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Set up Task API on a server

This guide explains how to install and run Task API on a Linux server.

Prerequisites

Before installing Task API, make sure your environment includes:

  • Node.js v18 or later
  • npm v9 or later
  • A Linux server or cloud instance (Ubuntu 20.04 or later recommended)
  • SSH access to the server
  • Git
  • A domain name or static external IP address (for production access)

Step 1: Prepare the server

SSH into your server:

ssh your-user@your-server-ip

If Node.js isn't installed, install it using your preferred method. Many server administrators use nvm to manage Node versions.

Verify the installation:

node -v

npm -v

Both commands should return version numbers.

Step 2: Clone the repository

Clone the Task API repository:

git clone https://github.com/<your-repo>/developer-task-api.git

Navigate to the project directory:

cd developer-task-api

Step 3: Install dependencies

Install the required Node.js packages:

npm install

npm install reads the package.json file and installs the dependencies required for the API to run.

The installation is successful if:

  • the command completes without npm errors
  • npm prints a summary such as added 85 packages
  • a node_modules directory appears in the project folder

Step 4: Configure environment variables

[!NOTE] Environment variables allow configuration values to change between development and production environments without modifying the application code.

Task API uses environment variables for configuration.

Create a copy of the example configuration file:

cp .env.example .env

Open the file in an editor:

nano .env

Update the configuration values.

Variable Description
PORT Port the API listens on
JWT_SECRET Secret used to sign JSON Web Tokens
JWT_EXPIRES_IN Token expiration time
DB_PATH Path to the SQLite database file

Generate a secure JWT secret

[!IMPORTANT] In production, generate a strong random value for JWT_SECRET. Don't commit this value to version control.

Run:

node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(64).toString('hex'))"

Copy the generated string and paste it into the .env file.

Save the file and exit the editor.

Step 5: Start the API

Start the server:

npm start

If the startup is successful, the server logs show that the API is listening on the configured port.

Step 6: Verify the API

Use curl to confirm the API is running:

curl http://localhost:3000/health

Expected response:

{"status":"ok"}

This confirms the API is running and responding to requests.

Step 7: Run the API with PM2 (recommended)

[!TIP] For production environments, use a process manager to keep the API running if the app crashes or the server restarts.

PM2 manages the Node.js process in the background. It automatically restarts the app if it stops unexpectedly.

In many production deployments, a Node.js app typically runs behind a reverse proxy, like Nginx. PM2 is responsible for keeping the Node process alive and ensuring it runs smoothly.

Install PM2 globally:

npm install -g pm2
Start the application with PM2:

pm2 start npm --name task-api -- start
Verify that the process is running:

pm2 status
To ensure the API starts automatically after a reboot:

pm2 startup

pm2 save

Next steps

You can now begin using the API.