date: 2025-08-03 topics: [devops, deployment, ec2, nginx, nodejs] day: 18

Day 18 – Deploying Node.js Backend on EC2 with Nginx + SSL + PM2

✅ What I Worked On

Launched and configured an EC2 instance
Installed NVM, Node.js, Git, and cloned backend repo
Set up Nginx as a reverse proxy to forward traffic to the Node.js app
Configured domain DNS and pointed it to EC2 IP
Installed SSL using Certbot for HTTPS
Used PM2 to run backend in background and manage app lifecycle

📚 What I Learned

How to expose ports securely using EC2 inbound rules
Basics of Nginx server configuration
Reverse proxying traffic from domain to local Node.js server
Automating SSL certificate setup with Certbot
Running backend processes persistently with PM2

❌ Blockers

issue when accessing backend as port is not expose on- Backend was not accessible directly because port 3000 wasn’t exposed in EC2 inbound rules internet
Initially couldn’t see the Nginx welcome page due to closed 80/443 ports
Minor confusion with Nginx syntax (missed semicolons)
SSL setup required domain to propagate — had to wait

🧠 Reflection

Deploying an application on real infrastructure gave me hands-on clarity on production workflows. From EC2 configuration to Nginx reverse proxying, domain setup, and SSL integration — every step added practical DevOps knowledge. Managing the backend with PM2 makes the app production-ready and resilient. I now feel confident repeating and scaling this setup.

📖 Read the full blog post here:
👉 How I Deployed My Node.js Backend to EC2 with Nginx, SSL and PM2