Deploying a Web App with Nginx, MySQL, and AWS: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction Imagine you’ve built an amazing web application, but now comes the crucial part—deployment. You need a scalable, high-performance, and reliable way to serve your users. This is where Nginx, MySQL, and AWS come into play. In this guide, we’ll walk you through deploying a web app using Nginx as a reverse proxy, MySQL as the database, and AWS as the cloud provider. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced DevOps engineer, this guide will help you set up a robust deployment pipeline. Table of Contents Prerequisites Setting Up AWS EC2 Instance Installing and Configuring Nginx Setting Up MySQL Database Deploying the Web Application Configuring Domain and SSL Troubleshooting Common Issues Real-World Use Cases & Comparisons Resources & Further Reading 1. Prerequisites Before we begin, make sure you have: An AWS account Basic knowledge of Linux commands A web application ready for deployment A registered domain (optional but recommended) 2. Setting Up an AWS EC2 Instance Step 1: Launch an EC2 Instance Log into your AWS account and navigate to EC2. Click Launch Instance and choose an Amazon Linux or Ubuntu AMI. Select an instance type (t2.micro for free-tier users). Configure security groups to allow HTTP (80), HTTPS (443), and SSH (22) access. Launch and connect using SSH: ssh -i your-key.pem ec2-user@your-ec2-public-ip 3. Installing and Configuring Nginx Step 1: Install Nginx sudo apt update && sudo apt install nginx -y sudo systemctl start nginx sudo systemctl enable nginx Step 2: Configure Nginx as a Reverse Proxy Open the Nginx config file: sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default Update the file with: server { listen 80; server_name your-domain.com; location / { proxy_pass http://localhost:3000; # Change port based on your app proxy_set_header Host $host; proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr; } } Restart Nginx: sudo systemctl restart nginx 4. Setting Up MySQL Database sudo apt install mysql-server -y sudo mysql_secure_installation Creating a Database and User CREATE DATABASE webapp_db; CREATE USER 'webapp_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'yourpassword'; GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON webapp_db.* TO 'webapp_user'@'localhost'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES; 5. Deploying the Web Application Cloning the App and Running It git clone https://github.com/your-repo/webapp.git cd webapp npm install # or pip install -r requirements.txt ohup npm start & 6. Configuring Domain and SSL with Certbot sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com 7. Troubleshooting Common Issues | Issue | Solution | |--------|----------| | Nginx not starting | Check logs: sudo journalctl -xe | | MySQL connection error | Verify credentials and user grants | | Web app not running | Check app logs: cat nohup.out | 8. Real-World Use Cases & Comparisons How Companies Use This Setup Startups: Deploy scalable applications quickly E-commerce: Handle high traffic efficiently SAAS Products: Secure, optimized database and web server setup Comparison: Docker vs Virtual Machines | Feature | Docker | Virtual Machines | |---------|--------|-----------------| | Performance | Faster | Slower | | Resource Usage | Low | High | | Isolation | Limited | Full | 9. Resources & Further Reading AWS EC2 Documentation Nginx Configuration Guide MySQL Official Docs What do you think? Comment below! Subscribe for more DevOps insights and follow us on LinkedIn!

Mar 13, 2025 - 11:13

Deploying a Web App with Nginx, MySQL, and AWS: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Imagine you’ve built an amazing web application, but now comes the crucial part—deployment. You need a scalable, high-performance, and reliable way to serve your users. This is where Nginx, MySQL, and AWS come into play.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through deploying a web app using Nginx as a reverse proxy, MySQL as the database, and AWS as the cloud provider. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced DevOps engineer, this guide will help you set up a robust deployment pipeline.

Prerequisites
Setting Up AWS EC2 Instance
Installing and Configuring Nginx
Setting Up MySQL Database
Deploying the Web Application
Configuring Domain and SSL
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Real-World Use Cases & Comparisons
Resources & Further Reading

1. Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have:

An AWS account
Basic knowledge of Linux commands
A web application ready for deployment
A registered domain (optional but recommended)

2. Setting Up an AWS EC2 Instance

Step 1: Launch an EC2 Instance

Log into your AWS account and navigate to EC2.
Click Launch Instance and choose an Amazon Linux or Ubuntu AMI.
Select an instance type (t2.micro for free-tier users).
Configure security groups to allow HTTP (80), HTTPS (443), and SSH (22) access.
Launch and connect using SSH:

   ssh -i your-key.pem ec2-user@your-ec2-public-ip

3. Installing and Configuring Nginx

Step 1: Install Nginx

sudo apt update && sudo apt install nginx -y
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Step 2: Configure Nginx as a Reverse Proxy

Open the Nginx config file:

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

Update the file with:

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name your-domain.com;
       location / {
           proxy_pass http://localhost:3000; # Change port based on your app
           proxy_set_header Host $host;
           proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
       }
   }

Restart Nginx:

   sudo systemctl restart nginx

4. Setting Up MySQL Database

sudo apt install mysql-server -y
sudo mysql_secure_installation

Creating a Database and User

CREATE DATABASE webapp_db;
CREATE USER 'webapp_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'yourpassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON webapp_db.* TO 'webapp_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

5. Deploying the Web Application

Cloning the App and Running It

git clone https://github.com/your-repo/webapp.git
cd webapp
npm install # or pip install -r requirements.txt
ohup npm start &

6. Configuring Domain and SSL with Certbot

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

7. Troubleshooting Common Issues

| Issue | Solution |
|--------|----------|
| Nginx not starting | Check logs: sudo journalctl -xe |
| MySQL connection error | Verify credentials and user grants |
| Web app not running | Check app logs: cat nohup.out |

8. Real-World Use Cases & Comparisons

How Companies Use This Setup

Startups: Deploy scalable applications quickly
E-commerce: Handle high traffic efficiently
SAAS Products: Secure, optimized database and web server setup

Comparison: Docker vs Virtual Machines

| Feature | Docker | Virtual Machines |
|---------|--------|-----------------|
| Performance | Faster | Slower |
| Resource Usage | Low | High |
| Isolation | Limited | Full |

9. Resources & Further Reading

What do you think? Comment below!

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