Production deployment

This document describes how to deploy the Pankaj Bhatia trading system to production on AWS EC2 (Ubuntu) using Apache, PM2, and MobaXterm for SSH/SFTP access. It is intended for developers and operations staff. Replace placeholder values (your-domain.com, /var/www/your-app/) with your actual domains and paths during setup.

Overview

Item	Detail
Cloud	AWS EC2
OS	Ubuntu (22.04 LTS or similar)
Web server	Apache 2 (static React + reverse proxy)
Process manager	PM2 (backend Node.js process)
Remote access	MobaXterm (SSH + SFTP)
Backend repo	`nifty_fifty_bank_nifty_NodeJS`
Frontend repo	`nifty_fifty_bank_nifty_ReactJS`
Database	MongoDB via `MONGO_URI` (Atlas or self-hosted)
Backend entry	`dist/src/app.js` (default port 5000)
Frontend output	Vite `build/` folder
PM2 process name	`nifty-backend` (example)

The system uses a split-domain layout in production:

https://app.your-domain.com — React dashboard (static files)
https://api.your-domain.com — Node.js API + Socket.io (Apache reverse proxy)

Architecture

Request flow:

Browser loads the React SPA from Apache (DocumentRoot).
API calls go to https://api.your-domain.com/api/... — Apache proxies to Node on 127.0.0.1:5000.
Socket.io connects to https://api.your-domain.com — Apache upgrades WebSocket traffic to the same Node process.
PM2 keeps the backend running; MongoDB and Zerodha Kite are external dependencies.

Server directory layout

Confirm actual paths on your EC2 instance during first deploy. Example layout:

/var/www/your-app/
├── server/                    # nifty_fifty_bank_nifty_NodeJS clone
│   ├── .env                   # Backend secrets (never commit to git)
│   ├── dist/
│   │   └── src/
│   │       └── app.js         # PM2 entry point
│   ├── src/
│   └── package.json
└── client/
    └── build/                 # Vite production output (Apache DocumentRoot)
        ├── index.html
        └── assets/

Example from existing ops notes: some deployments use /var/www/NiftyBankNifty/server for the backend. Adjust paths to match your server.

One-time EC2 setup

Run on a fresh Ubuntu EC2 instance (via MobaXterm SSH).

System packages

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y git apache2 curl

Install Node.js (LTS recommended — use NodeSource or nvm if your version requirements differ):

# Example with NodeSource (adjust version as needed)
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
node -v
npm -v

Install PM2 globally:

sudo npm install -g pm2

Apache modules

Enable modules required for reverse proxy and WebSocket support:

sudo a2enmod proxy proxy_http proxy_wstunnel ssl rewrite headers
sudo systemctl restart apache2

See Apache configuration for virtual host files.

Timezone

Trading cron jobs use IST. Set server timezone:

sudo timedatectl set-timezone Asia/Kolkata
timedatectl

AWS Security Group

Allow inbound traffic:

Port	Purpose
22	SSH (MobaXterm)
80	HTTP (redirect to HTTPS)
443	HTTPS

Restrict SSH (port 22) to trusted IPs where possible.

MongoDB

Set MONGO_URI in the backend .env pointing to:

MongoDB Atlas (recommended for production), or
A self-hosted MongoDB instance (same EC2 or separate)

No MongoDB install steps are included here — configure according to your chosen provider.

SSL (optional but recommended)

Use Let’s Encrypt Certbot after Apache vhosts are configured:

sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-apache
sudo certbot --apache -d app.your-domain.com -d api.your-domain.com

MobaXterm access

SSH session

Open MobaXterm → Session → SSH.
Remote host: EC2 public IP or DNS name.
Username: ubuntu (default for Ubuntu AMIs).
Advanced SSH settings → use your AWS .pem key file.
Connect.

SFTP (file transfer)

In the same SSH session, MobaXterm opens an SFTP browser panel automatically. Typical uses:

Task	Path
Edit backend secrets	`/var/www/your-app/server/.env`
Upload frontend build	`/var/www/your-app/client/build/`
View PM2 logs	`~/.pm2/logs/`
View Apache logs	`/var/log/apache2/`

Recommended workflow:

Use git pull on the server for code updates (backend and optionally frontend source).
Use SFTP for .env secrets, one-off file uploads, or emergency hotfixes.
Never commit .env files to git.

Backend deployment (PM2)

See PM2 deployment for first-time setup, routine deploy, and verification commands. Environment variables are loaded via src/env.ts (dotenv.config()). The .env file must live in the server working directory.

Frontend deployment (Apache static)

See Apache configuration for Vite build env, static deploy, and virtual host files. Vite bakes environment variables at build time. Set production values in .env before running yarn build.

Environment variables checklist

Backend — `server/.env`

Never commit this file. Create on server via MobaXterm SFTP or nano.

Variable	Required	Notes
`MONGO_URI`	Yes	MongoDB connection string
`SECRET_KEY`	Yes	JWT signing key (strong random string)
`PORT`	Optional	Default `5000`; must match Apache `ProxyPass` target
`FRONTEND_URL`	Yes	e.g. `https://app.your-domain.com` — Zerodha OAuth redirect
`ZERODHA_API_KEY`	Yes	Kite Connect API key
`ZERODHA_API_SECRET`	Yes	Kite Connect API secret
`ZERODHA_USER_ID`	Yes	For 6 AM auto-login
`ZERODHA_PASSWORD`	Yes	For 6 AM auto-login
`ZERODHA_TOTP_SECRET`	Yes	Base32 TOTP secret for auto-login
`TIMEZONE`	Optional	Default `Asia/Kolkata`

Optional market hour overrides: MCX_START_HOUR, NFO_START_HOUR, CDS_*, etc. Full Zerodha auto-login setup: see Zerodha auto-login.

