Deploy a MERN Application to AWS EC2 Instance (Ubuntu 24.04)

Learn how to deploy a MERN stack application to an AWS EC2 instance and set up a production-ready web server for your MERN application on Ubuntu 24.04.

This guide explains how to create a fully functional MERN stack web application on an Amazon EC2 instance (Elastic Compute Cloud) and deploy a customized MERN stack application that supports user registration and authentication.

Steps to Deploy the MERN Application on Ubuntu 24.04

1. Launch a New Ubuntu Server on AWS EC2

• Sign in to your AWS account.
• Navigate to the EC2 dashboard.
• Click on "Launch Instance" and select Ubuntu 24.04 as your Amazon Machine Image (AMI).
• Configure instance details, security groups, and storage settings as needed.
• Launch the instance and wait for it to initialize.

2. Connect to the Ubuntu EC2 Instance via SSH

• Open a terminal (or Git Bash) on your local machine.
• Set the permissions for your private key file:

  chmod 400 <path-to-key-file>

• Connect to your EC2 instance using the following command:

  ssh -i <path-to-key-file> ubuntu@<public-dns>

3. Clone Projects under the Ubuntu OS in Amazon EC2

• Install Git if it’s not already installed:

  sudo apt update
  sudo apt install git

• Clone your MERN stack project repository:

  git clone <repository-url>
  cd <project-directory>

4. Set Up a Server with Node.js and MongoDB

• Install Node.js:

  curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_14.x | sudo -E bash -
  sudo apt install -y nodejs

• Install MongoDB:

  sudo apt install -y mongodb

• Start MongoDB:

  sudo systemctl start mongodb

5. Set Up and Install All Packages in the Clone Project

• Navigate to your project directory and install dependencies:

  npm install

6. Change the Proxy Server in server.js

• Update the proxy settings in your server.js file to match your environment.

7. Install PM2 and Run the Application

• Install PM2:

  sudo npm install -g pm2

• Start your application using PM2:

  pm2 start server.js

• To run the client, navigate to the client directory and use:

  pm2 start client.js

8. Test the MERN Stack App in a Browser

• Open a web browser and navigate to your EC2 instance's public IP or DNS to access the application.

Conclusion

You have successfully deployed a MERN stack application on an AWS EC2 instance running Ubuntu 24.04. Your application should now be accessible over the web.

Additional Resources

• AWS Documentation
• MERN Stack Documentation
• Node.js and MongoDB Documentation

Feel free to modify and expand this guide based on your specific application needs!