Sails.js is the most popular MVC framework for Node.js. It allows you to build custom, enterprise-grade Node.js applications. Sails.js supports scalable, service-oriented architecture and provides basic security and role-based access control. It is used for developing chat, real-time dashboards, and multiplayer games.
Features
- Built on Express.js
- Supports WebSockets
- Database agnostic
- Supports multiple data stores in the same project
- Rock-solid foundation
- Flexible asset pipeline
In this guide, we will explain how to install Sails.js with Nginx as a reverse proxy on Ubuntu 20.04.
Prerequisites
- A fresh Ubuntu 20.04 server on the Atlantic.Net Cloud Platform
- A root password configured on your server
Step 1 – Create Atlantic.Net Cloud Server
First, log in to your Atlantic.Net Cloud Server. Create a new server, choosing Ubuntu 20.04 as the operating system with at least 4GB RAM. Connect to your Cloud Server via SSH and log in using the credentials highlighted at the top of the page.
Once you are logged in to your Ubuntu 20.04 server, run the following command to update your base system with the latest available packages.
apt-get update -y
Step 2 – Install Node.js
Before starting, Node.js must be installed on your server. First, install the required dependencies using the following command:
apt-get install curl wget gnupg2 -y
Next, add the Node source repository with the following command:
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_14.x | bash -
Next, install Node.js with the following command.
apt-get install nodejs -y
After installing Node.js, verify the Node.js version using the following command:
node --version
You should see the following output:
v14.17.0
Step 3 – Install Sails.js
You can install Sails.js easily using the NPM command.
npm -g install sails
Once Sails.js is installed, create a new project named myapp with the following command:
sails new myapp
You will be asked to choose a template for your Sails application:
Choose a template for your new Sails app: 1. Web App · Extensible project with auth, login, & password recovery 2. Empty · An empty Sails app, yours to configure (type "?" for help, or <CTRL+C> to cancel) ? 2
Type 2 and hit Enter to finish the installation:
info: Installing dependencies... Press CTRL+C to cancel. (to skip this step in the future, use --fast) info: Created a new Sails app `myapp`!
Next, change the directory to myapp and start the Sails app with the following command:
cd myapp sails lift
You should see the following output:
info: Starting app... info: info: .-..-. info: info: Sails <| .-..-. info: v1.4.3 |\ info: /|.\ info: / || \ info: ,' |' \ info: .-'.-==|/_--' info: `--'-------' info: __---___--___---___--___---___--___ info: ____---___--___---___--___---___--___-__ info: info: Server lifted in `/root/myapp` info: To shut down Sails, press + C at any time. info: Read more at https://sailsjs.com/support. debug: ------------------------------------------------------- debug: :: Sun Jun 13 2021 04:33:02 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) debug: Environment : development debug: Port : 1337 debug: -------------------------------------------------------
Press CTRL + C to stop the Sails application.
Step 4 – Create a Systemd Service File for Sails.js App
Next, you will need to create a systemd service file to manage the Sails.js application. You can create it with the following command:
nano /lib/systemd/system/sails.service
Add the following lines:
[Unit] After=network.target [Service] Type=simple User=root WorkingDirectory=/root/myapp ExecStart=/usr/bin/sails lift Restart=on-failure [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target
Save and close the file, then reload the systemd daemon to apply the changes:
systemctl daemon-reload
Next, start the Sails.js service and enable it to start at system reboot:
systemctl start sails systemctl enable sails
You can check the status of the Sails.js service with the following command:
systemctl status sails
You should see the following output:
● sails.service
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/sails.service; disabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Sun 2021-06-13 04:41:48 UTC; 6s ago
Main PID: 3730 (node)
Tasks: 22 (limit: 2353)
Memory: 114.0M
CGroup: /system.slice/sails.service
├─3730 node /usr/bin/sails lift
└─3752 grunt
Jun 13 04:41:49 ubuntu2004 sails[3730]: info: ____---___--___---___--___---___--___-__
Jun 13 04:41:49 ubuntu2004 sails[3730]: info:
Jun 13 04:41:49 ubuntu2004 sails[3730]: info: Server lifted in `/root/myapp`
Jun 13 04:41:49 ubuntu2004 sails[3730]: info: To shut down Sails, press + C at any time.
Jun 13 04:41:49 ubuntu2004 sails[3730]: info: Read more at https://sailsjs.com/support.
Jun 13 04:41:49 ubuntu2004 sails[3730]: debug: -------------------------------------------------------
Jun 13 04:41:49 ubuntu2004 sails[3730]: debug: :: Sun Jun 13 2021 04:41:49 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Jun 13 04:41:49 ubuntu2004 sails[3730]: debug: Environment : development
Jun 13 04:41:49 ubuntu2004 sails[3730]: debug: Port : 1337
Jun 13 04:41:49 ubuntu2004 sails[3730]: debug: -------------------------------------------------------
Step 5 – Configure Nginx as a Reverse Proxy for Sails.js
It is recommended to configure Nginx as a reverse proxy to access the Sails application through port 80.
First, install the Nginx web server with the following command:
apt-get install nginx -y
Once installed, create an Nginx virtual host configuration file:
nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/sails.conf
Add the following lines:
server {
listen 80;
server_name sails.example.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:1337/;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_buffering off;
}
}
Save and close the file, then verify Nginx for any syntax error:
nginx -t
You should see the following output:
nginx: the configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf syntax is ok nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful
Next, restart the Nginx service to apply the configuration changes:
systemctl restart nginx
Step 6 – Access Sails.js Web Interface
Now, open your web browser and access the Sails.js application using the URL http://sails.example.com. You should see the Sails.js dashboard on the following screen:
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Sails.js with Nginx as a reverse proxy on Ubuntu 20.04 server. You can now build your own real-time application with Sails.js easily. Get started on your dedicated server hosting account today!
