How to Deploy a MERN Stack App on AWS EC2

Deploying a MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js) application on AWS EC2 requires careful orchestration of security groups, reverse proxies, and process management. This guide provides an industry-standard workflow for production-ready deployment.

Execution Protocol

Provisioning the EC2 Instance

Initialize an Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS instance. Ensure your security groups allow inbound traffic on ports 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP), and 443 (HTTPS).

bash

ssh -i 'your-key.pem' ubuntu@your-instance-ip

Note: Always store your .pem keys in a secure, non-public directory.

Environment Initialization

Update the system packages and install Node.js using the NodeSource repository for the latest stable version.

bash

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Reverse Proxy Configuration with Nginx

Configure Nginx to act as a reverse proxy for your Node.js application. This handles SSL termination and provides a layer of security.

bash

sudo apt install nginx -y
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
# Add proxy_pass http://localhost:5000;

Note: Ensure your Node application is listening on the matching port (e.g., 5000).

Process Orchestration with PM2

Install PM2 to ensure your application restarts automatically on system reboots or crash events.

bash

sudo npm install pm2 -g
pm2 start server.js --name inteliny-app
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Pro Tips

Use AWS Route 53 for DNS management to minimize latency.
Implement an AWS S3 bucket for static media storage instead of storing on the local disk.
Enable CloudWatch monitoring for real-time performance metrics.

Common Pitfalls

Forgetting to allow port 80/443 in the VPC Security Group.
Hardcoding production environment variables instead of using .env files.
Running the Node.js process as the root user (Security Risk).

Final Insight

Your MERN application is now deployed behind a professional reverse proxy with automated process monitoring. Next steps include implementing CI/CD with Github Actions for seamless updates.

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