Frontend — build-time `.env`

Variable	Required	Notes
`VITE_APP_BASEURL`	Yes	`https://api.your-domain.com/api/`
`VITE_APP_SOCKET_URL`	Yes	`https://api.your-domain.com`
`PUBLIC_URL`	Yes	`https://app.your-domain.com/`

Post-deploy verification

Check	Command / action
Apache running	`sudo systemctl status apache2`
PM2 running	`pm2 status` — `nifty-backend` should be `online`
Backend logs	`pm2 logs nifty-backend --lines 50` — expect `Mongo-connection established`
API proxy	`curl -I https://api.your-domain.com/api/zerodha/login`
UI loads	Open `https://app.your-domain.com` in browser
Login works	Sign in with admin credentials
Socket.io	Dashboard shows live index ticks after Zerodha login
Zerodha connect	Use Login to Zerodha in header, or wait for 6 AM auto-login
SSL valid	Browser shows padlock; no certificate warnings

Zerodha-specific checks

After deploy or server restart, see Zerodha troubleshooting for log patterns:

grep -E "Startup auto-login|Market data streaming ensured|6:00 AM" \
  ~/.pm2/logs/nifty-backend-out.log | tail -20

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
502 Bad Gateway on API	PM2 process down or wrong proxy port	`pm2 status`; check `PORT` in `.env` matches Apache `ProxyPass`
502 on WebSocket	`proxy_wstunnel` not enabled	`sudo a2enmod proxy_wstunnel && sudo systemctl restart apache2`
API returns 401	JWT invalid or `SECRET_KEY` changed	Re-login; ensure `SECRET_KEY` stable across deploys
Env vars undefined	PM2 started from wrong cwd	Restart with `--cwd /var/www/your-app/server`
UI calls wrong API URL	Frontend not rebuilt	Update `.env`, `yarn build`, redeploy `build/`
Zerodha redirect fails	`FRONTEND_URL` mismatch	Set `FRONTEND_URL=https://app.your-domain.com` in server `.env`
No live ticks	Zerodha not logged in or token expired	Manual login or check auto-login logs
Mongo connection failed	Wrong `MONGO_URI` or network/firewall	Verify Atlas IP whitelist includes EC2 public IP
Apache SPA 404 on refresh	Missing rewrite rules	Add SPA fallback rules in frontend vhost (see Apache config)
CORS errors	Unusual with split domain	Ensure `VITE_APP_BASEURL` points to API domain, not app domain

For Zerodha token refresh and streaming issues, see Zerodha auto-login and Zerodha troubleshooting.

Document	Topics
Backend overview	System layout, env vars, scheduled jobs
Data flow	Market data, Socket.io, order flows
Trading overview	Recurring buy, trailing sell
Zerodha auto-login	6 AM auto-login, PM2 log checks, Zerodha env vars

Summary

Deploy on AWS EC2 Ubuntu with Apache (static React + reverse proxy) and PM2 (Node backend).
Use MobaXterm for SSH commands and SFTP file transfer (especially .env secrets).
Typical layout: app.your-domain.com for UI, api.your-domain.com for API + Socket.io.
Backend: git pull → npm install → npm run build → pm2 restart nifty-backend.
Frontend: set Vite env vars → yarn build → copy build/ to Apache docroot.
PM2 cwd must be the server folder so .env loads correctly.
Rebuild frontend whenever API or Socket URLs change — Vite env is compile-time.
Confirm paths, domains, and SSL on your EC2 instance during first deploy.

Deployment

Environment

Zerodha Operations

Scripts

Verification

Cross-reference

Overview

Architecture

Server directory layout

One-time EC2 setup

System packages

Apache modules

Timezone

AWS Security Group

MongoDB

SSL (optional but recommended)

MobaXterm access

SSH session

SFTP (file transfer)

Backend deployment (PM2)

Frontend deployment (Apache static)

Environment variables checklist

Backend — `server/.env`

Frontend — build-time `.env`

Post-deploy verification

Zerodha-specific checks

Troubleshooting

Summary

​Overview

​Architecture

​Server directory layout

​One-time EC2 setup

​System packages

​Apache modules

​Timezone

​AWS Security Group

​MongoDB

​SSL (optional but recommended)

​MobaXterm access

​SSH session

​SFTP (file transfer)

​Backend deployment (PM2)

​Frontend deployment (Apache static)

​Environment variables checklist

​Backend — server/.env

​Frontend — build-time .env

​Post-deploy verification

​Zerodha-specific checks

​Troubleshooting

​Related documentation

​Summary

Overview

Architecture

Server directory layout

One-time EC2 setup

System packages

Apache modules

Timezone

AWS Security Group

MongoDB

SSL (optional but recommended)

MobaXterm access

SSH session

SFTP (file transfer)

Backend deployment (PM2)

Frontend deployment (Apache static)

Environment variables checklist

Backend — `server/.env`

Frontend — build-time `.env`

Post-deploy verification

Zerodha-specific checks

Troubleshooting

Related documentation

Summary