Virtual Private Server

VPS Setup Guide

Initial Server Setup

1. First Connection

ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP

Accept the fingerprint when prompted.

2. Update System

apt update && apt upgrade -y

3. Create Regular User

adduser yourusername
usermod -aG sudo yourusername

Set a strong password when prompted.

4. Copy SSH Key to New User

rsync --archive --chown=yourusername:yourusername ~/.ssh /home/yourusername

5. Configure Firewall

ufw allow OpenSSH
ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp
ufw enable

Type y when prompted.

Open a new terminal window (keep root session open):

ssh yourusername@YOUR_VPS_IP

If successful, exit the root session with exit.

Install Node.js and PM2

1. Install Node.js

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

2. Verify Installation

node --version
npm --version

3. Install PM2 (for Node apps)

sudo npm install -g pm2
pm2 startup

Run the command that PM2 outputs.

Install and Configure Nginx

1. Install Nginx

sudo apt install nginx -y

2. Remove Default Site

sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default

3. Configure Node.js App

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/your-app-name

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name api.yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:YOUR_APP_PORT;
        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_APP_PORT with your app’s port (e.g., 4200).

4. Configure Static Site

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/your-site-name

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;

    root /home/yourusername/apps/your-site-name;
    index index.html;
    include /etc/nginx/mime.types;
    default_type application/octet-stream;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
    }
}

5. Enable Site

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/your-site-name /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

SSL Certificates with Let’s Encrypt

1. Install Certbot

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

2. Get Certificate

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

Follow prompts (enter email, agree to terms).

DNS Configuration

For A2 Hosting (Temporary)

Login to A2 cPanel
Go to Zone Editor
Find your domain
Edit A records for subdomains:
- Name: subdomain.yourdomain.com
- Type: A
- Address: Your VPS IP

For Namecheap (When Ready to Migrate)

Login to Namecheap
Domain List → Manage
Switch from custom nameservers to Namecheap BasicDNS
Advanced DNS tab
Add A Record:
- Host: @ (root) or subdomain name
- Type: A
- Value: Your VPS IP
- TTL: Automatic

Project Directory Structure

/home/yourusername/
  apps/
    app1-name/          # Node.js apps and static sites
    app2-name/
    site1-name/

Fix Permissions (If Needed)

chown -R yourusername:yourusername ~/apps/project-name
chmod -R 755 ~/apps/project-name
find ~/apps/project-name -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

Useful Commands

PM2 Management

pm2 list                    # List all processes
pm2 logs app-name           # View logs
pm2 restart app-name        # Restart app
pm2 stop app-name           # Stop app
pm2 delete app-name         # Remove from PM2
pm2 save                    # Save current process list

Nginx Management

sudo nginx -t               # Test configuration
sudo systemctl reload nginx # Apply config changes
sudo systemctl restart nginx # Full restart
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log  # View error log

System Management

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y  # Update system
sudo reboot                             # Restart server
df -h                                   # Check disk space
htop                                    # View processes (install with: sudo apt install htop)

File Transfer

Use FileZilla (SFTP):

Protocol: SFTP
Host: Your VPS IP
Port: 22
User: Your username
Key file: Your local SSH private key (~/.ssh/id_rsa)

Environment Variables

Create .env.production in your app directory:

cd ~/apps/your-app-name
nano .env.production

Add your variables, save with Ctrl+X, Y, Enter.

The deploy script excludes .env* files from being overwritten.

Troubleshooting

502 Bad Gateway (Node apps)

Check if app is running: pm2 list
Check app logs: pm2 logs app-name
Verify port in Nginx config matches app port

500 Internal Server Error (Static sites)

Check Nginx error log: sudo tail /var/log/nginx/error.log
Verify file permissions: ls -la ~/apps/site-name
Fix permissions if needed (see commands above)

Can’t SSH

Verify firewall allows port 22: sudo ufw status
Check SSH service: sudo systemctl status ssh

DNS Not Propagating

Check with: dig yourdomain.com +short
Wait 5-60 minutes for propagation
Clear local DNS cache if needed