How to Host a Node.js Express RESTful API On Ubuntu

Hosting a Node.js Express RESTful API on an Ubuntu server is a great way to deploy a scalable and secure backend for your applications. Pairing it with Nginx as a reverse proxy ensures better performance, scalability, and ease of handling requests.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process step by step. If you don’t have a server yet, check out Hostomy Cloud Servers to get started with reliable hosting.

Prerequisites

• An Ubuntu server (preferably Ubuntu 24.04).
• Node.js and npm installed on the server.
• Basic knowledge of terminal commands.

Step 1: Update Your Server

Update the package lists to ensure you have the latest versions:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y  

Step 2: Install Node.js and npm

If Node.js isn’t installed, you can install it using NVM (Node Version Manager):

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.5/install.sh | bash  
source ~/.bashrc  
nvm install node  

Verify the installation:

node -v  
npm -v  

Detailed guide: How to Install NodeJS On Ubuntu

Step 3: Set Up Your Express Application

Create a directory for your application:

mkdir my-api && cd my-api  

Initialize a Node.js project:

npm init -y  

Install Express:

npm install express  

Create your API file:

nano index.js  

Add the following code to index.js:

const express = require('express');  
const app = express();  
const port = 3000;  

app.use(express.json());  

app.get('/', (req, res) => {  
  res.send('Welcome to my RESTful API!');  
});  

app.listen(port, () => {  
  console.log(`API running at http://localhost:${port}`);  
});  

Start the API to ensure it works:

node index.js  

Visit http://<server_ip>:3000 in your browser or use curl:

curl http://localhost:3000  

Step 4: Install and Configure PM2

To keep your API running in the background, install PM2:

sudo npm install -g pm2  

Start your application with PM2:

pm2 start index.js  

Set PM2 to start on boot:

pm2 startup  
pm2 save  

Detailed guide: How to Install PM2 on Ubuntu

Step 5: Install and Configure Nginx as a Reverse Proxy

Install Nginx:

sudo apt install nginx -y  

Create a new Nginx configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/my-api  

Add the following configuration:

server {  
    listen 80;  
    server_name your_domain_or_ip;  

    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 the configuration:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/my-api /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/  

Test the Nginx configuration for syntax errors:

sudo nginx -t  

Reload Nginx:

sudo systemctl reload nginx  

Now, you can access your API at http://your_domain_or_ip.

Step 6: Secure Your API with SSL

For better security, secure your API with SSL using Let’s Encrypt:

Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y  

Obtain an SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --nginx -d your_domain_or_ip  

Verify auto-renewal:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run  

Now your API is accessible over HTTPS!

Why Host Your API with Hostomy?

Hostomy offers affordable, high-performance cloud servers starting at just ₹145/month. With excellent uptime and scalability, it’s the perfect platform to host your Node.js applications. Check out Hostomy Cloud Servers today.

Conclusion

Hosting a Node.js Express RESTful API on Ubuntu with Nginx as a reverse proxy ensures a secure, scalable, and reliable setup. This guide covers all the steps to get your API up and running. Pair it with a Hostomy Cloud Server for the best hosting experience!