How to Set Up AccessNode

1. Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

• Node.js version 18 or later (download)
• npm (comes with Node.js)
• Git installed on your machine (download)
• A Google Cloud Platform account (for VPS deployment)
• A domain name pointing to your server (optional, but recommended for HTTPS)

2. Local Setup

Get AccessNode running on your local machine first to verify everything works.

Step 1: Clone or Download

git clone https://github.com/your-username/accessnode.git
cd accessnode

If you don't have the repository, download and extract the project files into a folder called accessnode.

Step 2: Install Dependencies

npm install

This installs all required packages: Express, SQLite, bcrypt, JWT, and more. It may take 30-60 seconds.

Step 3: Configure Environment

Copy the example environment file and edit it with your settings:

cp .env.example .env

Open .env in your editor and change the values:

PORT=3000
JWT_SECRET=generate-a-random-string-here-at-least-32-chars
SESSION_EXPIRY=24h

Step 4: Start the Server

npm start

You should see AccessNode running at http://localhost:3000. Open this URL in your browser. The SQLite database (accessnode.db) is created automatically on first run.

3. Create a Google Cloud VM

Deploy AccessNode on a Google Cloud VPS for 24/7 availability.

Step 1: Create a VM Instance

Step 2: Open Port 3000 in Firewall

AccessNode runs on port 3000 by default. Create a firewall rule to allow traffic:

Step 3: Reserve a Static External IP

Prevent your IP from changing on VM restart:

• Go to VPC Network → External IP addresses
• Find the ephemeral IP assigned to your VM, change type to Static
• Give it a name like accessnode-ip

4. Server Setup

SSH into your VM and install the required software.

Step 1: Connect via SSH

gcloud compute ssh accessnode-server

Or use the SSH button in the Google Cloud Console next to your VM instance.

Step 2: Install Node.js

# Add NodeSource repository
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -

# Install Node.js and npm
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Verify installation
node --version
npm --version

Step 3: Install Git (if not present)

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y git

Step 4: Clone and Set Up AccessNode

cd /opt
sudo git clone https://github.com/your-username/accessnode.git
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /opt/accessnode
cd /opt/accessnode
npm install

If you're uploading files directly instead of using git, use scp or the Google Cloud Console file upload.

Step 5: Configure Environment Variables

cp .env.example .env
nano .env

Generate a secure JWT_SECRET and update the .env file:

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

Copy the output and paste it into your .env as the JWT_SECRET.

Step 6: Test the Server

node server.js

You should see AccessNode running at http://localhost:3000. Press Ctrl+C to stop it after confirming it works.

Test from your browser at http://YOUR_VM_IP:3000. You should see the landing page.

5. Nginx Reverse Proxy

A reverse proxy lets you serve AccessNode on standard ports (80/443) and adds a layer of security.

Step 1: Install Nginx

sudo apt-get install -y nginx

Step 2: Create Nginx Configuration

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/accessnode

Paste the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    client_max_body_size 10m;

    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;
    }
}

Replace your-domain.com with your actual domain or VM IP address.

Step 3: Enable the Site and Restart Nginx

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/accessnode /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default  # Remove default site
sudo nginx -t                              # Test configuration
sudo systemctl reload nginx               # Apply changes

Now you can access AccessNode at http://your-domain.com or http://YOUR_VM_IP without specifying a port.

6. SSL with Let's Encrypt

Enable HTTPS for secure, encrypted connections to your password manager.

Step 1: Install Certbot

sudo apt-get install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Step 2: Obtain and Install Certificate

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

Follow the prompts. Certbot will automatically update your Nginx config to use HTTPS and set up auto-renewal.

Step 3: Verify Auto-Renewal

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

If this succeeds, your certificates will auto-renew before expiry. Certbot adds a cron job for this automatically.

Step 4: Update Environment for HTTPS

After enabling SSL, update your .env to set the app URL so cookies and redirects use HTTPS:

NODE_ENV=production

7. Process Management with PM2

PM2 keeps AccessNode running 24/7, auto-restarts on crashes, and starts on system boot.

Step 1: Install PM2 Globally

sudo npm install -g pm2

Step 2: Start AccessNode with PM2

cd /opt/accessnode
pm2 start server.js --name accessnode
pm2 save

Step 3: Enable Startup on Boot

pm2 startup systemd

PM2 will output a command to run as sudo. Copy and paste that command to enable auto-start on system boot.

Useful PM2 Commands

pm2 status              # View running processes
pm2 logs accessnode      # View application logs
pm2 restart accessnode   # Restart the app
pm2 stop accessnode      # Stop the app
pm2 delete accessnode    # Remove from PM2
pm2 monit                # Real-time monitoring dashboard

8. Updating AccessNode

When new versions are released, update your deployment:

cd /opt/accessnode
git pull origin main
npm install              # Install any new dependencies
pm2 restart accessnode   # Restart with the new code

Backup Strategy

Set up a daily cron job to back up your encrypted database to Google Cloud Storage or another location:

# Daily backup at 2 AM
0 2 * * * cp /opt/accessnode/accessnode.db /opt/backups/accessnode-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).db

9. Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

# Find what's using the port
sudo lsof -i :3000

# Kill the process
sudo kill -9 <PID>

# Or use a different port in .env
PORT=3001

Can't Access from Browser

• Verify the server is running: pm2 status
• Check firewall rules in Google Cloud Console → VPC Network → Firewall
• Verify Nginx is running: sudo systemctl status nginx
• Check Nginx error logs: sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

Database Corruption

If the SQLite database gets corrupted, restore from a backup:

pm2 stop accessnode
cp accessnode.db.backup accessnode.db
pm2 start accessnode

SSL Certificate Expired

sudo certbot renew
sudo systemctl reload nginx

App Crashes on Start

• Check PM2 logs: pm2 logs accessnode --lines 50
• Verify Node.js version is 18+: node --version
• Reinstall dependencies: rm -rf node_modules && npm install
• Check disk space: df -h

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