React VPS HostingYour Front End and API on One Server
A React app is a set of static files and, usually, an API. On a VPS, NGINX serves the build with proper caching and routing while your Node.js, PHP or Python API runs next to it. We set up NGINX with HTTPS and the runtime your API needs.
Full root & SSH NVMe storage Daily backups Anti-DDoS 99.9% uptime SLA 11 locations
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NVMe storage
Static assets served straight from fast disk.
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Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
Your own addresses, anti-DDoS included.
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Root and SSH access
Build tools, Node versions and NGINX config.
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Daily backups
Automatic backup of the previous 24 hours.
Why Host a React App on a VPS
Static hosting services are fine for a front end alone. Once you add an API, a database and background jobs, one server is simpler to run and to pay for.
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Front end and API on one domain
Serve React at / and proxy /api to your back end, so there is no CORS setup and cookies just work.
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Caching under your control
Long cache headers for hashed assets, no-cache for index.html and compression on everything.
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Any back end beside it
Node.js, NestJS, Laravel, Django or FastAPI, with the database on the same server.
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A flat monthly price
No per-seat or bandwidth tiers, with unlimited traffic in Europe and North America.
How a React App Is Served
React is built once into static files; NGINX serves them and passes API calls to your back end.
Request from a browser or app (HTTPS)
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Front end
React build (Vite)
index.html plus hashed JavaScript and CSS from npm run build.
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Web server
NGINX
Serves the build, falls back to index.html for client-side routes and proxies /api.
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API
Your back end
Node.js, PHP or Python on a local port or socket.
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Data
Your database
PostgreSQL, MySQL or MongoDB on localhost.
Worth knowing
- Client-side routing needs try_files $uri /index.html so deep links work on refresh.
- Cache /assets for a year (file names are hashed), but never cache index.html.
- Environment variables in a React build are public: keep secrets in the API.
- Need server-side rendering for SEO? Next.js runs as a Node server on the same kind of VPS.
What You Can Run
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Single-page applications
Dashboards and tools built with React Router or TanStack Router.
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Admin panels
React Admin or Refine front ends over your API.
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Front ends for headless back ends
React on top of Strapi, Directus or your own API.
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Several front ends
Customer app, admin and marketing site on separate domains.
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Staging copies
A build per branch on its own subdomain.
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Static marketing sites
React-based sites built with Vite or Astro.
VPS Plans for React Apps
Serving a React build takes very little; the plan is about your API, database and builds. VPS-1 suits most apps, VPS-2 if you build on the server and run a database.
VPS-1
Small websites, APIs, bots and development servers.
- 2 vCores
- 4 GB RAM
- 40 GB NVMe
- 500 Mbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-2
Production apps, WordPress and online stores.
- 4 vCores
- 8 GB RAM
- 75 GB NVMe
- 1 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-3
Busy stores, SaaS products and several projects.
- 6 vCores
- 12 GB RAM
- 100 GB NVMe
- 2 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-4
High-traffic apps, large databases and agencies.
- 8 vCores
- 24 GB RAM
- 200 GB NVMe
- 3 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
* Unlimited traffic in Europe and North America. In Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney a monthly allowance applies (VPS-1 500 GB, VPS-2/VPS-3 1 TB, VPS-4 3 TB), then speed is limited to 10 Mbps until the next month.
Which Plan for Your React Project
NGINX serves static files with almost no CPU. Size for the API and database behind it, and for builds if they run on the server.
| Workload | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| React front end only, built in CI | VPS-1 2 vCores · 4 GB RAM | Plenty for NGINX and several sites. |
| React plus an API and a database | VPS-2 4 vCores · 8 GB RAM | 8 GB for the API, database and builds. |
| Busy app with background jobs | VPS-3 6 vCores · 12 GB RAM | More vCores for the API and workers. |
| Several apps and environments | VPS-4 8 vCores · 24 GB RAM | Staging and production side by side. |
A starting point, not a limit: every plan upgrades in place, keeping your data, IP address and configuration.
Static Hosting Service or a VPS for React?
