Guide to Hosting Your Project on AWS EC2

Prerequisites:

1. AWS account
2. Node.js and NPM installed locally
3. Basic knowledge of Linux and SSH
4. Project ready to deploy

Step 1: Launch an EC2 Instance

1. Log in to your AWS Management Console.
2. Navigate to the EC2 service.
3. Click on "Launch Instance."
4. Select an Amazon Machine Image (AMI): Choose Ubuntu 20.04.
5. Select Instance Type: Choose "t2.micro" (Free tier eligible).
6. Configure Instance:
   • Add a key pair for SSH access.
   • Add a security group with rules to allow HTTP, HTTPS, and SSH traffic.
7. Launch the instance.

Step 2: Configure DNS Records

1. Log in to your domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.).
2. Go to the DNS management section for your domain.
3. Add the following records:
   • A Record:
     • Host: @
     • Points to: your-ec2-public-ip
     • TTL: Default or 1 hour
   • CNAME Record (optional, for www):
     • Host: www
     • Points to: your-domain.com
     • TTL: Default or 1 hour
4. Save the changes.
5. It may take a few minutes to a few hours for DNS propagation.

Step 3: Connect to Your EC2 Instance

1. Download the private key file (.pem) for the key pair you created.
2. Open your terminal and navigate to the directory containing the .pem file.
3. Run the command:

   ssh -i "your-key.pem" ubuntu@your-ec2-public-ip

4. Replace "your-key.pem" with your key file and "your-ec2-public-ip" with the public IP of your instance.

Step 4: Set Up Your Environment

1. Update the system:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install Node.js and NPM:

   curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_16.x | sudo -E bash -

sudo apt install -y nodejs 3. Verify installation:bash node -v npm -v 4. Install PM2 globally for process management:bash sudo npm install pm2 -g ```

Step 5: Deploy Your Project

1. Clone your project repository:

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

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd your-repo

3. Install dependencies:

   npm install

4. Start the application with PM2:

   pm2 start app.js

   Replace app.js with your main entry file.
5. Save the PM2 process list to auto-start on reboot:

   pm2 save
   pm2 startup

Step 6: Configure Nginx as a Reverse Proxy

1. Install Nginx:

   sudo apt install nginx

2. Configure Nginx:

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

   Replace the file content with:

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name your-ec2-public-ip;
   
       location / {
           proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
           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;
       }
   }
   

   Replace your-ec2-public-ip with your instance's public IP and 3000 with your app's port.
3. Restart Nginx:

   sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 7: Test Your Application

1. Open your browser and visit your domain (e.g., http://your-domain.com).
2. Your application should be live.

Additional Resources

For a full detailed guide to hosting a Node.js app on AWS EC2, see this link: https://waterrmalann.notion.site/A-simple-guide-to-hosting-a-Node-js-app-on-AWS-EC2-6e05ee8c5689452f94a2c550f66aeecd

Notes:

• Make sure to replace placeholders like your-key.pem, your-ec2-public-ip, and 3000 with actual values.
• Always keep your .pem file secure.
• Use environment variables for sensitive data in your project.