node.js droplet Subdomain SSL

January 13, 2016 4.2k views
Security Ubuntu Node.js
nuborian
By:
nuborian

Hi,

following setup:
We do have a droplet with node.js (ubuntu) and need to secure it via ssl. Let’s say we have the domain example.com - we just using the node.js server for some parts (chat, etc.).

Thus for me the question is, how to achieve that we can use ssl with it. Should we create a subdomain like services.example.com and direct that subdomain to the ip of our droplet via dns and then buy the certificate for that ?

Some hints would be great, thanks!

Best, Nico

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1 Answer
kamaln7 MOD January 14, 2016

Hi,

I would recommend setting up nginx as a reverse proxy for your Nodejs application. Take a look at the following tutorial (ignoring anything related to Apache):

If you have Nodejs set up and ready to go, you can skip straight to the Set Up Reverse Proxy Server section. You will want to replace APP_PRIVATE_IP_ADDRESS in nginx’s config with 127.0.0.1.

Once you’ve done that, configure your Nodejs app to listen on 127.0.0.1:8080 or any other port that is unused and over 1024 (make sure you update the nginx config with the new port as well).

To install an SSL certificate, follow this tutorial:

How To Install an SSL Certificate from a Commercial Certificate Authority
by Mitchell Anicas
This tutorial will show you how to acquire and install an SSL certificate from a trusted, commercial Certificate Authority (CA). SSL certificates allow web servers to encrypt their traffic, and also offer a mechanism to validate server identities to their visitors. The...
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