Automate Nginx Reverse Proxy Setup for Node.js with Cloud-Init

To create a cloud-init file which helps you(automatically) installs and configures Nginx as a reverse proxy with NodeJS you can follow these steps

Step 1: Create the cloud-init script Save the following script as cloud-init.yaml. This script will install the required packages, create necessary configuration files, and start the services.

#cloud-config

packages:
  - nginx
  - nodejs
  - npm

write_files:
  - path: /etc/nginx/sites-available/nodejs_proxy
    content: |
      server {
        listen 80;
        server_name yourdomain.com;

        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;
        }
      }

  - path: /etc/systemd/system/nodejs-app.service
    content: |
      [Unit]
      Description=Node.js App Service
      After=network.target

      [Service]
      Environment=NODE_PORT=3000
      WorkingDirectory=/var/www/nodejs-app
      ExecStart=/usr/bin/node app.js
      Restart=always
      User=www-data
      Group=www-data

      [Install]
      WantedBy=multi-user.target

runcmd:
  - ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/nodejs_proxy /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
  - rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
  - systemctl daemon-reload
  - systemctl enable nodejs-app.service
  - systemctl restart nginx
  - systemctl start nodejs-app.service

Step 2: Customize the script Replace yourdomain.com with your domain name or public IP address. Adjust the proxy_pass line to match the port your Node.js application listens on if it’s different from 3000.

Step 3: Deploy your application Upload your Node.js application files to /var/www/nodejs-app on your server. Make sure that the main entry point is named app.js.

Step 4: Launch the cloud-init script on DigitalOcean

1. Log in to your DigitalOcean account and navigate to the Droplets page.
2. Click the “Create Droplet” button.
3. Choose your desired distribution, region, and size for the droplet.
4. In the “Select additional options” section, enable “User data” and paste the content of your cloud-init.yaml file into the text area. Configure your SSH keys and any other desired settings.
5. Click the “Create Droplet” button to start the creation process.
6. DigitalOcean will now create a new Droplet and run the cloud-init script, automating the installation and configuration of Nginx as a reverse proxy for your Node.js application.

Conclusion: Now you have an automated way to set up Nginx as a reverse proxy for your Node.js applications on DigitalOcean. This cloud-init script makes it easy to deploy and scale your applications across multiple cloud platforms.