Deploying a Node.js App with GitHub Actions and Docker on AWS EC2 – Step-by-Step Guide

Are you looking to deploy your Node.js app with modern automation techniques? In this guide, you’ll learn how to use GitHub Actions, Docker, and AWS EC2 to create a production-grade deployment pipeline.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

• A GitHub account with your Node.js project pushed to a repository.
• A basic Node.js app (Express, for example).
• Docker installed locally.
• An AWS EC2 instance (Ubuntu preferred) with SSH access.
• A domain name (optional).

🛠 Step 1: Create Your Node.js App

If you already have one, skip this step.

mkdir my-node-app
cd my-node-app
npm init -y
npm install express

Create a simple server in index.js:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const PORT = 3000;

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello from Node.js + Docker!');
});

app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server is running on port ${PORT}`);
});

🐳 Step 2: Dockerize the Application

Create a Dockerfile in your project root:

FROM node:18

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install

COPY . .

EXPOSE 3000

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

Then add a .dockerignore file:

node_modules
npm-debug.log

🔧 Step 3: Test the Docker Image Locally

docker build -t my-node-app .
docker run -p 3000:3000 my-node-app

Visit http://localhost:3000 to test the app.

☁️ Step 4: Prepare AWS EC2 for Deployment

1. Launch an Ubuntu EC2 instance.
2. SSH into the instance:

ssh -i your-key.pem ubuntu@your-ec2-public-ip

3. Install Docker:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker.io -y
sudo usermod -aG docker ubuntu

4. (Optional) Install Docker Compose if needed.

🔐 Step 5: Set Up SSH Access from GitHub Actions to EC2

1. Generate SSH keys locally (if not already):

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "ci-cd-deploy"

2. Add the public key (.pub) to /home/ubuntu/.ssh/authorized_keys on your EC2 instance.
3. In your GitHub repo, go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions and add the following:

🔁 Step 6: Configure GitHub Actions Workflow

Create .github/workflows/deploy.yml:

name: Deploy to EC2

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Install SSH key
        uses: webfactory/ssh-agent@v0.5.4
        with:
          ssh-private-key: ${{ secrets.EC2_SSH_KEY }}

      - name: Deploy via SSH
        run: |
          ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no ${{ secrets.EC2_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.EC2_HOST }} << 'EOF'
            cd my-node-app || git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO.git my-node-app && cd my-node-app
            git pull origin main
            docker stop my-node-app || true
            docker rm my-node-app || true
            docker build -t my-node-app .
            docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --name my-node-app my-node-app
          EOF

📜 Make sure to replace YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO with your actual GitHub repo.

🧪 Step 7: Test Your Deployment

Push your code to the main branch, and GitHub Actions will:

• SSH into EC2
• Pull latest changes
• Rebuild and restart the Docker container

Visit http://<your-ec2-ip>:3000 to see the deployed app!

🌐 Bonus (Optional): Use a Domain Name and NGINX

If you want a clean URL and HTTPS, install NGINX on EC2, configure a reverse proxy, and use Let’s Encrypt for SSL.

✅ Final Thoughts

You’ve now built a modern CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions, Docker, and AWS EC2. This setup is:

• Scalable ✅
• Cost-effective ✅
• Beginner-friendly ✅

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🔗 Related Posts

• How to Build a CI/CD Pipeline with GitHub Actions and Docker – Step-by-Step
• Top GitHub Actions Every DevOps Engineer Should Know
• Deploying Node.js Apps on AWS with Docker – Beginner’s Guide

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