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Modifying and Redeploying the Web App

How to make changes to this project and get them live.

Current Setup (This Mini PC)

server.js      → Node.js app, port 3000, bound to 127.0.0.1
nginx-1.30.0/  → reverse proxy, port 80
Tailscale Funnel → public HTTPS at https://nbg3pc.taileeca1e.ts.net

Node.js must be manually restarted after any change to server.js. nginx must be reloaded after any change to nginx.conf. Tailscale Funnel is unaffected by app changes.

Modifying the Web App (server.js)

1. Edit the file

Open server.js in any editor and make your changes. The app logic is all in one file.

Key areas:

// Change what the page shows — edit the html() function
const html = (time) => `<!DOCTYPE html>...`;

// Add a new route
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  if (req.url === '/health') {
    res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
    res.end(JSON.stringify({ status: 'ok' }));
    return;
  }
  // existing handler...
});

// Change the port (also update nginx.conf if you do this)
const PORT = 3000;

2. Find the running Node process

netstat -ano | findstr :3000

Note the PID in the last column.

3. Stop the old process

taskkill /PID <pid> /F

4. Start the new one

cd C:\Users\An.G3\Documents\GitHub\tswebclaude1
node server.js

5. Verify

curl http://127.0.0.1:3000
curl http://127.0.0.1:80

Modifying nginx Config (nginx-1.30.0\conf\nginx.conf)

1. Edit the file

Make your changes to nginx.conf.

2. Test the config before applying

cd C:\Users\An.G3\Documents\GitHub\tswebclaude1\nginx-1.30.0
nginx.exe -t

If it says syntax is ok and test is successful, proceed. Never reload without testing first.

3. Reload nginx (no downtime)

nginx.exe -s reload

This applies the new config without dropping existing connections.

4. If nginx won't start (port conflict)

# Check what's using port 80
netstat -ano | findstr :80

# Kill it
taskkill /PID <pid> /F

# Start nginx fresh
cd C:\Users\An.G3\Documents\GitHub\tswebclaude1\nginx-1.30.0
nginx.exe

Common Changes and How to Handle Them

Add a new page / route

Edit server.js, add a new if (req.url === '/newpage') block. Restart Node only.

Change the HTML/CSS

Edit the html template string in server.js. Restart Node only.

Change which port Node listens on

  1. Edit PORT in server.js
  2. Edit proxy_pass in nginx.conf to match the new port
  3. Restart Node, reload nginx

Add a second app on a different URL path

  1. Start the second app on a new port, e.g. 3001
  2. Add a new location block in nginx.conf:
    location /app2/ {
    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3001/;
}
  3. Test and reload nginx: nginx.exe -t && nginx.exe -s reload

Add a static files directory

  1. Create a folder, e.g. C:\Users\An.G3\Documents\GitHub\tswebclaude1\public\
  2. Add to nginx.conf:
    location /static/ {
    alias C:/Users/An.G3/Documents/GitHub/tswebclaude1/public/;
}
  3. Test and reload nginx.

Restart Everything From Scratch

If something is broken and you want a clean restart:

# 1. Kill Node
netstat -ano | findstr :3000
taskkill /PID <pid> /F

# 2. Kill nginx
cd C:\Users\An.G3\Documents\GitHub\tswebclaude1\nginx-1.30.0
nginx.exe -s stop
# If that hangs, force-kill:
taskkill /IM nginx.exe /F

# 3. Start Node
cd C:\Users\An.G3\Documents\GitHub\tswebclaude1
node server.js

# 4. Start nginx
cd nginx-1.30.0
nginx.exe

# 5. Verify
curl http://127.0.0.1:3000
curl http://127.0.0.1:80

# Tailscale Funnel is always running — no action needed

Quick Check: Is Everything Running?

# Is Node running?
netstat -ano | findstr :3000

# Is nginx running?
netstat -ano | findstr :80

# Is Tailscale Funnel active?
tailscale serve status

# End-to-end test
curl http://127.0.0.1:3000       # Node directly
curl http://127.0.0.1:80         # Through nginx
curl https://nbg3pc.taileeca1e.ts.net   # Public URL

Upgrading to PM2 (Recommended)

Right now Node must be manually restarted. PM2 is a process manager that handles this automatically — it restarts Node on crash and on reboot.

# Install PM2 globally
npm install -g pm2

# Start your app with PM2 (run from project folder)
pm2 start server.js --name webapp

# Auto-start on Windows boot
pm2 startup
# Follow the printed instruction — usually run one command as admin

pm2 save   # save current process list

After this, the redeploy workflow becomes:

# Edit server.js, then:
pm2 restart webapp

# Or for zero-downtime (starts new, stops old):
pm2 reload webapp

# Check status
pm2 status
pm2 logs webapp

And nginx can be wrapped similarly with NSSM (see HOWTO.md) so both survive reboots without manual intervention.