Today, my objective is to deploy the frontend code to the VPS, allowing everyone to access and debug it, rather than working on it in isolation.

Initially, I utilized the rsync command to transfer the code:

rsync -avz /Users/workmac/documents/work-web-nginx/PTE-Web-Source root@cowpte.com:/home/cowpte/public_html

However, upon attempting to start the program, I encountered an issue: bash: npm: command not found. This arose due to the absence of node and npm on the VPS server running CentOS.

Following the installation of Node.js via yum install nodejs, a new issue emerged – react-scripts not found:

> pte@0.1.0 start
> react-scripts start

node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1031
  throw err;
  ^

Error: Cannot find module '/home/cowpte/public_html/PTE-Web-Source/node_modules/.bin/react-scripts'
    at Function.Module._resolveFilename (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1028:15)
    at Function.Module._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:873:27)
    at Function.executeUserEntryPoint [as runMain] (node:internal/modules/run_main:81:12)
    at node:internal/main/run_main_module:22:47 {
  code: 'MODULE_NOT_FOUND',
  requireStack: []
}

Despite attempts to rectify the issue by reinstalling node_modules, node, and npm, the problem persisted. I even attempted to use nvm to install a specific Node.js version v20.6.1, but compatibility issues with CentOS 7 led to further frustration. I eventually installed nodejs v16, which is compatible.

react-scripts version mismatch

I began to contemplate whether the version of react-scripts in my project was higher than that supported by Node.js v16. To investigate further, I initiated a new project with create-react-app directly on the VPS server. Upon running npm start, the project launched successfully, hinting at a possible compatibility issue between the versions.

Unfortunately, even if npm start functioned properly, the application remained inaccessible.

Try npm run build rather than npm run

As a solution, I opted to try npm run build. Success! I could execute npm run build on my local Mac computer. It’s essential to remember to include "homepage": "./" to avoid a 404 error for manifest.json.

In conclusion, I managed to resolve the issue without downgrading my Mac’s Node.js version or upgrading the VPS OS (CentOS). This outcome translates to cost savings.