VPS Server Setup for Any Application (with Easy Deployment Flow)

When you get a fresh VPS, the first question is: How do I set it up so I can deploy multiple apps easily?
In this guide, I’ll walk you through a full flow setup that works for Laravel, Node.js, Ruby on Rails, or almost any stack.

We’ll use:

• OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• Web Server: Nginx

• Process Managers: php-fpm (for PHP), pm2 (for Node.js)

• Database: MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL

• SSL: Let’s Encrypt (Certbot)

• SSH Keys: For secure access

1. What You’ll Learn

By the end of this article, you’ll know how to:
✅ Add SSH access to your VPS
✅ Organize multiple apps on the same server
✅ Manage multiple PHP and Node.js versions
✅ Set up domains and subdomains with Nginx
✅ Secure apps with Let’s Encrypt SSL
✅ Deploy apps with a simple Git + build flow

1. Requirements

Before we start, make sure you have:

A VPS + a domain

Basic Linux knowledge (cd, nano, systemctl, etc.)

SSH key configured for secure login

Some familiarity with Nginx

At least one project (Laravel, Node.js, or Rails) to deploy

1. Directory Structure

We’ll keep all projects under /var/www/ for organization. This makes it easy to manage multiple apps on the same server.

/var/www/
   ├── laravel-app1/
   │     └── public/   # Laravel public folder
   ├── laravel-app2/
   │     └── public/
   ├── node-app1/
   ├── node-app2/

1. Version Management

Since different projects often require different versions, we’ll use:

php-fpm for multiple PHP versions

NVM for multiple Node.js versions

4.1 PHP

Install multiple PHP versions (7.4, 8.1, 8.2, etc.) with php-fpm.
Each app points to its own PHP socket:

Laravel App1 → PHP 8.1 → /run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock

Laravel App2 → PHP 8.2 → /run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock

Nginx will route each site to the right PHP version.

4.2 Node.js

Use NVM to install the Node.js version your project needs.

Use PM2 to keep apps running in the background.

Nginx will reverse-proxy to the correct port:

node-app1.yourdomain.com → localhost:3001

node-app2.yourdomain.com → localhost:3002

1. Domain & Subdomains

Point your DNS records to your VPS IP:

app1.yourdomain.com → VPS IP
app2.yourdomain.com → VPS IP
node1.yourdomain.com → VPS IP
node2.yourdomain.com → VPS IP

On the server, create Nginx configs for each app:

/etc/nginx/sites-available/
├── laravel-app1.conf
├── laravel-app2.conf
├── node-app1.conf
├── node-app2.conf

Then symlink them to sites-enabled/:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/laravel-app1.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

1. SSL Certificates

Use Let’s Encrypt with Certbot:

Free SSL for each domain/subdomain

Auto-renew every 90 days

Works directly with Nginx

sudo certbot --nginx -d app1.yourdomain.com -d www.app1.yourdomain.com

1. Deployment Flow

Here’s the simple deployment workflow you can follow for each project:

Push your code to GitHub.

SSH into your VPS.

Clone or pull the project from GitHub.

Install dependencies:

Laravel → composer install && npm run build

Node.js → npm install && pm2 restart

Run migrations/seeds if needed.

Since Nginx + SSL are already set up, the app goes live instantly. 🚀

✅ Conclusion

With this setup, your VPS becomes a multi-app hosting machine.

PHP apps run side by side with Node.js apps.

Each project has its own domain/subdomain, SSL, and process manager.

Deployment is as easy as git pull && build.

This gives you the flexibility of a PaaS (like Heroku or Vercel) but with the full control of a VPS.