Can I host a Next.js frontend, a Node.js backend, PostgreSQL, and Elasticsearch on a single DigitalOcean Droplet?

Heya,

Well, it might be a bit too much for everything but using some docker images it should be doable.

Here are some steps how to do that.

1. Create a Droplet

• Go to DigitalOcean dashboard

• Click “Create” → “Droplet”

• Choose Ubuntu 24.04 (good choice, latest and stable)

• Choose a cheap plan (like $4 or $6/month) to start

• Add your SSH key if you have one (or use password login for now)

2. Log into Your Droplet

From your local machine:

ssh root@your_droplet_ip

3. Install Docker

Once inside the droplet, install Docker:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker.io -y
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Also install Docker Compose (helpful for multi-container apps):

sudo apt install docker-compose -y

4. Create a docker-compose.yml

In your project folder (/home/youruser/app or wherever):

version: '3.8'

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:14
    restart: always
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: youruser
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: yourpassword
      POSTGRES_DB: yourdb
    volumes:
      - postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    ports:
      - "5432:5432"

  elasticsearch:
    image: docker.elastic.co/elasticsearch/elasticsearch:8.11.1
    environment:
      - discovery.type=single-node
      - ES_JAVA_OPTS=-Xms512m -Xmx512m
    ulimits:
      memlock:
        soft: -1
        hard: -1
    volumes:
      - elastic-data:/usr/share/elasticsearch/data
    ports:
      - "9200:9200"

  backend:
    build: ./backend
    restart: always
    env_file:
      - ./backend/.env
    depends_on:
      - postgres
      - elasticsearch
    ports:
      - "4000:4000"

  frontend:
    build: ./frontend
    restart: always
    env_file:
      - ./frontend/.env
    depends_on:
      - backend
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"

volumes:
  postgres-data:
  elastic-data:

Folder structure:

project/
├── backend/
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── (Node.js backend files)
├── frontend/
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── (Next.js frontend files)
├── docker-compose.yml

5. Example Dockerfile for backend (backend/Dockerfile)

FROM node:20

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install

COPY . .

CMD ["npm", "run", "start"]

Same idea for frontend (you may want npm run build then npm run start for production).

---

6. Start everything

From the project folder:

docker-compose up -d

Now:

• Frontend is on http://your_droplet_ip:3000

• Backend is on http://your_droplet_ip:4000

• PostgreSQL at localhost:5432

• Elasticsearch at localhost:9200

---

Tips for production:

• Install Nginx and set up reverse proxy to serve frontend and backend on ports 80/443.

• Use Certbot to get HTTPS certificates.

• Consider volumes for data persistence (already in the compose).

• Monitor RAM and CPU — especially Elasticsearch memory.