Next.js Deployment

This guide explains how to deploy your eDemand web application with SEO support using Next.js on a VPS server.

warning

This is an advanced deployment option for users who have a VPS server and are familiar with Node.js, npm, and pm2. The instructions assume you're using a Debian-based Linux distribution.

Server Compatibility

The Automated and Manual deployment methods described below are specifically configured for Apache web servers (using .htaccess for reverse proxy and rewrite rules).

Different web servers (like Nginx) require different configuration. If you are using a different server environment and encounter issues, please connect with our technical team, and we will surely help you.

Uploading Your Project

Before starting deployment, upload your project to the server:

1. Use an FTP client like FileZilla to upload your project files to your server
2. Alternatively, use Git to clone your repository directly on the server

Installing Node.js

Node.js can be installed using NVM (Node Version Manager) to easily manage multiple Node.js versions:

sudo apt install curl
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/master/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc  # or restart your terminal
nvm install node 20.*

Verify the installation with:

node -v

For more information, refer to the official Node.js documentation.

Installing PM2

PM2 is a production process manager for Node.js applications. Install it globally with:

npm install pm2 -g

Doc under revision

The codebase moved to Next.js 16 (Pages Router) and this page is being updated to match. The deploy_vps.sh automated script and ecosystem.config.cjs PM2 file referenced in the previous version of this guide are not present in the current repo — confirm with the dev team whether an automated script still exists before relying on this section. The manual steps below reflect what's actually in the repo today.

Manual Deployment

1. Configuration & Dependencies

Ensure your .env file is correctly configured (see System Configuration).

# Install dependencies
npm install

# (Optional) Clean old build artifacts
npm run clean

2. Build Application

Sitemap and .htaccess generation now run automatically as part of the build (via the prebuild npm hook) — no separate asset-generation step needed. Set NEXT_PUBLIC_SEO=true (in .env or your shell) if you require SEO/VPS mode, which also switches the build to Next's standalone output:

# Build with SEO enabled
export NEXT_PUBLIC_SEO="true"
npm run build

3. Configure Apache Proxy Port

The .htaccess proxy port is set when it's generated (part of prebuild, see below), not in a separate PM2 config file. Default is 8001.

4. Generate Apache Configuration (if regenerating outside a build)

# Replace 8001 with your chosen port
npm run generate:htaccess -- 8001

5. Start with PM2

# Start the application
pm2 start npm --name edemand-web -- start

# Save the process list to resurrect on reboot
pm2 save

note

Confirm with the dev team whether an ecosystem.config.cjs file should be reintroduced for this project — it is not currently part of the repo.

6. Finalize Apache

Reload Apache to apply the new .htaccess rules (ensure mod_rewrite and mod_headers are valid).

sudo systemctl reload apache2

Deployment System Details

Key Features

• Config-Driven Output Mode: next.config.ts picks the build's output mode automatically — standalone when NEXT_PUBLIC_SEO=true and not on Vercel, export when SEO is disabled, and left unset on Vercel (Vercel's own build pipeline expects the default output).
• Automatic Asset Generation: scripts/setup-sitemap.mjs and scripts/generate-htaccess.mjs both run automatically via the prebuild npm hook (see package.json) — no manual script calls needed for a normal npm run build.
• Smart Apache Configuration: scripts/generate-htaccess.mjs generates the correct .htaccess for the active mode:
  • NEXT_PUBLIC_SEO=true → reverse-proxy rules routing traffic to the Node.js server.
  • NEXT_PUBLIC_SEO=false (or unset) → static-file rewrite rules for the exported out/ build.

Scripts & Files

Script/File	Description
scripts/generate-htaccess.mjs	Generates the Apache .htaccess file based on the active port and NEXT_PUBLIC_SEO flag. Run via npm run generate:htaccess.
scripts/setup-sitemap.mjs	Generates the sitemap. Run via npm run generate:sitemap.
scripts/generate-pwa-assets.mjs	Generates PWA icon assets. Run via npm run pwa:assets.
scripts/clean-build.mjs	Removes stale build artifacts. Run via npm run clean.
next.config.ts	TypeScript config; picks output mode per build phase and NEXT_PUBLIC_SEO/Vercel detection (see above).

Integration Notes for Developers

Important

If you need to change the caching logic or rewrite rules, do not edit .htaccess directly. Instead, modify scripts/generate-htaccess.mjs. The .htaccess file is regenerated every time npm run generate:htaccess or npm run build is run, so manual changes will be lost.