🌐 Next.js VPS Deployment Guide (Without Docker)

This repository provides a comprehensive step-by-step guide to deploying a Next.js application on a Linux-based VPS using:

• Custom domain (e.g. app.yourdomain.com)
• Specific port (e.g. 4300)
• Free SSL with Let's Encrypt
• NGINX reverse proxy
• Cloudflare DNS integration
• Swap setup for low-memory VPS
• Monitoring for uptime, SSL, and domain expiry

🛠️ This deployment does not use Docker, making it lightweight and straightforward for developers who prefer native Linux environments.

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📌 Why Without Docker?

While Docker offers portability and consistency, not every environment or team requires it — especially for small VPS deployments or low-resource servers. In some cases, such as deployments for small businesses (UMKM) in Indonesia, teams may prefer to avoid Docker due to budget constraints and limited server resources.

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✅ Advantages of Not Using Docker

• Less overhead: No need to run containers or manage Docker daemon.
• Lower memory usage: Ideal for low-RAM VPS (512MB–2GB).
• Faster setup: Simpler for beginners or one-off projects.
• Direct access to logs and processes via PM2 and Linux tools.

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⚠️ Disadvantages of Not Using Docker

• Less portability: Harder to migrate across servers or replicate environments.
• Manual environment management: You must install Node.js, NGINX, etc., yourself.
• Dependency conflicts: No container isolation means your server environment can become messy over time.
• No image versioning: You can't easily roll back to previous builds like Docker images.

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🛡️ Disclaimer

This setup is intended for small-to-medium production use cases. For highly scalable, multi-container, or enterprise-grade deployments, using Docker and orchestration tools like Kubernetes is recommended.

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📬 Contributions Welcome

If you find this guide helpful, feel free to fork, star ⭐, or submit pull requests with improvements!

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📋 Prerequisites

• VPS with Ubuntu 20.04 or newer
• Root privileges or sudo access on your VPS
• Next.js application ready for production
• Custom domain purchased (e.g., from Niagahoster)

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🔧 1. VPS Initial Setup

Login to your VPS:

ssh root@your-server-ip

Update & install dependencies:

apt update && apt upgrade -y
apt install nginx ufw curl unzip git build-essential -y

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🚀 2. Setup Domain (Example: app.mydomain.com)

Using Cloudflare (Recommended):

1. Set nameservers to Cloudflare from Niagahoster.

2. In Cloudflare DNS tab, add:

   • Type: A
   • Name: app
   • Value: Your VPS IP
   • Proxy status: DNS only (disable proxy for now, enable later)

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⚙️ 3. Deploy Next.js App on Custom Port (e.g., 4300)

Clone or upload your app:

git clone https://github.com/your/repo.git app
cd app

Install Node.js & PM2:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | bash -
apt install -y nodejs
npm install -g pm2

Build & run your Next.js app:

npm install
npm run build
pm2 start npm --name "nextapp" -- start -p 4300
pm2 save

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🌐 4. NGINX Reverse Proxy + Free SSL (Let's Encrypt)

NGINX Config:

Create file: /etc/nginx/sites-available/app.mydomain.com

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name app.mydomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:4300;
        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;
    }
}

Enable site & restart NGINX:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/app.mydomain.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
nginx -t
systemctl restart nginx

Install Certbot & Get SSL:

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
certbot --nginx -d app.mydomain.com

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📈 5. Monitoring & Expiry Alerts

a. SSL & Domain Expiry Monitoring

Use tools like:

• UptimeRobot
• BetterStack
• PingAja

Monitor https://app.mydomain.com for:

• Downtime alerts
• SSL expiry alerts

b. PM2 Monitoring (Optional)

pm2 install pm2-server-monit

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🧠 6. Low-Memory VPS Optimization

Create a 2GB Swap File:

fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
chmod 600 /swapfile
mkswap /swapfile
swapon /swapfile
echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' >> /etc/fstab

Check with:

free -h

✅ Prevents crashes during npm run build on low-memory VPS (512MB–2GB RAM).

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🌩️ 7. Finalize Cloudflare Settings

Once SSL is working:

• Change A Record Proxy status to ✅ Proxied

• Go to SSL/TLS tab:

  • Select Full (strict)

• Enable:

  • Auto Minify (HTML, CSS, JS)
  • Brotli compression
  • Always Use HTTPS

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🔁 8. Auto-Renew SSL

Certbot sets a cron job automatically.

Check timer:

systemctl list-timers | grep certbot

Manual test:

certbot renew --dry-run

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📋 Summary

Task	Tool/Step
App Deployment	PM2, Node.js
Reverse Proxy	NGINX
SSL	Let's Encrypt via Certbot
Domain & DNS	Niagahoster → Cloudflare
Monitoring	UptimeRobot, BetterStack, PM2
Swap for Build Process	Manual swap creation
Expiry Alerts	UptimeRobot + Email alerts
Performance Optimization	Cloudflare settings