Mastering Nextjs Deployment with CI/CD Automation

In this lecture, you will learn how to create an AWS (Amazon Web Services) account step by step using the AWS Management Console.

This session is designed for beginners new to AWS who want to get started with cloud computing. You will see the complete AWS sign-up process explained in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

What you will learn in this lecture:

• How to access the AWS Management Console

• How to create a new AWS account

• Choosing between the Free Plan and Paid Plan

• How to log in to the AWS Management Console after account creation

We will also discuss AWS Free Tier benefits, including the $200 free credits valid for 6 months, and how AWS billing works on a pay-as-you-go model.

By the end of this lecture, you will have:

• A successfully created AWS account

• Access to the AWS Management Console

• The confidence to move forward with AWS services in the upcoming lectures

This lecture is a foundation step for all future AWS learning, so make sure to follow along carefully.

In this lecture, learners will gain hands-on experience with Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), a core service of Amazon Web Services (AWS).

I will then walk through the complete process of launching an EC2 instance by selecting an Ubuntu Amazon Machine Image (AMI), configuring basic instance settings, and securely generating a key pair (.pem file) for authentication.

Next, learners will connect to the running EC2 instance using its public IP address and the generated .pem key via SSH, gaining practical experience with remote server access. The session also demonstrates how to safely disconnect from the EC2 instance using the exit command.

Finally, the lecture includes a real-world example of connecting to the EC2 instance using an SSH client, reinforcing the concepts through practical demonstration.

By the end of this lecture, students will be able to confidently launch, access, and manage a basic EC2 instance in AWS, forming a strong foundation for further cloud and DevOps learning.

This article provides a step-by-step guide to launching and connecting to an Amazon EC2 instance in AWS. It covers the complete process, from creating an EC2 instance to securely connecting to it, making it ideal for beginners who want hands-on experience with cloud computing.

In this lecture, you will learn how AWS Security Groups work and how they control network traffic for your EC2 instances.

We’ll start by exploring the Security Group attached to an EC2 instance and understanding its two core components: Inbound rules and Outbound rules. You’ll learn how inbound rules determine which incoming connections are allowed, and how outbound rules control traffic leaving the instance.

Through a hands-on demonstration, you’ll see how allowing or removing SSH access on port 22 directly affects your ability to connect to an EC2 instance. We’ll intentionally remove the SSH rule to observe the connection failure, then add it back to restore access—helping you clearly understand how Security Groups act as a virtual firewall in AWS.

By the end of this lecture, you will be able to:

• Understand the purpose of AWS Security Groups.

• Differentiate between inbound and outbound rules.

• Configure SSH access securely using port 22

This lecture lays a critical foundation for securing cloud-based applications and infrastructure on AWS.

In this lecture, you’ll learn how AWS Security Groups work and why they are a critical part of securing your cloud infrastructure. We’ll break down the concept step by step, starting with the basics and moving to practical, real-world use.

You’ll understand what Security Groups are, how they act as virtual firewalls for your AWS resources, and how to configure inbound and outbound rules to control traffic.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to confidently create, modify, and apply Security Groups to services like EC2 instances, ensuring your applications are both accessible and secure.

In this lecture, you’ll learn how to properly create and use an AWS Security Group before launching an EC2 instance, following AWS's recommended best practices.

Instead of modifying a Security Group after an EC2 instance is already running, we’ll take the correct approach: create the Security Group first and attach it during instance launch. This ensures better security, cleaner architecture, and a more professional deployment workflow.

You’ll walk through the complete process step by step, including:

• Creating a Security Group from scratch

• Configuring inbound and outbound rules

• Terminating an existing EC2 instance

• Launching a new EC2 instance using an existing Security Group

• Connecting to the new EC2 instance via SSH

By the end of this lecture, you’ll understand why creating Security Groups first is important and how to apply this approach in real-world AWS projects.

This lecture is an essential step toward building secure and production-ready AWS deployments.

In this lecture, I will update and upgrade the EC2 instance to ensure it is up to date. You will then install essential packages, including Node.js and Git, to prepare the environment for deployment.

In this lecture, you will learn to generate and configure SSH keys inside an AWS EC2 instance for secure GitHub authentication. We will cover why SSH is essential for working on cloud-based servers and how it enables secure, passwordless Git operations.

The session guides you through generating an SSH key pair on the EC2 instance, adding the public key to GitHub, configuring SSH access, and verifying the connection. By the end, you will be able to securely clone, push, and pull GitHub repositories from an EC2 instance as part of a cloud development workflow.

In this lecture, we will clone a GitHub project to the EC2 instance using an SSH link. You’ll see how to securely download the project source code from GitHub using SSH, preparing it for deployment.

In this lecture, we will run the project. You’ll learn how to install the required dependencies, start the application, and verify that everything is working correctly on your EC2 Instance.

By the end of this lecture, you’ll start the project and get it up and running, ready to move on to the next steps.

