How to Deploy a Node.js App on AWS (Step-by-Step Production Guide + Docker Setup)

Stop Deploying Node.js with Manual SSH & `git pull`

Running `ssh ubuntu@ip` and manually restarting PM2 works for a weekend hackathon, but the first time traffic spikes or an environment variable goes missing, your app goes down.

In this step-by-step tutorial, we'll build a **production-hardened Node.js deployment pipeline** using Docker, health checks, and automated CI/CD.

Step 1: Add a Health Check Endpoint in Node.js Every load balancer (AWS ALB or DigitalOcean App Platform) needs a deterministic health check route that verifies database connectivity before routing traffic:

```typescript app.get("/api/health", async (_req, res) => { return res.status(200).json({ status: "ok", uptime: process.uptime(), timestamp: new Date().toISOString(), }); }); ```

Step 2: Multi-Stage Dockerfile for Minimal Attack Surface Never ship `devDependencies` or uncompiled source files to production. Use `node:20-alpine` with a non-root user to keep your image under 120MB.

Step 3: Choosing Between AWS and DigitalOcean - **Choose AWS (EC2 / ECS Fargate)** when you need enterprise VPC isolation, IAM role-based permissions, S3/SQS event pipelines, or **AWS Activate startup credits**. - **Choose DigitalOcean** when you want predictable `$4–$12/month` flat pricing, instant GitHub-to-App-Platform deploys in 180 seconds, and `$200` in free starter credits.