Nginx as a HTTP proxy
This is a common method to use NGINX as a HTTP proxy front of PM2. NGINX will allow to serve static files rapidly, manage the SSL protocol and redirect the traffic to your Node.js application.
Here is an example for a Node.js application listening on port 3001 and NGINX forwarding the traffic from port 443 (HTTPS) to 3001. This sample will also handle Websocket connections.
nginx.conf:
upstream my_nodejs_upstream {
server 127.0.0.1:3001;
keepalive 64;
}
server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name www.my-website.com;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/main.key;
ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/main.crt;
location / {
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
proxy_pass http://my_nodejs_upstream/;
proxy_redirect off;
proxy_read_timeout 240s;
}
}
Learn more on these options on the Nginx docs! Once you have this, all you will need is a PM2-linked Node.js server running on the port 3001 and you’ll have a production-ready HTTP server!