How to Deploy a Website on AWS EC2 Instance

Deploying your own application on an AWS EC2 instance gives you full control over your infrastructure. In this guide, you'll learn how to deploy a Node.js, React, Next.js, or MERN application on an Ubuntu server using PM2, Nginx, and Let's Encrypt SSL.

Architecture

Internet
   │
   ▼
Domain (Route53 / Cloudflare)
   │
   ▼
Nginx (80 / 443)
   │
   ▼
PM2
   │
   ▼
Node.js Application (Port 3000)

Prerequisites

• AWS account
• Ubuntu EC2 instance
• SSH key pair (.pem)
• GitHub repository
• Domain name (optional)

Step 1: Launch an EC2 Instance

1. Open the AWS Console.
2. Navigate to EC2 → Launch Instance.
3. Configure:
   • Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS
   • t2.micro (Free Tier)
   • Create or select a key pair
   • 20 GB storage

Security Group

Step 2: Connect to the Server

chmod 400 mykey.pem

ssh -i mykey.pem ubuntu@YOUR_PUBLIC_IP

Step 3: Update Ubuntu

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 4: Install Git

sudo apt install git -y
git --version

Step 5: Install Node.js

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install nodejs -y

node -v
npm -v

Step 6: Install PM2

sudo npm install -g pm2

pm2 -v

Step 7: Clone Your Project

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

cd your-project

Step 8: Install Dependencies

npm install

Step 9: Configure Environment Variables

nano .env

Example:

PORT=3000
MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_uri
JWT_SECRET=your_secret
NODE_ENV=production

Step 10: Build the Project

For Next.js:

npm run build

For React (Vite):

npm run build

Step 11: Start with PM2

pm2 start npm --name myapp -- start

Or Express:

pm2 start server.js

Useful commands:

pm2 list
pm2 logs
pm2 restart myapp
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Step 12: Install Nginx

sudo apt install nginx -y

Enable:

sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl start nginx

Step 13: Configure Nginx

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

Configuration:

server {

    listen 80;

    server_name example.com www.example.com;

    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;
    }

}

Enable it:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

sudo nginx -t

sudo systemctl reload nginx

Step 14: Point Your Domain

Create an A Record pointing your domain to the EC2 public IP.

Step 15: Install SSL

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

sudo certbot --nginx

Verify:

https://yourdomain.com

Step 16: Firewall

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo ufw enable

Deploy Updates

git pull

npm install

npm run build

pm2 restart myapp

Common Errors

502 Bad Gateway

• Ensure PM2 is running.
• Verify proxy_pass matches the application port.
• Restart Nginx.

Port Already in Use

sudo lsof -i :3000
kill -9 PID

PM2 Crash

pm2 logs

Best Practices

• Never commit .env files.
• Keep Ubuntu updated.
• Use HTTPS.
• Enable automatic PM2 startup.
• Monitor logs.
• Back up your database.
• Use Cloudflare for CDN and DDoS protection.

Deployment Checklist

• Launch EC2
• Configure Security Groups
• SSH into server
• Install Git
• Install Node.js
• Install PM2
• Clone repository
• Install dependencies
• Configure .env
• Build application
• Start with PM2
• Configure Nginx
• Point domain
• Install SSL
• Test deployment

Conclusion

By combining AWS EC2, Nginx, PM2, and Let's Encrypt, you can deploy a production-ready web application that is secure, scalable, and easy to maintain.