VPS Deployment

Deploy PC2 on a Virtual Private Server for 24/7 access from anywhere.

Recommended Providers

Provider	Specs	Price	Notes
Contabo	4 vCPU, 8GB RAM	€5.99/mo	Best value
Hetzner	2 vCPU, 4GB RAM	€4.51/mo	EU-based
DigitalOcean	2 vCPU, 4GB RAM	$24/mo	Easy setup
Vultr	2 vCPU, 4GB RAM	$24/mo	Global locations
InterServer	1 vCPU, 2GB RAM	$6/mo	Budget option

Minimum Requirements: 1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 20GB SSD, Ubuntu 22.04

Quick Install (Recommended)

SSH into your server and run the same one-liner:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Elacity/pc2.net/main/scripts/start-local.sh | bash

This works on VPS too! It will:

Install Node.js 20
Install PM2
Clone, build, and start PC2

Then access at http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:4200

Manual Setup

If you prefer manual control:

Create Your VPS

Sign up with your chosen provider
Create a new VPS with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Choose at least 2GB RAM
Note your server IP address

Connect via SSH

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Install Node.js 20

# Update system
apt update && apt upgrade -y
 
# Install Node.js 20
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | bash -
apt-get install -y nodejs
 
# Verify
node --version  # Should show v20.x.x

Install Git and PM2

apt install -y git
npm install -g pm2

Clone and Build PC2

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/Elacity/pc2.net
cd pc2.net
 
# Install dependencies (ignore peer conflicts)
npm install --legacy-peer-deps --ignore-scripts
 
# Install pc2-node dependencies
cd pc2-node
npm install --legacy-peer-deps
 
# Build frontend and backend
npm run build
 
cd ..

Create Systemd Service

cat > /etc/systemd/system/pc2-node.service << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=PC2 Node - Personal Cloud
After=network.target
 
[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
WorkingDirectory=/root/pc2.net/pc2-node
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node dist/index.js
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
Environment=NODE_ENV=production
Environment=PORT=4200
 
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF
 
# Enable and start
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable pc2-node
systemctl start pc2-node
 
# Check status
systemctl status pc2-node

Configure Firewall

ufw allow 22      # SSH
ufw allow 4200    # PC2
ufw allow 80      # HTTP (for SSL)
ufw allow 443     # HTTPS
ufw enable

Verify

curl http://localhost:4200/health

You should see: {"status":"ok",...}

Get HTTPS Access

Option A: Free *.ela.city Subdomain (Easiest)

Your node can register for a free yourname.ela.city subdomain with automatic HTTPS:

Open your PC2 at http://YOUR_IP:4200
Go to Settings → Network
Register your subdomain

Now access at https://yourname.ela.city

Option B: Custom Domain with Caddy

# Install Caddy
apt install -y debian-keyring debian-archive-keyring apt-transport-https
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/gpg.key' | gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/caddy-stable-archive-keyring.gpg
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/debian.deb.txt' | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/caddy-stable.list
apt update
apt install caddy
 
# Configure
cat > /etc/caddy/Caddyfile << 'EOF'
yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:4200
}
EOF
 
# Restart
systemctl restart caddy

Caddy automatically gets SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt.

Managing Your Node

Systemd Commands

systemctl status pc2-node     # Check status
systemctl start pc2-node      # Start
systemctl stop pc2-node       # Stop
systemctl restart pc2-node    # Restart
journalctl -u pc2-node -f     # View logs (live)
journalctl -u pc2-node -n 100 # Last 100 lines

Updating

Via UI (Recommended):

Settings → About → Check for Updates → Install Update

Via Terminal:

cd ~/pc2.net
git pull origin main
npm install --legacy-peer-deps --ignore-scripts
cd pc2-node
npm install --legacy-peer-deps --include=dev
npm run build
systemctl restart pc2-node

Backup

Create Backup

systemctl stop pc2-node
cd ~/pc2.net/pc2-node
tar -czvf ~/pc2-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz data/
systemctl start pc2-node

Restore Backup

systemctl stop pc2-node
cd ~/pc2.net/pc2-node
rm -rf data/
tar -xzvf ~/pc2-backup-YYYYMMDD.tar.gz
systemctl start pc2-node

Security Hardening

Create Non-Root User

adduser pc2admin
usermod -aG sudo pc2admin
 
# Copy SSH key
mkdir -p /home/pc2admin/.ssh
cp ~/.ssh/authorized_keys /home/pc2admin/.ssh/
chown -R pc2admin:pc2admin /home/pc2admin/.ssh

Update the systemd service to use pc2admin instead of root.

Enable Auto-Updates

apt install unattended-upgrades
dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades

→ Having issues? See Troubleshooting

Local Install Docker