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How to host a Node.js app on CloudPanel with PM2

CloudPanel can run Node.js apps such as Express APIs, Next.js, Nuxt, Ghost or Strapi. CloudPanel creates the site, a dedicated site user and an Nginx reverse proxy that forwards your domain to the port your app listens on. You run the app itself with PM2, a process manager that keeps it online and restarts it after a crash or reboot.



What you need

• CloudPanel installed, with your domain's DNS A record pointing to the server.
  
• Your app's code (from Git or uploaded with SFTP).
  
• The port your app listens on, for example 3000.
  

Step 1: Create the Node.js site

1. In CloudPanel, go to Sites > Add Site > Create a Node.js Site.
   
2. Enter the Domain Name, choose the Node.js Version and set the App Port (for example 3000).
   
3. Set the Site User and a strong Site User Password, then click Create.
   

Use the same port in your app. Each Node.js site on the server needs its own port.

Step 2: Log in as the site user
Connect over SSH as the site user, not as root:

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ssh site-user@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Node.js and npm for the version you picked are already available for this user. Check them with:

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node -v npm -v

Step 3: Upload or clone your app
Your site lives in

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~/htdocs/www.example.com/

. Put your project there, for example with Git:

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cd ~/htdocs rm -rf www.example.com git clone https://github.com/your-name/your-app.git www.example.com cd www.example.com npm install

If your app needs a build step (Next.js, Nuxt, React SSR), run it now, for example

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npm run build

. Put secrets in a

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.env

file in the project folder and never commit it to Git.

Make sure the app listens on the App Port you set in Step 1, for example:

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const port = process.env.PORT || 3000; app.listen(port, '127.0.0.1');

Step 4: Start the app with PM2
Install PM2 for the site user and start the app:

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npm install pm2@latest -g pm2 start npm --name my-app -- start pm2 save

Open your domain in the browser; Nginx now forwards requests to your app. Useful PM2 commands:

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pm2 status pm2 logs my-app pm2 restart my-app pm2 stop my-app

Step 5: Start the app again after a reboot
PM2 needs a cron job to bring your app back after the server restarts.

1. Print your PATH and copy the output:
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   echo $PATH
2. Open the site user's crontab:
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   crontab -e
3. Add these two lines, pasting your PATH into the first one:
   
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   PATH=PASTE_YOUR_PATH_HERE @reboot pm2 resurrect &> /dev/null
4. Reboot the server and run
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   pm2 status
   . Your app should show as online.
   

Step 6: Add free SSL
Open the site in CloudPanel, go to SSL/TLS > Actions > New Let's Encrypt Certificate and create the certificate. Details: How to install free SSL in CloudPanel.

Deploying updates

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cd ~/htdocs/www.example.com git pull npm install npm run build # only if your app has a build step pm2 restart my-app

Troubleshooting

• 502 Bad Gateway: the app isn't running or listens on a different port. Run
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  pm2 status
  and
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  pm2 logs my-app
  , and compare the port with the App Port in CloudPanel.
  
• App is down after a reboot: the crontab PATH line is missing or wrong. Repeat Step 5.
  
• "pm2: command not found" in cron: same cause; the PATH line must contain the Node.js bin folder from
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  echo $PATH
  .
  
• Wrong Node.js version: check
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  node -v
  as the site user. The version is set when you create the site.
  

Sources (checked October 2026): CloudPanel: Node.js deployment with PM2 · CloudPanel: Strapi

Not sure which site type to choose? See What can you host on CloudPanel?