Payload CMS Setup Guide on RamNode VPS

Why Choose PayloadCMS and RamNode?

PayloadCMS Advantages:

• Modern TypeScript/React-based CMS
• Powerful REST and GraphQL APIs
• Beautiful, responsive admin interface
• Developer-friendly configuration
• Built-in authentication and access control
• Flexible field types and relationships

RamNode Benefits:

• High-performance SSD storage
• Excellent Node.js hosting environment
• Full server control and customization
• Cost-effective for modern web apps
• Reliable network infrastructure
• Easy scaling as your project grows

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

Server Requirements

• RamNode VPS (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS recommended)
• Domain name pointed to your server IP
• SSH access to your server
• At least 2GB RAM (4GB+ recommended)
• 20GB+ available disk space

→ View Recommended Standard VPS Plans

Knowledge Requirements

• Basic Linux command line skills
• Understanding of Node.js applications
• Domain DNS management
• Basic JavaScript/TypeScript knowledge helpful

Initial Server Setup

Connect to your RamNode VPS and prepare the system:

Connect via SSH

ssh root@your-server-ip

Update System Packages

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Install Essential Tools

apt install curl wget unzip software-properties-common build-essential -y

Create Non-Root User

adduser payloaduser
usermod -aG sudo payloaduser
su - payloaduser

💡 Security: Using a non-root user for running applications improves server security.

Install Node.js

Install Node.js 18+ which is required for PayloadCMS:

Install Node.js via NodeSource

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Verify Installation

node --version
npm --version

Install Yarn (Optional but Recommended)

curl -sL https://dl.yarnpkg.com/debian/pubkey.gpg | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/yarnkey.gpg >/dev/null
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/yarnkey.gpg] https://dl.yarnpkg.com/debian stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/yarn.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install yarn -y

✅ Node.js 18+ is now installed and ready for PayloadCMS.

Install MongoDB

Install MongoDB as the database for PayloadCMS:

Import MongoDB GPG Key

wget -qO - https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-6.0.asc | sudo apt-key add -
echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 ] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu jammy/mongodb-org/6.0 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-6.0.list

Install MongoDB

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y mongodb-org

Start and Enable MongoDB

sudo systemctl start mongod
sudo systemctl enable mongod
sudo systemctl status mongod

Secure MongoDB (Optional)

mongo
> use admin
> db.createUser({
    user: "admin",
    pwd: "your_strong_password",
    roles: [ { role: "userAdminAnyDatabase", db: "admin" } ]
})
> exit

🔐 Security: For production, enable authentication by editing /etc/mongod.conf and setting security.authorization: enabled

Install Nginx

Install Nginx as a reverse proxy for PayloadCMS:

Install Nginx

sudo apt install nginx -y

Start and Enable Nginx

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl status nginx

Configure Firewall

sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw --force enable

✅ Nginx is installed and will act as a reverse proxy for your PayloadCMS application.

Create PayloadCMS Application

Create a new PayloadCMS application:

Create Application Directory

mkdir -p /var/www/html/your-domain.com
cd /var/www/html/your-domain.com
sudo chown -R payloaduser:payloaduser .

Create PayloadCMS Project

npx create-payload-app@latest .
# Choose the following options:
# - Use TypeScript: Yes
# - Database: MongoDB
# - Template: Blog (or Blank for custom)

Follow the interactive setup prompts:

Project name: Your project name
Use TypeScript: Yes (recommended)
Database adapter: MongoDB
Database URI: mongodb://localhost:27017/your-database-name
Template: Choose based on your needs (Blog, E-commerce, or Blank)

Install Dependencies

cd /var/www/html/your-domain.com
npm install
# or if using Yarn
yarn install

Configure PayloadCMS

Configure PayloadCMS for production deployment:

Create Production Configuration

nano /var/www/html/your-domain.com/.env

Add the following environment variables:

Environment Configuration

# Database
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/your-database-name

# Server Configuration  
PAYLOAD_SECRET=your-very-long-secret-key-here
PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=production

# Domain Configuration
PAYLOAD_PUBLIC_SERVER_URL=https://your-domain.com

# Email Configuration (optional)
# SMTP_HOST=your-smtp-server
# SMTP_PORT=587
# SMTP_USER=your-email
# SMTP_PASS=your-password

# File Storage (optional - for cloud storage)
# AWS_S3_BUCKET=your-bucket
# AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-access-key
# AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret-key

Build Application for Production

cd /var/www/html/your-domain.com
npm run build
# or
yarn build

Test Application

npm run serve
# Visit http://your-server-ip:3000 to test
# Press Ctrl+C to stop

🔑 Security: Generate a secure PAYLOAD_SECRET using: openssl rand -base64 32

Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

Configure Nginx to proxy requests to PayloadCMS:

Create Nginx Configuration

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/your-domain.com

Add the following PayloadCMS-optimized configuration:

Nginx PayloadCMS Configuration

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name your-domain.com www.your-domain.com;

    client_max_body_size 100M;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
        proxy_read_timeout 300s;
        proxy_connect_timeout 75s;
    }

    # Static file serving (if using local file storage)
    location /media/ {
        alias /var/www/html/your-domain.com/media/;
        expires 1y;
        add_header Cache-Control "public, immutable";
    }

    # Security headers
    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
    add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
    add_header Referrer-Policy "no-referrer-when-downgrade" always;
    add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self' http: https: data: blob: 'unsafe-inline'" always;

    # Gzip compression
    gzip on;
    gzip_vary on;
    gzip_min_length 1024;
    gzip_proxied any;
    gzip_comp_level 6;
    gzip_types
        text/plain
        text/css
        text/xml
        text/javascript
        application/json
        application/javascript
        application/xml+rss
        application/atom+xml
        image/svg+xml;
}

Enable Site and Test Configuration

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/your-domain.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Install SSL Certificate

Secure your PayloadCMS site with a free SSL certificate:

Install Certbot

sudo apt install snapd -y
sudo snap install core; sudo snap refresh core
sudo snap install --classic certbot

Create Certbot Symlink

sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot

Obtain SSL Certificate

sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com -d www.your-domain.com

Test SSL Renewal

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

🔒 SSL Active: Your PayloadCMS site is now secured with HTTPS!

