Set Up a Simple Client Portal on a Budget VPS

Make sure you are deploying a focused phase 1 portal, not an undefined future system.

Before touching the server, write down the smallest useful version of your portal.

For example, your phase 1 might only include:

• secure login
• status display
• file upload or file delivery
• a small request list
• one internal workflow behind the scenes

What you want to avoid is deploying infrastructure for a portal that still has no clear boundary.

A simple production deployment becomes much easier when the app only needs to support a few real workflows first.

Start with a clean server state before installing your application stack.

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

If you have not already configured the firewall, allow the basic ports you will need:

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 80
sudo ufw allow 443
sudo ufw enable

This gives you a simple baseline for a public web service without leaving the host wide open.

Set up the runtime and process manager your portal app will use in production.

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
sudo npm install -g pm2

Check the installation:

node -v
npm -v
pm2 --version

PM2 will help you keep the app running and restart it after reboots or crashes.

Move the application onto the server and prepare it for a production build.

cd /var/www
sudo mkdir -p client-portal
sudo chown $USER:$USER client-portal
cd client-portal

git clone <your-repo-url> app
cd app
npm install

If your repository already includes a lockfile, keep it in place so production installs stay consistent.

Configure the production settings your portal needs before starting it.

Create your production environment file based on the variables your app expects.

cp .env.example .env.production
nano .env.production

Then build the application:

npm run build

Typical production variables might include:

• app URL
• database connection string
• authentication secret
• file storage configuration
• email delivery settings

Do not hard-code these values into the application itself.

Run the app in a way that survives disconnects and can restart automatically.

For a typical Next.js deployment, you can start the production server like this:

pm2 start npm --name client-portal -- start

Save the process list and enable startup on reboot:

pm2 save
pm2 startup

PM2 will print one more command after pm2 startup. Run that command exactly as shown.

Then confirm the process is online:

pm2 status

Place Caddy in front of the app so your portal is served securely over your domain.

Install Caddy:

sudo apt install -y debian-keyring debian-archive-keyring apt-transport-https
sudo apt install -y caddy

Edit the Caddyfile:

sudo nano /etc/caddy/Caddyfile

Replace the contents with your domain and local app port:

portal.example.com {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:3000
}

Then reload Caddy:

sudo systemctl reload caddy
sudo systemctl status caddy

Once DNS is pointed correctly, Caddy can request and renew HTTPS certificates automatically.

Confirm the deployment works as a real client portal, not just as a running web app.

Before calling the deployment finished, test the parts that matter to actual users.

Check at least the following:

• the portal loads on the correct domain
• HTTPS is active
• login works
• the main dashboard or landing screen renders correctly
• any file-related workflow behaves as expected
• errors are not visible in the browser console or PM2 logs

You can inspect app logs with:

pm2 logs client-portal

This final check matters because a portal is only useful when the business workflow works, not just when the server is online.