The Tool Desk
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Deploying a React app to a VPS means turning the project into static production files, placing those files in a web root, and configuring Nginx to serve them. Vite normally creates a dist/ directory; Create React App normally creates build/. The critical routing setting is try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;, which lets React Router handle deep links instead of returning a 404 when a visitor refreshes a route.
What a VPS deployment actually runs
A production React frontend does not need a Node.js process to answer every browser request. After the production build, JavaScript, CSS, images, fonts and the HTML entry point are ordinary files. Nginx can deliver those files directly, which is simpler and uses fewer resources than leaving a development server running.
The VPS still needs an operating system, a web server, DNS and (for a public site) HTTPS. Your source code, package manager and build tool are needed wherever you run the build, but they do not have to remain installed on the server after the files have been generated. If your application also has an API, database or server-side rendering, those are separate services; the procedure here covers a client-rendered React application.
Before you begin
Information and access you need
- An Ubuntu VPS with an account that can use
sudo. Current 2026 deployment guides reference Ubuntu 24.04; confirm the commands against the image supplied by your VPS provider. - The server’s public IPv4 address (and IPv6 address if you intend to publish one).
- SSH access, for example
ssh username@203.0.113.10. - A React project that builds successfully, plus its package-lock file if you use
npm ci. - A domain name if you want a permanent hostname and a trusted certificate.
Choose where to build
You can build on your workstation and transfer only the output, or install Node.js and the project on the VPS and build there. Building locally keeps build tools and source files off the server. Building on the VPS is convenient when a deployment script already checks out the repository there. Whichever method you choose, the server ultimately needs only the generated files in the Nginx web root.
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Build the React application for production
Vite projects
From the project root, install the locked dependencies and create a production build:
npm ci
npm run buildVite places the result in dist/ by default, relative to the project root. A project’s build.outDir setting can change that directory. Vite empties an output directory inside the project root before building and warns when the configured directory is outside the root, so check the build output rather than assuming its name.
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Run the same two npm commands when the project uses Create React App:
npm ci
npm run buildCreate React App normally writes the production files to build/. The folder name is the practical difference at the transfer step: copy dist/ for the usual Vite configuration and build/ for the usual Create React App configuration.
Inspect the output before uploading
- Confirm that the selected directory contains
index.html. - Check that JavaScript and CSS assets are present beneath the directory.
- Open the built app locally with a static file server if possible; do not use a development-only assumption that hides missing assets.
- Record the exact output directory and the URL path where the app will live. Those two choices determine the Nginx
rootand the build tool’s public base path.
Set the correct public base path
An app served at https://example.com/ uses the root base path. An app served at https://example.com/portal/ must generate asset URLs beginning with /portal/. If the build still assumes /, the HTML may load while its JavaScript and CSS requests return 404.
Vite
Vite’s base option defaults to /. Set it in vite.config or pass it during the build:
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Create React App
Set the project’s homepage value to the public path, such as https://example.com/portal or the appropriate relative form supported by that project. Rebuild after changing it. A root-hosted app should use the root homepage setting rather than a portal path.
Match the Nginx path
The path in the build configuration and the path in Nginx must agree. A subpath example later in this guide stores files in /var/www/portal, serves them through /portal/, and falls back to /portal/index.html. If you change any one of those values, change the others and rebuild.
Install and prepare Nginx on the VPS
Connect to the server and install Nginx:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y nginx
sudo systemctl enable --now nginxThe first command refreshes Ubuntu’s package index. The second installs Nginx, and the last starts it immediately and configures it to start after a reboot. Visiting the server’s IP address at this point should show Nginx’s default response; that confirms the web server is reachable before you add your application.
Create a web root outside the home directory
Keep public files in a dedicated directory such as /var/www/myapp, not inside a user’s home directory. Create it with:
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/myapp
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/myappwww-data is the common Nginx account on Ubuntu. The ownership change lets Nginx read the files and makes the intended serving account explicit. If your deployment account must update the directory directly, use a group or a controlled release directory rather than making the entire filesystem world-writable.