A static host serves the front end from a CDN. A VPS serves it next to the API and database it talks to.
| Feature | Static hosting service | React VPS |
|---|---|---|
| Front end | CDN-hosted build | NGINX on your server |
| API and database | Separate services | Same server |
| Pricing | Free tiers, then usage-based | Flat monthly plan |
| Global CDN | Built in | Add one if you need it |
| Preview deployments | Built in | Your own setup |
| Server administration | Handled by the provider | Yours, after our free setup |
| See Plans |
Deploying a React Build
Build locally or in CI, copy the output to the server and NGINX serves it.
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Build
On your machine or in CI.
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Upload the build
rsync replaces the old build in one step.
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Check the routing rule
The server block falls back to index.html for client-side routes.
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Reload NGINX
Only needed when the config changes.
# 1. Build
npm ci && npm run build
# 2. Upload the build
rsync -az --delete dist/ deploy@your-vps:/var/www/app/
# 3. Check the routing rule
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/app.example.com
# 4. Reload NGINX
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx
Example commands; adjust names, paths and versions to your project. Deploying and maintaining your application is yours to do (or ask us for a quote).
Installed and Secured Before You Log In
The VPS is unmanaged: after handover the server is yours to run. Before that, our engineers do the first setup once, free, so you start from a hardened server with React in place.
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Choose a plan and location
Pick the resources you need and the datacentre closest to your users.
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Tell us your React setup
Versions, database and domain: at order or right after.
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We install and secure it
Server hardened, React installed and tested, HTTPS on your domain.
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You take over with root
SSH access to a working server, ready for your code and data.
Your React setup
- NGINX with HTTPS for your domain
- A server block with client-side routing and asset caching
- Node.js LTS for builds and Node APIs
- Your API runtime and database, if you choose them at order
- HTTP to HTTPS redirects and compression
Yours to run after handover
- Ongoing server administration
- Application maintenance and updates
- Debugging your code
- Migrating existing sites or data
Not included in the free setup, but we can quote for it. No control panel by default: CloudPanel, HestiaCP or Virtualmin on request at no cost; cPanel and Plesk need their own licence.
Platform Specs and Locations
The same KVM platform on every plan; only the CPU, RAM, storage and port speed change.
| Virtualisation | KVM with reserved vCores and RAM |
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| Storage | NVMe SSD on every plan |
| Network | Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6, 500 Mbps to 3 Gbps per plan |
| Operating systems | Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04 LTS · Debian 13, 12 and 11 · AlmaLinux · Rocky Linux · Fedora · FreeBSD |
| Access | Full root over SSH, key-based login |
| Backups | Automatic daily backup of the previous 24 hours; snapshots and longer retention on request |
| Protection | Always-on anti-DDoS mitigation |
| Availability | 99.9% uptime SLA |
Secured before we hand it over
- Non-root sudo user created for daily work
- SSH key login, password login for root disabled
- Firewall (UFW) open only for the ports you use
- Fail2ban blocking repeated login attempts
- Automatic security updates enabled
- Free Let's Encrypt SSL on your domain
- Timezone, swap and hostname configured
Asia-Pacific
- Mumbai
- Singapore
- Sydney
Europe
- London
- Limburg
- Roubaix
- Gravelines
- Strasbourg
- Milan
- Warsaw
North America
- Beauharnois
Availability per location changes with demand; we confirm your location before setup. In Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney each plan includes a monthly traffic allowance (VPS-1 500 GB, VPS-2 and VPS-3 1 TB, VPS-4 3 TB); beyond it, speed is limited to 10 Mbps until the next month.
Who a React VPS Suits
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Front-end developers with an API
You want the React app and its back end deployed together.
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Product teams
One server for the app, the API and the admin panel.
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Agencies
Client front ends on separate domains, on one server.
Security and Performance for React Apps
Security
- Treat everything in the bundle as public: no API keys in front-end code.
- Set security headers in NGINX: Content-Security-Policy, HSTS and X-Content-Type-Options.
- Authorise every request in the API, never only in React.
- Keep build dependencies updated with npm audit.
Performance
- Long cache headers on hashed assets, no-cache on index.html.
- gzip text assets in NGINX.
- Code-split routes with lazy loading.
- Serve images in modern formats at the size they are shown.
Questions Before You Deploy
Not covered here? Ask an engineer before you order.
Host Your React App and API Together
Choose a plan and tell us your back end. We hand over NGINX with HTTPS and your runtime ready.