Comprehensive Guide to Deploying and Managing MERN Stack Applications on RHEL-Based VPS

The MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React and Node.js) runs well on a RHEL-family server such as AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux. This guide takes a fresh VPS to a production setup: a secured server, Node.js LTS, MongoDB with authentication, your API under PM2, the React build served by nginx, and free HTTPS. It applies to a server you administer yourself; on shared hosting you can't install MongoDB or system packages.

1. What you need

• A VPS running AlmaLinux 9 or Rocky Linux 9 (or 10) with root access. Commands below are for 9; release 10 differs only where noted.
• A domain whose A records for @ and www point to the VPS IP address. See Managing DNS records.
• Your MERN project in a Git repository, with the API and the React client in separate folders.

2. Secure the server first

Log in as root, then:

dnf upgrade -y
adduser deploy && passwd deploy
usermod -aG wheel deploy

On your own computer, create a key and copy it to the new user:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"
ssh-copy-id [email protected]

Once ssh [email protected] works with the key, turn off root and password logins. Create /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/50-hardening.conf containing:

PermitRootLogin no
PasswordAuthentication no

Then run sudo systemctl reload sshd. Keep your current session open until a new login succeeds.

Turn on the firewall and allow only SSH and web traffic:

sudo systemctl enable --now firewalld
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service={ssh,http,https}
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Leave SELinux in enforcing mode; section 7 shows the one setting nginx needs.

3. Install Node.js LTS

Node.js 20 reached end of life in 2026, so use 22 or 24. On release 9, the AppStream module is the simplest route:

dnf module list nodejs
sudo dnf module enable -y nodejs:22
sudo dnf install -y nodejs git
node -v

On release 10, run dnf list 'nodejs*' to see the versions packaged. If you need a newer major version than your release offers, use the NodeSource repository and read its setup script before running it.

Install PM2 globally:

sudo npm install -g pm2

4. Install and secure MongoDB

Create /etc/yum.repos.d/mongodb-org-8.0.repo:

[mongodb-org-8.0]
name=MongoDB Repository
baseurl=https://repo.mongodb.org/yum/redhat/9/mongodb-org/8.0/x86_64/
gpgcheck=1
enabled=1
gpgkey=https://pgp.mongodb.com/server-8.0.asc

Check MongoDB's installation page for the correct path on release 10 or a newer MongoDB version. Then:

sudo dnf install -y mongodb-org
sudo systemctl enable --now mongod
mongosh --eval 'db.runCommand({ ping: 1 })'

The old mongo shell no longer exists; use mongosh. Create an administrator and an application user:

// in mongosh
use admin
db.createUser({ user: "admin", pwd: passwordPrompt(), roles: ["root"] })
use appdb
db.createUser({ user: "appuser", pwd: passwordPrompt(), roles: [{ role: "readWrite", db: "appdb" }] })

Then edit /etc/mongod.conf so it contains:

net:
  bindIp: 127.0.0.1
security:
  authorization: enabled

Restart with sudo systemctl restart mongod. Do not open port 27017 in the firewall: your API talks to MongoDB on the same machine.

5. Deploy the Express API

As the deploy user:

git clone https://github.com/you/your-app.git ~/app
cd ~/app/server
npm ci --omit=dev

Create ~/app/server/.env and make it readable only by you (chmod 600 .env):

NODE_ENV=production
PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=mongodb://appuser:[email protected]:27017/appdb?authSource=appdb

A minimal server.js for Express 5 and Mongoose 8:

require('dotenv').config();
const express = require('express');
const mongoose = require('mongoose');

const app = express();
app.use(express.json());
app.get('/api/health', (req, res) => res.json({ ok: true }));

mongoose.connect(process.env.MONGO_URI)
  .then(() => app.listen(process.env.PORT, '127.0.0.1',
    () => console.log(`API on ${process.env.PORT}`)))
  .catch((err) => { console.error(err); process.exit(1); });

Binding to 127.0.0.1 keeps the API reachable only through nginx. Start it with PM2 and make it survive reboots:

pm2 start server.js --name api
pm2 startup systemd      # run the command it prints, with sudo
pm2 save

More detail: PM2 for Node.js.

6. Build the React front end

Create React App is deprecated; new projects use Vite (npm create vite@latest client -- --template react). Build the client and publish the output:

cd ~/app/client
npm ci && npm run build
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/app
sudo cp -r dist/* /var/www/app/

In the React code, call the API with relative paths such as /api/health, so the same build works in development and production.

7. Configure nginx

sudo dnf install -y nginx

Create /etc/nginx/conf.d/app.conf:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;
    root /var/www/app;

    location /api/ {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }

    location / {
        try_files $uri /index.html;
    }
}

The try_files line sends unknown paths to React's router. Allow nginx to proxy and fix file labels under SELinux, then start it:

sudo setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect 1
sudo restorecon -Rv /var/www/app
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl enable --now nginx

8. Add HTTPS

Certbot comes from EPEL:

sudo dnf install -y epel-release
sudo dnf install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com

Certbot edits the nginx file and installs a timer that renews the certificate automatically. Test renewal with sudo certbot renew --dry-run.

9. Backups and updates

10. Troubleshooting

11. Running this on Domain India

A Domain India VPS is self-managed with full root access on KVM virtualisation, so this guide applies as written. The VPS page lists AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux among the operating systems offered, and plans include automated snapshots, a useful second layer beside your own database dumps. VPS plans don't include cPanel. Prices on the cards are live and exclude 18% GST.

If you'd rather not manage a server, the App Platform detects and builds Node.js apps automatically and includes PostgreSQL and SSL, but no MongoDB, so you would use an external MongoDB service. See Getting started with the App Platform.

Ready to deploy? Compare VPS plans, look at the App Platform if you'd rather not manage a server, or open a support ticket with questions about which fits your app.