How to Point Domain and Host Node Express Project on Apache Web Server VPS Hosting

What is PM2?

PM2 is a powerful, widely-used, and feature-rich production-ready process manager for Node.js. It ensures that your Node.js applications are continuously running, even after server reboots. One of PM2’s crucial features is its ability to generate a startup script, ensuring that PM2 and your processes restart automatically every time your server restarts.

Steps:

Login to Your Domain Provider Website:
- Go to your domain provider’s website and log in to your account.
Navigate to Manage DNS:
- Look for the option to manage your DNS settings. This is usually found in the domain management section.
Add the Following Records:

Type Host/Name Value
A @ Your Remote Server IP
A www Your Remote Server IP
AAAA @ Your Remote Server IPv6
AAAA www Your Remote Server IPv6
On Local Windows Machine:
- Compress Your Project Folder into a Zip File.
- Open Command Prompt.
- Copy Zip File from Local Windows Machine to Linux Remote Server:
```
scp -P Port_number Source_File_Path Destination_Path
```
  Example:
```
scp -P 22 miniblog.zip raj@216.32.44.12:
```

Type	Host/Name	Value
A	@	Your Remote Server IP
A	www	Your Remote Server IP
AAAA	@	Your Remote Server IPv6
AAAA	www	Your Remote Server IPv6

Get Access to Remote Server via SSH:

ssh -p PORT USERNAME@HOSTIP

Example:

ssh -p 22 raj@216.32.44.12

Verify that all Required Software is Installed:

apache2 -v
node -v
npm -v
pm2 --version
mongod --version

Install Apache:
```
sudo apt install apache2
```

Install Node and npm:

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

Install PM2:
```
sudo npm install -g pm2@latest
```
Add PM2 Process on Startup:
```
sudo pm2 startup
```
Install MongoDB 6.0.3 on Ubuntu 22.04:
- Follow the instructions in InstallConfigMongoDB.md.
Verify Apache2 is Active and Running:
```
sudo service apache2 status
```
Verify Web Server Ports are Open and Allowed through Firewall:
```
sudo ufw status verbose
```
Run ls Command to Verify that the Zip File is Present:
```
ls
```
Unzip the Copied Zip File:
```
unzip zip_file_name
```
Example:
```
unzip miniblog.zip
```

Move Project Folder from User Home to Web Server Public Directory:

sudo mv project_folder_name Destination_Path

Example:

sudo mv miniblog /var/www

Go to Your Project Folder:

cd /var/www/project_folder_name

Example:

cd /var/www/miniblog

Install Dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Install Node.js MongoDB Driver (If Needed):
```
npm install mongodb
```

Create Virtual Host File:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/your_domain.conf

Add the Following Code in Virtual Host File:

Example Code:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName www.example.com
    ServerAdmin contact@example.com
    ProxyPreserveHost On
    ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:8000/
    ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:8000/
    <Directory "/var/www/miniblog">
        AllowOverride All
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Check Configuration is Correct or Not:
```
sudo apache2ctl configtest
```

Enable the Proxy Module with Apache:

sudo a2enmod proxy
sudo a2enmod proxy_http

Enable Virtual Host:

cd /etc/apache2/sites-available/
sudo a2ensite your_domain.conf

Restart Apache2:
```
sudo service apache2 restart
```

Start Node Express Application Using PM2:

cd /var/www/miniblog
sudo NODE_ENV=production pm2 start app.js --update-env

Save PM2 Process:
```
sudo pm2 save
```
Check PM2 Status:
```
sudo pm2 status
```

Connect to MongoDB Shell with Super User:

mongosh --port 27017 --authenticationDatabase "database_name_where_user_stored" -u "username" -p "password"

Show Database:
```
show dbs
```
Create New Database:
```
use database_name
```

Create New User:

db.createUser({
    user: "username",
    pwd: passwordPrompt(),
    roles: [{ role: "readWrite", db: "database_name" }]
})

Verify Users:
```
show users
```
Exit Mongo Shell:
```
quit()
```
Restart MongoDB:
```
sudo service mongod restart
```
Open .env File:
```
cd /var/www/miniblog
sudo nano .env
```

Make Below Changes:

Example Changes:

HOST = 127.0.0.1
PORT = 8000
DATABASE_URL = "mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017"
DBNAME = "Your_Database_Name"
DBUSERNAME = "Your_Database_Username"
DBPASSWORD = "Your_Database_Password"
DBAUTHSOURCE = "database_name_where_user_stored"

Restart Apache2:
```
sudo service apache2 restart
```

Start Node Express Application Using PM2:

cd /var/www/miniblog
sudo NODE_ENV=production pm2 start app.js --update-env

Save PM2 Process:
```
sudo pm2 save
```
Check Error Logs If You Get Any Error:
```
cd /var/log
su
cd apache2
cat error.log
```

Clear Error Logs (Optional):

sudo bash -c 'echo > /var/log/apache2/error.log'

Extra PM2 Information:

Add PM2 Process on Startup:
```
sudo pm2 startup
```
List All PM2 Processes:
```
sudo pm2 list
```
Kill PM2 Process:
```
sudo pm2 kill
```
Delete App from PM2 Process:
```
sudo pm2 delete app_name
```
Save PM2 Process:
```
sudo pm2 save
```
Save PM2 Process with --force Flag:
```
sudo pm2 save --force
```
Restore Last Saved PM2 Process:
```
sudo pm2 resurrect
```
Clear PM2 Dump File:
```
sudo pm2 cleardump
```
Remove PM2 Process from Startup:
```
sudo pm2 unstartup
```