How to Deploy a Production Application: Infrastructure Checklist

Deploying a production application requires more than just copying code to a server. A systematic infrastructure checklist ensures you do not overlook critical components that affect security, reliability, and maintainability.

DNS Configuration

• Point your domain to the server IP address (A record)
• Configure www subdomain (CNAME or A record)
• Set appropriate TTL values (lower for active development, higher for stable production)
• Verify DNS propagation before announcing the launch

TLS/SSL Certificate

• Obtain a TLS certificate (Let's Encrypt for free, automated certificates)
• Configure HTTPS on your web server
• Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
• Set HSTS header for strict transport security
• Verify certificate chain is complete
• Set up automatic certificate renewal

Reverse Proxy

• Configure Nginx as a reverse proxy in front of your application
• Set appropriate proxy headers (X-Real-IP, X-Forwarded-For, X-Forwarded-Proto)
• Configure static file serving directly from Nginx
• Set up rate limiting for API endpoints
• Configure request size limits

Application Process Management

• Configure your application as a systemd service or use a process manager (PM2)
• Set Restart=always for automatic recovery from crashes
• Configure appropriate environment variables
• Set resource limits (file descriptors, memory)
• Verify the application starts correctly after server reboot

Database

• Provision and configure the database server
• Set up database user with appropriate permissions (not root)
• Configure connection pooling for high-traffic applications
• Set up automated backups
• Configure appropriate resource limits (connections, memory)
• Verify database connectivity from the application server

Secrets Management

• Store secrets (API keys, database passwords, JWT secrets) securely
• Do not commit secrets to version control
• Use environment variables or a secrets management tool
• Rotate secrets periodically
• Audit secret access

Firewall

• Configure firewall rules (allow SSH, HTTP, HTTPS; deny everything else)
• Restrict database access to application servers only
• Enable fail2ban for brute-force protection
• Review and test firewall rules

Backups

• Configure automated database backups
• Set up file system backups for application data and configuration
• Store backups offsite (different server or cloud storage)
• Test backup restoration
• Document restoration procedures

Monitoring and Alerting

• Monitor server resources (CPU, RAM, disk, network)
• Monitor application health (response time, error rate)
• Monitor database performance
• Set up alerting for critical thresholds
• Monitor TLS certificate expiry

Logging

• Configure application logging (structured format)
• Set up log rotation
• Centralize logs if running multiple servers
• Define log retention policies

Security Hardening

• Update all packages to latest versions
• Disable root SSH login
• Use SSH key authentication only
• Configure automatic security updates
• Review file permissions on sensitive files

Pre-Launch Verification

• Test the application end-to-end through the production URL
• Verify HTTPS works correctly
• Test all critical user flows
• Verify error pages (404, 500) are handled gracefully
• Check that monitoring and alerting are functioning
• Verify backup processes are running

This checklist covers the essential infrastructure components for a reliable production deployment. Customize it for your specific application requirements.

Conclusion

A production deployment is only as reliable as the weakest component in its infrastructure stack. DNS misconfiguration, missing TLS certificates, absent firewall rules, or untested backups are common sources of post-launch failures that a systematic checklist prevents. Work through each category — networking, security, application management, monitoring, and backups — and verify each item against your specific application before going live.

No infrastructure setup is complete without ongoing maintenance. Schedule regular reviews of firewall rules, TLS certificate expiry, backup integrity, and monitoring alert thresholds. The checklist is not a one-time exercise but a living document that evolves with your application and its infrastructure requirements.