Live Countdown Timer

A full-stack countdown timer application built with Node.js and Express. It allows users to set a custom date and time, with the countdown updating in real-time. This project is a demonstration of a containerized application deployed on a VM of Microsoft Azure.

Features

• Real-time Countdown: Displays a live countdown to a custom date and time
• Responsive Design: A clean, responsive user interface that works seamlessly on desktop and mobile devices
• Node.js & Express.js Backend: A robust and lightweight server architecture
• Cloud-Ready Deployment: Engineered for seamless deployment to Microsoft Azure

Requirements

• Node.js (v18 or newer)
• npm

Getting Started

Running Locally

1. Clone the repository and install dependencies:

   git clone https://github.com/Amitabha01/Nodejs_in_AZ.git
   cd Nodejs_in_AZ
   npm install

2. Create a .env file with basic settings:

   PORT=3000
   NODE_ENV=development
   STATIC_DIR="./public"

3. Start the server:

   npm start

4. Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser

Using Docker

docker build -t countdown-timer .
docker run -p 8080:8080 countdown-timer

Then visit http://localhost:8080

Project Structure

nodejs_application/
├── public/         # Frontend files (HTML, CSS, JS)
├── server.js       # Node.js server
├── .env            # Environment settings
├── Dockerfile      # For containerization
└── package.json    # Dependencies and scripts

Environment Variables

• PORT: The port number (default: 3000)
• NODE_ENV: "development" or "production"
• STATIC_DIR: Folder for static files (default: "./public")

Azure Deployment

This project includes a step-by-step guide for deploying a Linux virtual machine on Azure and making the application publicly accessible.

Provision a VM on Azure:

1. Create a new Ubuntu Server VM in the Azure Portal.
2. Select an allowed region as specified by your subscription policy (e.g., East Asia, Central India).
3. Use an SSH public/private key pair for secure access.

Connect to the VM:

1. Find the public IP address from the VM's overview page.

2. Use the SSH command to connect, ensuring your private key file has secure permissions (chmod 400 your_key.pem).

   ssh -i /path/to/your_key.pem azureuser@<your_public_ip>

Install Node.js & Dependencies:

1. Remove the default Node.js version to avoid conflicts.

2. Add the official NodeSource repository to install the latest stable version of Node.js.

3. Install the required packages.

   sudo apt remove nodejs npm
   curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
   sudo apt install nodejs

Clone and Run the Application:

1. Clone your repository onto the VM.

2. Navigate to the project directory and install the application dependencies.

   git clone https://github.com/Amitabha01/Nodejs_in_AZ.git
   cd Nodejs_in_AZ
   npm install
   npm start

Configure Network Security:

1. In the Azure Portal, go to the VM's Networking blade.
2. Create an inbound port rule to allow TCP traffic on port 3000.
3. Set the Destination port ranges to 3000 and the Action to Allow.

Access the Live Application:

The application is now accessible at http://<your_public_ip>:3000.

License

MIT

Author

Amitabha - GitHub

Acknowledgements

• Node.js & Express.js for the core backend technology
• Microsoft Azure for a robust cloud computing platform