Copy the build output to the web root
Copy the contents of the output directory, not the directory itself. Nginx should find the entry file at /var/www/myapp/index.html, not at /var/www/myapp/dist/index.html or /var/www/myapp/build/index.html.
Copying from a local computer
One safe pattern is to upload the directory to a temporary location and then install its contents with elevated privileges. For a Vite build:
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scp -r dist/. username@203.0.113.10:/tmp/myapp-dist/
ssh username@203.0.113.10
sudo rsync -av --delete /tmp/myapp-dist/ /var/www/myapp/
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/myappReplace dist with build for Create React App. The trailing slash and dist/. notation copy the contents. The --delete option removes files left by an older release; use it only when the destination contains no unrelated uploads or user data.
Copying from a build performed on the VPS
If the build ran on the server, run the equivalent installation command from the project directory:
sudo rsync -av --delete dist/ /var/www/myapp/
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/myappUse build/ instead of dist/ for Create React App. Check the result:
ls -l /var/www/myapp/index.htmlConfigure an Nginx server block for a root-hosted app
Create a site configuration:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/myappUse a server block like this, replacing the domain names and directory as necessary:
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server {
listen 80;
listen [::]:80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
root /var/www/myapp;
index index.html;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
}
location ~* .(?:css|js|mjs|json|png|jpg|jpeg|gif|svg|ico|webp|woff2?)$ {
expires 1y;
add_header Cache-Control "public, immutable";
}
}Why the try_files line is essential
React Router handles routes such as /dashboard in the browser. There is no physical dashboard file in the web root. With try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;, Nginx serves a real file when one exists and otherwise returns the React entry point, allowing the client router to select the route. Without that fallback, loading the home page may work while refreshing /dashboard produces an Nginx 404.
Enable and validate the site
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/myapp
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginxnginx -t must report a successful configuration test before you reload. If the default site captures the request, disable its enabled link after confirming that your server block has the correct server_name:
sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginxOpen the domain or server IP in a browser. Test both the root URL and at least one client-side route by entering that route directly in the address bar and refreshing it.
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Serving the app from a subpath
Subpath hosting requires both build-time and web-server changes. Suppose the public URL is https://example.com/portal/. Set Vite’s base to /portal/ (or set the corresponding Create React App homepage), then place the files in /var/www/portal. A server block whose root is /var/www can map the URL as follows:
server {
listen 80;
listen [::]:80;
server_name example.com;
root /var/www;
index index.html;
location /portal/ {
try_files $uri $uri/ /portal/index.html;
}
}Here, a request for /portal/assets/app.js maps to /var/www/portal/assets/app.js, while an unknown client-side route falls back to /var/www/portal/index.html. The fallback must include the subpath; using /index.html would send the wrong application entry point.
Set DNS, HTTPS and the firewall
Point the domain to the VPS
At your DNS provider, create an A record for the hostname that points to the VPS’s IPv4 address. If you publish IPv6, create an AAAA record only when the server is configured to accept IPv6 traffic. DNS changes can take time to appear, so test the hostname after it resolves and before requesting a certificate.
Allow web traffic through UFW
If Ubuntu’s UFW firewall is active, allow both HTTP and HTTPS:
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'Do not remove your SSH access rule while changing the firewall. The Nginx Full profile covers ports 80 and 443; it does not replace the separate SSH rule needed to administer the server.
Obtain a certificate with Certbot
Install the Nginx integration and request a certificate after the domain resolves to this server:
sudo apt-get install -y python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.comCertbot can update the Nginx server block for HTTPS and redirect HTTP requests. Substitute only the names that actually resolve to the VPS. After it completes, visit the HTTPS URL and test a deep React route again; TLS changes the transport, not the need for the try_files fallback.
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Handle environment variables correctly
Frontend environment values are usually embedded into the JavaScript bundle during the build. A value such as VITE_API_URL is therefore fixed at the moment npm run build runs. Editing a .env file on the VPS after the files have been copied does not change an already generated bundle.
When an API endpoint or other public setting changes, set the value in the build environment and run a new build, then copy the new output:
VITE_API_URL=https://api.example.com npm run buildDo not place private credentials in client-side variables; anything shipped to a browser can be inspected. If you need to change a non-secret setting without rebuilding, one alternative is a runtime JSON configuration file stored in the web root. The application can fetch that file at startup, but you must design loading, caching and failure handling for it explicitly.
