Deployment

Deploying Node.js Apps with PM2 in Production

Author :Liam K.
Date :March 08, 2026
Time :15 minutes

Step 1: Install Node.js LTS

bash

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs build-essential
node -v
npm -v

Step 2: Install PM2 Globally

bash

sudo npm install -g pm2
pm2 -v

Step 3: Prepare App and Dependencies

bash

cd /var/www/my-node-app
npm ci
cp .env.example .env

Step 4: Create PM2 Ecosystem File

javascript

cat > ecosystem.config.js <<'EOF'
module.exports = {
  apps: [
    {
      name: 'my-node-app',
      script: 'dist/server.js',
      instances: 'max',
      exec_mode: 'cluster',
[...]

Command truncated. Copy to view full command.

Step 5: Start and Inspect Process

bash

pm2 start ecosystem.config.js
pm2 ls
pm2 logs my-node-app --lines 100
pm2 monit

Step 6: Enable Auto-Start on Reboot

bash

pm2 startup systemd -u $USER --hp /home/$USER
pm2 save

Step 7: Configure Log Rotation

bash

pm2 install pm2-logrotate
pm2 set pm2-logrotate:max_size 10M
pm2 set pm2-logrotate:retain 14
pm2 set pm2-logrotate:compress true

Step 8: Zero-Downtime Deploy Update

bash

git pull
npm ci
npm run build
pm2 reload ecosystem.config.js --update-env

Step 9: Quick Health Checks

bash

curl -I http://127.0.0.1:3000/health
pm2 show my-node-app

"PM2 gives you operational guardrails, but good deployment hygiene still depends on your release process."

Technical Author

Liam K.

System administrator and technical writer specializing in server infrastructure, security and deployment. Creating comprehensive guides to help you master server administration.