Project Description

Information

This readme is a work in progress. It will be updated as the project progresses.

Project Description

I couldnt find a consolidated place that gave me all the information I needed to to get a Raspberry PI up and running with an Express server. So I decided to make one.

This project will be a step by step guide to getting a Raspberry PI up and running with an Express server including socketio. The eventual goal is to have a Raspberry PI that can be accessed from anywhere in the world and can be used to control gpio pins.

For this project I will be using the following:

Raspberry PI 4 Model B
Express || NPM
Socket.io || NPM
- The idea is to use socket.io to send and receive data from the Raspberry PI to another server. This will allow the client to control the gpio pins on the Raspberry PI. Without having to deal with router port forwarding and other issues that come with trying to access a Raspberry PI from the internet.
PM2
- This is a process manager for Node.js applications. It will allow me to keep the Express server running even if I close the terminal.
Nginx
- Nginx will be used as a reverse proxy to allow for http/https connections.
- Since I plan on using sockets as the main way to communicate with the Raspberry PI, Nginx is mainly for testing purposes and demonstration purposes.
AWS
- I will be using AWS to host an Express and Socketio server. This will allow me to access the Raspberry PI from anywhere in the world.

Pi Setup

Download and install Pi Imager from https://www.raspberrypi.org/software/

Install Raspbian

Insert a micro SD card into your computer.
Open Pi Imager and select Raspbian Pi OS(32-bit) as the operating system, it should be the default.
Click on choose Storage and select the SD card as the target.
Click the settings icon.
- Set hostname to raspberrypi
- Make sure SSH is enabled
  - This will allow you to connect to the Raspberry PI via SSH.
  - Make sure "Use Password Authentication" is enabled.
- Set a username and password.
  - This will be the username and password you use to login to the Raspberry PI.
- Configure the wifi. (Wireless LAN)
  - This will allow you to connect to the Raspberry PI via wifi.
  - SSID: The name of your wifi network.
  - Password: The password for your wifi network.
  - IMPORTANT: Make sure you have the correct wifi country code selected.
    - This can be found in the dropdown menu.
    - If you select the wrong country code you will not be able to connect to the Raspberry PI via wifi.
Click "Write" to write the image to the SD card.
Remove the SD card from your computer and insert it into the Raspberry PI.
Connect the Raspberry PI to power.
Wait for the Raspberry PI to boot up.

Connect to the Raspberry PI via SSH

Using the Hostname you set earlier, you can get the IP address of the pi. This will be used to login via SSH.
Open a terminal and run the following command. This will return the IP address of the Raspberry PI. As long as you are connected to the same network as the Raspberry PI.
- ```
ping -c 1 {{HOSTNAME}}.local | grep -oE "\b([0-9]{1,3}\.){3}[0-9]{1,3}\b" | head -1
```
Open a terminal and run the following command. This will connect you to the Raspberry PI via SSH.
- ```
ssh {{USERNAME}}@{{IP_ADDRESS}}
```
Enter the password you set earlier.
You should now be connected to the Raspberry PI via SSH.
If you have previously connected to the pi, you may need to remove the old key from the known hosts file. This will remove the old key from the known hosts file. After running this command you will need to reconnect to the Raspberry PI via SSH.
- ```
ssh-keygen -R {{IP_ADDRESS}}
```

Update the Raspberry PI and install Node.js

Run the following commands to update the Raspberry PI.
- ```
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
```
Run the following commands to install Node.js and npm.
- ```
sudo apt-get install nodejs
sudo apt-get install npm
```

Update node and npm.

sudo npm cache clean -f
sudo npm install -g n
sudo n stable

Check the version of node and npm.
- ```
node -v
npm -v
```
- The version of node should be 16.15 or higher.
- The version of npm should be 8.15 or higher.
If you arent seeing the correct version of node and npm, restart the Raspberry PI and try again. Run the following command to restart the Raspberry PI. Than reconnect to the Raspberry PI via SSH and try again.
- ```
sudo reboot
```

Install Git and Clone the Project and Install Dependencies

Run the following command to install git.
- ```
sudo apt install git
```
Navigate to the directory you want to clone the project into.
- ```
cd {{DIRECTORY}}
```

Run the following command to clone the project.

git clone https://github.com/widgetdude/node-pi-server.git

Navigate into the project directory.
- ```
cd node-pi-server
```
Run the following command to install the project dependencies.
- ```
npm install
```

Run the server to make sure everything is working

Run the following command to start the server.
- ```
npm start
```
The console should output the following.
- ```
Server running on port 3000
```
Open a browser and navigate to the IP address of the Raspberry PI.
- ```
http://{{IP_ADDRESS}}:3000/api/helloworld
```
You should see the following message.
- ```
{ "message": "Hello World" }
```
Press Ctrl + C to stop the server.

