo reboot

Remove a directory and its sub-directories recursively | rm –R {directoryname} 

Remove everything, files and directories | sudo rm -rf *

Show current network settings | ifconfig

Make rudi the owner of a directory | chown -R rudi {directoryname}

Start a system service | sudo service {servicename} start

Restart a system service | sudo service {servicename} restart

Stop a system service | sudo service {servicename} stop

Reload a system service | sudo service {servicename} reload

See who’s the owner of a process | ps aux | grep {processname}

chmod Details |	[http://serverfault.com/a/357109](http://serverfault.com/a/357109) & [http://linuxcommand.org/lts0070.php](http://linuxcommand.org/lts0070.php)  

Grant a Role in MongoDB afterwards |	db.grantRolesToUser("username", [{ role: "readWrite", db: "dbname" }])

Make a shell script executable |chmod +x {scriptname}



### Add a SSH shortcut (on the development machine)



Create (or edit) a file named config in `~/.ssh/` (User's root directory)



	Host username

    	HostName xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

    	User username



Now just type `ssh username` in terminal.



### Packages via apt-get not available?



If some packages are not available via apt-get, take a look at the sources configuration:



	sudo vi /etc/apt/sources.list



If the extras and the archive repositories are commented out, just remove the comments.