Use caching without trapping old releases
Production tools normally give generated JavaScript and CSS files content-based names. Those hashed assets are good candidates for a long cache lifetime, as in the optional Nginx location above. Keep index.html on a short or default cache policy so that a new deployment can point browsers at the newest asset names. If you cache the entry HTML for a year, visitors may continue requesting an old release after you deploy a new one.
When a release appears partly updated, inspect the browser’s network panel for the HTML and asset URLs, then check the response headers with a command such as:
curl -I https://example.com/Clear a local browser cache only after confirming the server is sending the intended files; cache invalidation should not be the first fix for a wrong path or failed deployment.
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A repeatable update workflow
- Update the source and lockfile in the project repository.
- Run
npm ciandnpm run buildin a clean build environment. - Verify that the expected output directory contains
index.htmland that the configured base path has not changed accidentally. - Upload the contents to a temporary server directory.
- Synchronize the contents into the web root with
rsync; use--deleteonly when the directory contains exclusively generated assets. - Restore
www-dataownership if the upload account changed it. - Open the site, a deep client-side route, and an asset URL. A static-file update does not normally require an Nginx reload, but reload after changing the server configuration and run
sudo nginx -tfirst.
This manual process can later be placed in a CI job. The important separation remains the same: build once, transfer the generated files, and keep Nginx serving a known release directory.
Troubleshoot the failures that matter most
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
The home page works, but refreshing /about returns 404. |
The server block lacks the React fallback. | Add try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html; inside location /, test with sudo nginx -t, and reload Nginx. |
| The page is blank and the browser reports missing JavaScript or CSS. | The app was built for a different URL base, or the files are nested one directory too deep. | Check the generated asset URLs, align Vite base or the Create React App homepage with the public path, and copy the output contents so index.html is directly in the web root. |
| A subpath deployment sends users to the wrong page. | The fallback uses /index.html instead of the subpath entry point. |
Use the matching fallback, such as /portal/index.html, and ensure the Nginx root maps /portal/ to the directory that contains that file. |
Changing .env does nothing. |
The value was compiled into the existing bundle. | Set the variable before npm run build and deploy the newly generated files, or implement a runtime JSON configuration. |
| Nginx returns 403 or cannot read files. | The path or one of its parent directories is not readable by Nginx. | Confirm the path in root, inspect permissions with ls -ld, and use an appropriate www-data ownership or group arrangement. |
nginx -t fails. |
A syntax error, duplicate directive, invalid path or malformed regular expression exists in the configuration. | Read the reported file and line number, correct that block, run the test again, and reload only after it passes. |
| The domain times out while the IP works. | DNS is not pointing at this VPS, or the firewall blocks ports 80 and 443. | Verify the A/AAAA records, confirm Nginx is listening, and allow the Nginx Full UFW profile when UFW is active. |
| Certbot cannot validate the domain. | The hostname does not resolve to this server or HTTP traffic cannot reach it. | Fix DNS and port 80 access first, then run the Certbot command again. |
Deployment checklist
- The production command completed without errors.
- You identified whether the output is
dist/,build/, or a custom directory. - The output’s
index.htmlis directly beneath the Nginx web root. - The Vite
baseor Create React Apphomepagematches the public URL path. - Nginx has the correct
root,server_nameandtry_filesfallback. sudo nginx -tpasses before every configuration reload.- DNS resolves to the VPS and the firewall permits web traffic.
- HTTPS works through Certbot, and both the home page and a refreshed client-side route load correctly.
- Any changed frontend environment variable was present during the build, not added afterward.
Bottom line
The reliable VPS pattern is build, copy, serve and then secure: generate static files with npm ci && npm run build, copy the contents of Vite’s dist/ or Create React App’s build/ directory into a web root, configure Nginx with the matching base path and try_files fallback, then add DNS, HTTPS and firewall rules. Once those paths and build-time settings agree, a React frontend is a straightforward static site for Nginx to deliver.
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