Host a React + Node.js app on Hostinger VPS with Nginx

What you'll need

• A Hostinger VPS plan (KVM 1 or higher — KVM 2 recommended for comfortable headroom)
• A React + Vite (or CRA) frontend
• A Node.js backend (Express, Fastify, or similar)
• Basic comfort with the terminal and SSH

Step 1: Provision your VPS

After purchasing a Hostinger VPS:

1. Log in to hPanel and go to VPS
2. Choose Ubuntu 22.04 as your OS — it's well supported, has a long support window, and most tutorials online target it
3. Set a root password or upload an SSH key (SSH key is strongly recommended)
4. Note your VPS IP address from the dashboard

SSH into your server:

ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP

First thing — update the system:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Create a non-root user

Running everything as root is a security risk. Create a dedicated user:

adduser deploy
usermod -aG sudo deploy

If you're using SSH keys, copy them to the new user:

rsync --archive --chown=deploy:deploy ~/.ssh /home/deploy

From now on, SSH in as deploy instead of root:

ssh deploy@YOUR_VPS_IP

Step 3: Install Node.js

Use NVM to install Node.js — it avoids permission issues and makes version management easy:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install 20
nvm use 20
node --version

You should see v20.x.x. Node 20 is the current LTS and what you want for production.

Step 4: Install PM2

PM2 keeps your Node.js process alive after crashes and server restarts:

npm install -g pm2

Step 5: Install Nginx

Nginx will sit in front of your Node.js app, handling HTTPS termination and serving your React frontend's static files:

sudo apt install nginx -y
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl start nginx

Visit your VPS IP in a browser — you should see the Nginx welcome page. That confirms it's running.

Step 6: Upload your app

Clone your repo directly on the server:

cd /var/www
sudo mkdir myapp
sudo chown deploy:deploy myapp
cd myapp
git clone YOUR_REPO_URL .
npm install
npm run build

If your repo has both frontend and backend, the structure might look like:

/var/www/myapp/
  dist/        ← built React frontend
  server/      ← Node.js backend
  package.json

Step 7: Start your Node.js backend with PM2

cd /var/www/myapp
pm2 start server/index.js --name myapp

Make PM2 restart on server reboot:

pm2 startup

PM2 will print a command — copy and run it. Then save the current process list:

pm2 save

Check your app is running:

pm2 status
pm2 logs myapp

Step 8: Configure Nginx

Create a new Nginx config:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp

Paste this configuration (replace YOUR_DOMAIN and adjust the port your Node.js app listens on):

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name YOUR_DOMAIN www.YOUR_DOMAIN;

    root /var/www/myapp/dist;
    index index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
    }

    location /api/ {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3001;
        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;
    }
}

• Serves your React dist/ folder for all non-API routes
• The try_files line handles React Router — unknown paths fall back to index.html
• Proxies any request starting with /api/ to your Node.js backend on port 3001

Enable the config:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

nginx -t tests your config for syntax errors before reloading — always run it.

Step 9: Point your domain to the VPS

At your domain registrar (or in Hostinger's DNS settings), create A records:

Type: A  Name: @    Value: YOUR_VPS_IP  TTL: 3600
Type: A  Name: www  Value: YOUR_VPS_IP  TTL: 3600

DNS propagation takes up to 24 hours but is usually faster.

Step 10: Enable HTTPS with Let's Encrypt

Once your domain is pointing at the VPS, install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
sudo certbot --nginx -d YOUR_DOMAIN -d www.YOUR_DOMAIN

Certbot will automatically modify your Nginx config to handle HTTPS and set up auto-renewal. Confirm with:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Deploying updates

When you push new code, SSH into the server and run:

cd /var/www/myapp
git pull
npm install
npm run build
pm2 restart myapp

You can wrap this in a deploy.sh script and run it with one command. For fully automated deploys, add a GitHub Action that SSHes into the server and runs these commands on every push to main.

Useful PM2 commands

pm2 status          # see all running processes
pm2 logs myapp      # tail logs
pm2 restart myapp   # restart after code changes
pm2 stop myapp      # stop the process
pm2 monit           # live dashboard

Troubleshooting

Summary

A Hostinger VPS with Nginx and PM2 is a solid, production-ready setup for a React + Node.js app. You get full control, no function timeouts, persistent storage, and a single monthly bill. The setup takes a couple of hours the first time, but once it's done deployments are fast and the stack is easy to maintain.