Process Management with PM2

Use PM2 to manage the PayloadCMS process in production:

Install PM2 Globally

sudo npm install -g pm2

Create PM2 Ecosystem File

nano /var/www/html/your-domain.com/ecosystem.config.js

PM2 Configuration

module.exports = {
  apps: [
    {
      name: 'payloadcms',
      script: 'dist/server.js',
      cwd: '/var/www/html/your-domain.com',
      instances: 'max',
      exec_mode: 'cluster',
      env: {
        NODE_ENV: 'production',
        PORT: 3000
      },
      error_file: './logs/err.log',
      out_file: './logs/out.log',
      log_file: './logs/combined.log',
      time: true,
      max_memory_restart: '1G'
    }
  ]
};

Create Log Directory and Start Application

cd /var/www/html/your-domain.com
mkdir -p logs
pm2 start ecosystem.config.js
pm2 save
pm2 startup

PM2 Management Commands

# Check status
pm2 status

# View logs
pm2 logs payloadcms

# Restart application
pm2 restart payloadcms

# Stop application
pm2 stop payloadcms

🚀 Production Ready: Your PayloadCMS application is now running in production with PM2!

Security Hardening

Implement additional security measures:

Set Proper File Permissions

cd /var/www/html/your-domain.com
sudo chown -R payloaduser:payloaduser .
chmod -R 755 .
chmod 600 .env

Configure MongoDB Security (if not done)

sudo nano /etc/mongod.conf
# Uncomment and modify:
# security:
#   authorization: enabled

sudo systemctl restart mongod

Install Fail2Ban for SSH Protection

sudo apt install fail2ban -y
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban
sudo systemctl start fail2ban

Hide Nginx Version

sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
# Add to http block:
# server_tokens off;

sudo systemctl reload nginx

🔐 Additional Security: Consider implementing rate limiting, IP whitelisting for admin access, and regular security updates.

Performance Optimization

Optimize your PayloadCMS deployment for better performance:

Configure Node.js Optimization

# Update ecosystem.config.js with optimization flags
nano /var/www/html/your-domain.com/ecosystem.config.js

Optimized PM2 Configuration

module.exports = {
  apps: [
    {
      name: 'payloadcms',
      script: 'dist/server.js',
      cwd: '/var/www/html/your-domain.com',
      instances: 'max',
      exec_mode: 'cluster',
      node_args: '--max-old-space-size=2048',
      env: {
        NODE_ENV: 'production',
        PORT: 3000,
        NODE_OPTIONS: '--max-old-space-size=2048'
      },
      error_file: './logs/err.log',
      out_file: './logs/out.log',
      log_file: './logs/combined.log',
      time: true,
      max_memory_restart: '1G',
      min_uptime: '10s',
      max_restarts: 10
    }
  ]
};

Enable Redis for Caching (Optional)

sudo apt install redis-server -y
sudo systemctl enable redis-server
sudo systemctl start redis-server

# Add to your PayloadCMS config
npm install redis

MongoDB Performance Tuning

# Create indexes for better query performance
mongo your-database-name
> db.users.createIndex({ "email": 1 })
> db.pages.createIndex({ "slug": 1 })
> exit

Restart Services

pm2 restart payloadcms
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Troubleshooting

Next Steps & Recommendations

PayloadCMS Administration

• Access admin panel at: https://your-domain.com/admin
• API endpoints available at: https://your-domain.com/api
• GraphQL playground: https://your-domain.com/graphql
• Configure collections, fields, and relationships
• Set up user roles and access control

Maintenance Tasks

• Regular PayloadCMS and dependency updates
• MongoDB database backups and maintenance
• Monitor application performance and logs
• Security updates and patches
• SSL certificate renewal (automatic with Certbot)

Install PayloadCMS on RamNode VPS

📋 Guide Contents

Why Choose PayloadCMS and RamNode?

PayloadCMS Advantages:

RamNode Benefits:

Prerequisites

Server Requirements

Knowledge Requirements

Initial Server Setup

Install Node.js

Install MongoDB

Install Nginx

Create PayloadCMS Application

Configure PayloadCMS

Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

Install SSL Certificate

Process Management with PM2

Security Hardening

Performance Optimization

Troubleshooting

Next Steps & Recommendations

PayloadCMS Administration

Maintenance Tasks

Further Reading

Install PayloadCMS on RamNode VPS

Why Choose PayloadCMS and RamNode?

PayloadCMS Advantages:

RamNode Benefits:

Prerequisites

Server Requirements

Knowledge Requirements

Initial Server Setup

Install Node.js

Install MongoDB

Install Nginx

Create PayloadCMS Application

Configure PayloadCMS

Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

Install SSL Certificate

Process Management with PM2

Security Hardening

Performance Optimization

Troubleshooting

Application Crashes or Won't Start

Database Connection Issues

Nginx Proxy Issues

Build or Deployment Issues

Next Steps & Recommendations

PayloadCMS Administration

Maintenance Tasks

Further Reading