CTRL backend

CTRL Telegram WebApp backend

Getting Started

You'll need to have the following environment to run this project

• Node.js 20+
• pnpm
• git

You can find more detailed version-constrains for Node.js and pnpm in package.json.

Development

Follow these steps to start developing.

1. Clone this repository

git clone https://github.com/ctrlsa/ctrl-app-backend.git

2. Install app dependencies

pnpm i

3. To start development server run

pnpm run dev

Production (deploy)

We are not using Docker containers or any virtualization yet. The following describes the steps that will allow you to deploy the app on the VPS or a cloud instance.

ℹ️ NOTE: Tested only on Debian

Clone repository on server

git clone https://github.com/ctrlsa/ctrl-app-backend.git

Install dependencies

pnpm i

Domain name

You need a domain name to deploy a Telegram WebApp.
Create a subdomain on one of your existing domain names (e.g. botapi.example.com) or register a new one. Delegate the domain name to your server (VPS or cloud).

Telegram bot

Create a new Telegram bot using BotFather and obtain an API token.

SSL certificate

The app will only work over the HTTPS protocol. You have to use an SSL certificate for Telegram Web Apps.

You can use free Let's Encrypt certificate (recommended) or buy a certificate from one of many authorities/sellers.

Follow the steps below to issue a free SSL certificate via Certbot

⚠️ There is NO need to follow official instructions from Certbot website

1. Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot

2. Make sure that port 80 is available

sudo netstat -tnlp | grep :80

If you see that some service is using port 80, stop it for a while to obtain a certificate

4. Issue a new SSL certificate for your domain name:

sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d botapi.example.com

5. Make sure auto update of your certificate is enabled and working properly

Nginx

CTRL app uses Nginx as a reverse proxy.

Install Nginx on your server if it is not installed:

sudo apt install nginx

Once Nginx has been installed, you need to configure it. We will also use the SSL certificate we generated earlier.

The repository already has a ready-made config that you just need to copy and make the necessary changes:

Copy config file from nginx foder to /etc/nginx/sites-available on your server.

Rename the config file from /etc/nginx/sites-available/config to, for example /etc/nginx/sites-available/botapi.example.com

Edit config and set proper values:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/botapi.example.com

Edit this config file and set proper values:

1. server_name (e.g. botapi.example.com)
2. ssl_certificate and ssl_certificate_key paths (e.g. /etc/letsencrypt/live/botapi.example.com/fullchain.pem)
3. root path under location / (e.g. /home/botapi.example.com/public)

Create a symbolic link to enable our coinfig:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/botapi.example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/botapi.example.com

Restart Nginx:

sudo service nginx restart

Configure backend

Edit config.js and set proper values:

1. BOT_TOKEN (obtained form BotFather)
2. WEBHOOK_HOST - a valid URL (host + optional port, e.g. https://botapi.example.com:8080)

Run app backend

pnpm run start &

Licensing

CTRL backend is licensed under the MIT License