Set Up Complete MERN Stack Development Environment on Linux Server

This automated n8n workflow sets up a complete MERN Stack development environment on a Linux server by installing core technologies, development tools, package managers, global npm packages, deployment tools, build tools, and security configurations. It creates a dedicated developer user and configures essential settings for MERN projects.

What is MERN Stack Setup? MERN Stack setup involves installing and configuring Node.js, MongoDB, Express.js, and React, along with additional tools and packages, to create a fully functional development environment for building MERN-based applications on a Linux system.

Good to Know The workflow triggers manually and takes 10-15 minutes to complete A dedicated developer user with proper permissions is created Firewall configuration secures development ports The environment variables template is provided All tools are installed and ready for immediate use

How It Works Set Parameters** - Configures server host, user, password, setup type, Node.js version, MongoDB version, username, and user password System Preparation** - Prepares the system for installation Install Node.js** - Installs Node.js (v20 by default) with npm Install MongoDB** - Installs MongoDB (v7.0 by default) with Compass & Shell Install Git & GitHub CLI** - Installs Git and GitHub CLI Install Development Tools** - Installs VS Code, Docker, Docker Compose, Postman, Nginx, Redis, and PostgreSQL Create Dev User** - Creates a development user account Install Additional Tools** - Installs package managers (npm, Yarn, pnpm), global npm packages, deployment tools, build tools, and security tools Final Configuration** - Configures firewall, SSH keys, and environment variables template Setup Complete** - Marks the completion of the setup process

How to Use Import the workflow into n8n Configure parameters in the Set Parameters node (server_host, server_user, server_password, setup_type, node_version, mongodb_version, username, user_password) Run the workflow SSH into the server as the new developer user Start building MERN applications

Requirements Linux server access with SSH Administrative privileges (root access)

Customizing This Workflow Adjust the setup_type parameter to customize the installation scope Modify node_version or mongodb_version to use different versions Change the username and user_password for the developer account