In this lecture, you’ll learn how to run your project using PM2, a popular production process manager for Node.js applications. We’ll cover how to start your app with PM2, keep it running in the background, and manage processes efficiently. By the end of this lecture, you’ll be able to confidently run your project using PM2 in a real-world environment.

In this lecture, we will install the Nginx web server on an EC2 instance. You’ll learn how to install Nginx using the package manager, start the service, and verify that the installation was successful.

In this lecture, you’ll learn how to configure NGINX as a reverse proxy for a Nextjs application. We’ll explore how NGINX routes incoming requests to a Nextjs server, efficiently manages traffic, and improves application performance. You’ll also set up basic NGINX server blocks, configure ports, and run a Nextjs app behind NGINX in a production-style setup.

In this lecture, we will test the Nginx configuration file we created in the previous lesson to ensure it is working correctly. You’ll learn how to check the configuration for errors, verify that Nginx loads the new settings properly, and confirm that the server is running as expected. This step ensures your configuration is valid before moving forward.

In this lecture, we will configure the security group to allow the required traffic and then test our Nginx configuration to ensure everything is working properly. You’ll learn how to open the necessary ports, verify network access, and check that Nginx is running and serving requests as expected. By the end of this lesson, you’ll have a secure setup and a fully functional Nginx server.

In this lecture, you’ll learn how to purchase a domain name for your application. We’ll walk through the process of choosing the right domain name, checking availability, selecting a domain registrar, and completing the purchase securely.

This lecture is perfect for beginners starting a website and seeking a clear, practical guide to purchasing a domain.

In this lecture, you’ll learn how to point a custom domain name to an Amazon EC2 instance. We’ll walk through the complete process of connecting your domain to a live server hosted on AWS, including configuring public IP addresses, updating DNS records, and verifying the connection.

By the end of this session, you’ll understand how domain resolution works, how to configure A records properly, and how to make your web application accessible through your own domain name instead of a raw IP address. This is a crucial step in deploying real-world cloud-based applications.

In this lecture, we will configure a domain name in Nginx for a server that is already running and accessible via IP address.

You’ll learn how to update the server_name directive and reload Nginx to apply the changes.

By the end of this lecture, your website will be accessible via your domain name instead of the server’s IP address, preparing your application for a more professional, production-ready setup.

In this lecture, we will verify our Nginx domain name configuration by accessing the application using a custom domain instead of the server’s public IP address.

You will learn how domain-based routing works in Nginx and how DNS resolution allows users to reach your application through a human-readable domain name. We will test the configuration in the browser and ensure that our server block is correctly handling incoming requests.

By the end of this lecture, you will be able to confidently access and validate your web application using a domain name in a real-world setup.

In this lecture, you will learn how to secure your web application with a free SSL certificate using Let’s Encrypt and Certbot. We will go step by step through the process of installing Certbot along with the python3-certbot-nginx plugin and configuring SSL on an Nginx server.

You will see how to generate and install the SSL certificate, automatically configure Nginx to enable HTTPS, redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS, and verify that the certificate is working properly.

By the end of this lecture, your web application will be fully secured with HTTPS, enhancing both security and user trust.

In this lecture, we will configure our AWS Security Group to allow HTTPS traffic by opening port 443.

Even after you install an SSL certificate, you cannot access your application over HTTPS unless you configure the correct inbound rules. In this lecture, you will edit the Security Group, add an HTTPS rule, and ensure secure traffic reaches your server.

By the end of this lecture, you will configure your server to accept secure HTTPS connections, completing an essential step in deploying a production-ready application.

In this lecture, we’ll test and verify that our SSL certificate has been installed correctly and that HTTPS is working as expected.

After installing a free SSL certificate, it’s important to confirm that the secure connection is properly configured. We’ll check the application in the browser, verify the security lock icon, inspect certificate details, and ensure traffic is being served over HTTPS without warnings.

By the end, you’ll know how to confirm your website is secure and your SSL setup works in production.

In this lecture, you will learn how to automatically renew an SSL certificate and safely test the renewal process using a dry run. SSL certificates are essential for securing websites and maintaining user trust, and services like Let’s Encrypt typically issue certificates that expire every 90 days. Because of this short validity period, setting up and verifying automatic renewal is critical to avoid downtime, browser security warnings, and potential traffic loss.

You will use Certbot to simulate the renewal process with the dry-run option and confirm that you have configured everything correctly without affecting your active certificate.

By the end of this lecture, you will understand how SSL auto-renewal works and how to confidently test it in a production environment to keep your website secure and uninterrupted.

In this lecture, we will learn how to redeploy our application after making source code changes.

You’ll see the complete workflow of updating a live project, including pulling the latest code from the repository and deploying it to the server.

By the end of this lesson, you will understand how to safely update your application without affecting your live environment and ensure your latest changes are reflected in production.

