Skip to main content

Backend Deployment

Guide for deploying the ThePlugg backend API to production.

Prerequisites​

  • Production PostgreSQL database
  • Environment variables configured
  • Node.js 18+ on server
  • Process manager (PM2 recommended)

Build​

  1. Install dependencies
npm install
  1. Generate Prisma Client
npm run prisma:generate
  1. Run database migrations
npm run prisma:migrate

Important: Make sure NODE_ENV=production is set and database connection is correct.

  1. Build TypeScript
npm run build

This creates the dist/ directory with compiled JavaScript.

Running in Production​

Using PM2​

  1. Install PM2 globally
npm install -g pm2
  1. Start the application
pm2 start dist/index.js --name theplugg-api
  1. Save PM2 configuration
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Using Docker​

Create a Dockerfile:

FROM node:18-alpine

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
COPY prisma ./prisma/

RUN npm ci --only=production

RUN npx prisma generate

COPY . .

RUN npm run build

EXPOSE 3000

CMD ["node", "dist/index.js"]

Build and run:

docker build -t theplugg-api .
docker run -p 3000:3000 --env-file .env theplugg-api

Environment Variables​

Ensure all production environment variables are set:

  • Database connection
  • JWT secret
  • AWS credentials
  • BulkSMS credentials
  • OneSignal credentials
  • CORS allowed origins

Health Check​

The API provides a health check endpoint:

GET /health

Use this for monitoring and load balancer health checks.

Monitoring​

  • Set up logging (consider Winston or similar)
  • Monitor database connection
  • Set up error tracking (Sentry, etc.)
  • Monitor API response times

Security Checklist​

  • Use HTTPS
  • Set secure CORS origins
  • Use strong JWT secret
  • Enable rate limiting
  • Regular security updates
  • Database backups enabled
  • API key protection enabled