Step-by-Step Guide for Deploying a Strapi Project to Amazon AWS EC2 Inside Your AWS VPC

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Setting Up an AWS EC2 Instance
3. Connecting to Your EC2 Instance
4. Installing Node.js and npm
5. Setting Up Your Strapi Project
6. Configuring the Database
7. Setting Up Nginx as a Reverse Proxy
8. Securing Your Server with SSL
9. Conclusion

1. Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following: - An AWS account - Basic understanding of AWS EC2 and VPC - A Strapi project ready for deployment - A domain name (optional, for SSL configuration)

2. Setting Up an AWS EC2 Instance

1. Login to AWS Console: Go to the AWS Management Console and log in.
2. Launch EC2 Instance: Navigate to EC2 Dashboard and click on "Launch Instance".
3. Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI): Select the latest Ubuntu Server AMI.
4. Choose an Instance Type: Select a suitable instance type (e.g., t2.micro for free tier).
5. Configure Instance Details: Ensure the instance is launched inside your desired VPC and subnet. Enable Auto-assign Public IP.
6. Add Storage: Adjust storage if necessary (default is usually sufficient).
7. Add Tags: (Optional) Add tags to manage your instance.
8. Configure Security Group: Create a security group to allow HTTP (port 80), HTTPS (port 443), and SSH (port 22) access.
9. Review and Launch: Review your settings and launch the instance. Download the key pair for SSH access.

3. Connecting to Your EC2 Instance

1. Open Terminal: On your local machine, open a terminal.
2. Connect via SSH: Use the following command to connect to your EC2 instance:

   ssh -i /path/to/your-key-pair.pem ubuntu@your-ec2-public-ip
   

4. Installing Node.js and npm

1. Update Packages: Update your package list:

   sudo apt update
   

2. Install Node.js and npm: Install Node.js (v14 or higher) and npm:

   curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_14.x | sudo -E bash -
   sudo apt install -y nodejs
   

5. Setting Up Your Strapi Project

1. Clone Your Project: Clone your Strapi project repository to your EC2 instance or create a new Strapi project:

   npx create-strapi-app@latest my-project --quickstart
   

2. Navigate to Project Directory:

   cd my-project
   

6. Configuring the Database

Strapi uses SQLite by default, which is suitable for development. For production, consider using a more robust database like PostgreSQL.

1. Install PostgreSQL Client:

   sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib
   sudo apt install libpq-dev
   npm install pg --save
   

2. Configure Database Connection: Update config/database.js with your PostgreSQL credentials.

7. Setting Up Nginx as a Reverse Proxy

1. Install Nginx:

   sudo apt install nginx
   

2. Configure Nginx: Create an Nginx configuration file for your Strapi project:

   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/strapi
   

   Add the following configuration:

   server {
       server_name your-domain.com;
       location / {
           proxy_pass http://localhost:1337;
           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;
       }
   }
   

3. Enable Configuration:

   sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/strapi /etc/nginx/sites-enabled
   sudo nginx -t
   sudo systemctl restart nginx
   

8. Securing Your Server with SSL

1. Install Certbot:

   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
   

2. Obtain SSL Certificate:

   sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com
   

3. Follow Prompts: Certbot will configure SSL for your Nginx server.

9. Conclusion

Deploying Strapi on AWS EC2 inside your VPC provides a secure and scalable environment for your application. By following this guide, you've set up your Strapi project, configured the server, and secured it with SSL. Now you can focus on building your content-rich applications with Strapi.

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