Setting Up a Basic Server for the MEAN Stack

Running a Node.js Server and AngularJS Application on a Single Ubuntu Server

In this guide, we will cover two main sections:

• Installation
  Get your server ready by installing the necessary software.

• Setup
  Configure your server to run both the Node.js backend and the AngularJS frontend.

Will be installing following;

1. Nginx
   Nginx acts as a front-end server, which, in this case, proxies requests to a Node.js server.

2. NodeJS
   Cross-platform JavaScript run-time environment that executes JavaScript code server-side

3. Yarn
   Fast, reliable, and secure dependency management

4. PM2
   Advanced process manager for production Node.js applications

5. MongoDB
   MongoDB is a document database with the scalability and flexibility that you want with the querying and indexing that you need

6. Git
   Git (/ɡɪt/) is a version control system

INSTALLATION PART for Linux (Ubuntu System)

1. Install Nginx

    sudo apt-get install nginx
   

   Reference

2. Install Node.js

    curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.11/install.sh | bash
   
    export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
    [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" # This loads nvm
   

   Install Node.js:

    nvm install --lts
   

   Reference

3. Install Yarn

    curl -sS https://dl.yarnpkg.com/debian/pubkey.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
    echo "deb https://dl.yarnpkg.com/debian/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/yarn.list
   

   Reference

4. Install PM2

    sudo npm install pm2 -g
   

   Reference

5. Install MongoDB

    sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv 2930ADAE8CAF5059EE73BB4B58712A2291FA4AD5
   
    echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu xenial/mongodb-org/3.6 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-3.6.list
   
    sudo apt-get update
   
    sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org
   
    sudo systemctl start mongod
   
    sudo systemctl enable mongod
   

   Adding an Administrative User:

    mongo
   
    use admin
   
    db.createUser({user: "peacenepal", pwd: "peacezone@123", roles:[{role:"dbAdminAnyDatabase", db: "admin"}]})
   
    # Type 'exit' and press ENTER or use CTRL+C to leave the client.
   
    sudo nano /etc/mongod.conf
   

   Reference

SETUP PART

Node.js Server

1. Run the server using PM2

   Go to the project folder and run the following command:

   pm2 start app.js -i 2 --name api-server
   

   Note: The command depends on your project.

   After that, the API would be accessible at:

   http://<SERVER_ADDRESS>:<PORT>

   • SERVER_ADDRESS: IP address or domain name used for server access.

   • PORT: Port used to start the Node.js server.

2. Angular App Setup

• Add the project files to the server in your desired location.

• Configure Nginx to serve our app files

  • Create a new Nginx configuration file in the following folder:

      /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ 
    

  • Add the following details to the configuration file:

          server {
          listen 80;
          listen [::]:80;
    
          root <PROJECT_FOLDER_PATH>;
          index index.html index.htm index.nginx-debian.html;
    
          server_name <SERVER_ADDRESS>;
    
          location / {
              try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
          }
      }
    

  • Reload the Nginx server with the following commands to apply the new server block:

      sudo systemctl reload nginx
            
      sudo systemctl restart nginx
    

What am I missing here? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add it in!

Summary:

• Headings are used to organize the content.
• Code Blocks contain commands and configurations.
• Notes clarify details for commands and configuration.
• Instructions are presented in a clear, step-by-step format.

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