Launch Your MERN App to the Cloud: A Step-by-Step Guide to AWS EC2 Deployment

Introduction

Deploying your MERN stack application to the cloud is a crucial step in scaling your application and making it accessible to a global audience.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2 offers a robust platform for hosting your application. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of deploying your MERN stack on an AWS EC2 instance.  

Prerequisites

Before you start, ensure you have the following:

• An AWS account
• A developed MERN stack application
• Basic understanding of AWS EC2, SSH, and Linux commands

Step-by-Step Deployment

1. Create an EC2 Instance:
• Log in to your AWS Management Console.
• Navigate to the EC2 service.
• Launch a new instance, selecting an appropriate AMI (Amazon Machine Image) based on your requirements (e.g., Ubuntu, Amazon Linux).  
• Choose instance type, key pair, security group, and other settings.  
• Open necessary ports in the security group (e.g., port 80 for HTTP, port 22 for SSH).
2. Connect to the EC2 Instance:
• Use an SSH client to connect to your EC2 instance using the provided key pair.
3. Install Node.js and npm:
• Update package lists: sudo apt update
• Install Node.js and npm: sudo apt install nodejs npm
4. Install MongoDB:
• Download and install MongoDB packages: sudo apt install mongodb
• Start the MongoDB service: sudo systemctl start mongod
5. Deploy Your Backend:
• Transfer your backend code to the EC2 instance using scp or rsync.
• Navigate to the project directory.
• Install dependencies: npm install
• Start your Node.js application: node index.js (replace index.js with your main script)
6. Deploy Your Frontend:
• Build your React application: npm run build
• Transfer the built files to the EC2 instance.
• Configure a web server like Nginx to serve the static files.
7. Configure Nginx (Optional):
• Install Nginx: sudo apt install nginx
• Configure Nginx to serve both your frontend and backend applications.
8. Security Considerations:
• Use strong passwords and SSH keys.
• Keep software up-to-date.
• Implement security best practices for your application.

Additional Tips

• Consider using a process manager like PM2 to manage your Node.js application.
• Utilize AWS Elastic Beanstalk for a more managed environment.
• Explore AWS CloudFormation for infrastructure as code.  
• Implement load balancing for high availability.
• Monitor your application's performance using AWS CloudWatch.  

Conclusion

Deploying your MERN stack application to AWS EC2 can be a rewarding experience, providing scalability and reliability. By following these steps and considering additional best practices, you can successfully launch your application and reach a wider audience.  

  

1. React + Node.js on AWS - How to Deploy a MERN Stack App to Amazon EC2 - YouTube