Install PM2 to keep the server running even if you close the terminal and after a reboot

Run the following command to install PM2.
- ```
sudo npm install pm2@latest -g
```
Run the following command to start the server with PM2.
- ```
pm2 start npm --name "node-pi-server" -- start
```
Run the following command to save the process list.
- ```
pm2 save
```
Run the following command to start the process list on boot.
- ```
pm2 startup systemd
```
- It will output a command that you need to run. Copy and paste the command into the terminal and press enter.
- Example:
  - ```
  sudo env PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin /usr/lib/node_modules/pm2/bin/pm2 startup systemd -u {{USERNAME}} --hp /home/{{USERNAME}}
```
Restart the Raspberry PI to make sure everything is working.
- ```
sudo reboot
```
Notice that during reboot process, the server isnt reachable. Open a web browser and navigate to the IP address of the Raspberry PI.
- ```
http://{{IP_ADDRESS}}:3000/api/helloworld
```
You should see that the server is unreachable becuase the server is still starting up.
Wait a about minute for the server to finish rebooting and try again.
Because PM2 is set up, once the reboot is complete, the server should be reachable again.
Open a web browser and navigate to the IP address of the Raspberry PI.
- ```
http://{{IP_ADDRESS}}:3000/api/helloworld
```

Install NGINX as a reverse proxy

NGINX will allow us to not add the port to the URL. It will redirect all traffic from port 80 (standard http) to port 3000.

Run the following command to install NGINX.
- ```
sudo apt install nginx
```
Run the following command to start NGINX.
- ```
sudo systemctl start nginx
```
Run the following command to enable NGINX to start on boot.
- ```
sudo systemctl enable nginx
```
Run the following command to check the status of NGINX.
- ```
sudo systemctl status nginx
```

Configure NGINX

There are several ways to configure NGINX. I prefer to use vscode with the Remote SSH extension. This will allow you to edit the NGINX config file on your local machine.
Open vscode and install the Remote SSH extension.
Open the command palette (default F1) and run the following command.
- ```
Remote-SSH: Connect to Host...
```
Select add new SSH host.
Enter the user name and IP address of the Raspberry PI.
- ```
ssh {{USERNAME}}@{{IP_ADDRESS}}
```
Click connect.
Enter the password for the Raspberry PI.
You should now be connected to the Raspberry PI via SSH.
In VsCode explorer, navigate to the following directory.
- ```
/etc/nginx/sites-available
```
Open the default file. /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
The file by default is locked. Run the following command to unlock the file.
- ```
sudo chmod 777 /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
```

Replace the contents of the file with the following.

server {
    listen 80 default_server;
    listen [::]:80 default_server;

    root /var/www/html;

    index index.html index.htm index.nginx-debian.html;

    server_name _;

    location / {
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        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_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
  }

Save the file.

Lock the file.

sudo chmod 644 /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Restart NGINX.
- ```
sudo systemctl restart nginx
```
Open a web browser and navigate to the IP address of the Raspberry PI.
- ```
http://{{IP_ADDRESS}}/api/helloworld
```
You should see the following message.
- ```
{ "message": "Hello World" }
```
You can now access the server without the port.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 21 Commits
controllers		controllers
routes		routes
services		services
.env.sample		.env.sample
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
app.js		app.js
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
readme.md		readme.md
server.js		server.js

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Project Description

Pi Setup

Install Raspbian

Connect to the Raspberry PI via SSH

Update the Raspberry PI and install Node.js

Install Git and Clone the Project and Install Dependencies

Run the server to make sure everything is working

Install PM2 to keep the server running even if you close the terminal and after a reboot

Install NGINX as a reverse proxy

NGINX will allow us to not add the port to the URL. It will redirect all traffic from port 80 (standard http) to port 3000.

Configure NGINX

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Project Description

Pi Setup

Install Raspbian

Connect to the Raspberry PI via SSH

Update the Raspberry PI and install Node.js

Install Git and Clone the Project and Install Dependencies

Run the server to make sure everything is working

Install PM2 to keep the server running even if you close the terminal and after a reboot

Install NGINX as a reverse proxy

NGINX will allow us to not add the port to the URL. It will redirect all traffic from port 80 (standard http) to port 3000.

Configure NGINX

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