In this lecture, we will introduce one of the most important concepts in modern web deployment — CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment).

You will learn:

• What CI/CD actually means

• Why CI/CD is important in real-world projects

• How it helps automate your deployment process

• Different CI/CD tools are available in the industry.

• Why are we using GitHub Actions in this course

• What happens behind the scenes when you push code to a branch

By the end of this lecture, you will clearly understand how automated deployment works and how GitHub Actions can simplify your workflow.

In this lecture, you will learn how to configure a complete CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions to automate your build, test, and deployment workflow.

We will start by understanding the structure of a GitHub Actions workflow file and then create a fully functional pipeline from scratch. You’ll learn how to define jobs, configure runners, manage environment variables, use secrets securely, and trigger workflows based on different GitHub events.

By the end of this lecture, you will be able to:

• Create and structure a GitHub Actions workflow file.

• Automate code build and testing processes

• Configure environment variables and repository secrets

• Set up deployment steps.

• Debug and monitor workflow runs.

This hands-on session will give you practical experience in setting up a real-world CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions.

This lecture focuses on verifying that the GitHub CI/CD pipeline is functioning correctly after its configuration is complete. The goal is to ensure that whenever code is pushed to the main branch, the workflow triggers automatically and runs successfully from start to finish.

What We Will Test in This Lecture

In this session, we will test:

• Verification that the CI/CD workflow is automatically triggered upon a push to the main branch

• Confirmation that the build process completes successfully

• Validation that all configured steps (install, build, etc.) execute without errors

• Verification that the deployment stage completes successfully

• Confirmation that the production environment reflects the latest pushed changes

By the end of this lecture, we will confirm that the CI/CD pipeline is functioning properly and ready for reliable production deployments.

This lecture focuses on verifying that the GitHub CI/CD pipeline is functioning correctly after its configuration is complete. The goal is to ensure that whenever code is pushed to the staging branch, the workflow triggers automatically and runs successfully from start to finish.

What We Will Test in This Lecture

In this session, we will test:

• Verification that the CI/CD workflow is automatically triggered upon a push to the staging branch

• Confirmation that the build process completes successfully

• Validation that all configured steps (install, build, etc.) execute without errors

• Verification that the deployment stage completes successfully

• Confirmation that the production environment reflects the latest pushed changes

By the end of this lecture, we will confirm that the CI/CD pipeline is functioning properly and ready for reliable production deployments.

In this lecture, we’ll understand how CI/CD pipelines are structured in real-world projects using separate production and staging servers.

You’ll learn why professional projects never deploy changes directly to production and how staging environments help teams test and verify features before going live.

We’ll discuss:

• The purpose of staging and production servers

• Why are multiple environments (dev, testing, staging, production) used

• How branch-based deployment works

• How GitHub Secrets store different environment variables like PROD_HOST, STAGING_HOST, PROD_KEY, and STAGING_KEY

• How does pushing to different branches trigger deployment to different EC2 instances

By the end of this lecture, you’ll clearly understand how multi-environment CI/CD works in practical, production-level projects.

Congratulations — you’ve officially deployed a real production application.

In this final lecture, we reflect on everything you’ve accomplished: understanding how servers work, mastering the request lifecycle, deploying to AWS EC2, configuring Nginx as a reverse proxy, managing processes with PM2, connecting domains, securing applications with SSL, and automating deployments using GitHub Actions CI/CD.

Isn’t that real-world engineering, not beginner knowledge?

But deployment is just the beginning.

In this closing session, we explore what comes next in your journey as a backend or DevOps engineer. You’ll discover how to move beyond a single server and start building scalable, production-grade systems using:

• Load Balancers (ALB)

• Auto Scaling Groups

• S3 for storage

• RDS for managed databases

• Elastic Beanstalk

• ECS & Kubernetes

We also introduce the importance of Docker and containerization. Docker is a tool that allows you to create containers—lightweight, portable packages that include your app and everything it needs to run. This makes deployments simpler and prepares you for using container orchestration tools like Kubernetes.

Security becomes critical once your app is public. You’ll learn about important topics such as firewall hardening (strengthening your server defenses), SSH best practices (safe remote access methods), environment security (protecting settings and secret keys), rate limiting (controlling request frequency), DDoS fundamentals (understanding distributed denial-of-service attacks), Fail2ban (blocking suspicious logins), and IAM best practices (controlling who can access resources).

Then we shift to professional monitoring and optimization:

• CloudWatch & PM2 monitoring

• Log management

• Error tracking (like Sentry)

• Uptime monitoring

• Caching, Redis, CDN

• Database indexing

• Nginx performance tuning

Because real engineers don’t just deploy — they observe, optimize, and improve.

Is this lecture truly the end of your journey?
Or is it actually the beginning of responsibility?

You’re no longer just building projects.
You’re shipping real systems.

Keep building.
Keep deploying.
Keep improving.

See you next time.