A Hexo blog on a Linux VPS is a static website: you write Markdown and theme files, Hexo turns them into HTML, CSS, JavaScript and assets in a public directory, and NGINX serves those files. The reliable production path is to build the site, publish only public to a versioned directory, point an NGINX server block at it, then use DNS and Certbot to put the domain behind HTTPS.
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What you are building
Hexo is a static-site generator rather than a PHP application or database-backed content management system. Your source project contains Markdown posts, configuration, theme files and package metadata. Running Hexo renders that source into deployable files under public. Visitors never need Node.js, npm or the Hexo source repository; they receive the generated files from NGINX.
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The finished request path looks like this:
- You edit a post in
source/_posts. - Hexo processes the post, theme and
_config.yml. hexo generatewrites the complete site topublic.- You copy that directory to the VPS.
- NGINX maps the domain and request URI to files in the published directory.
- DNS sends the domain to the VPS, and Certbot provisions a TLS certificate for HTTPS.
Because the production server only serves static files, it does not need the Hexo source tree or your editing credentials in its web root. Keep those outside the directory NGINX exposes.
Prerequisites and version choices
You can build on your own computer, on the VPS, or in a CI system. Whichever machine runs Hexo needs Git and a supported Node.js release. Hexo’s current compatibility table lists Node.js 20.19.0 as the minimum for Hexo 8.0 and newer. Hexo recommends using the latest Hexo release and its recommended Node.js version whenever possible.
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| Component | Requirement or role |
|---|---|
| Linux VPS | A server with SSH access, a public IPv4 address, and, if used, a public IPv6 address. Choose resources according to site size, traffic and build dependencies; the documentation does not establish a universal VPS size. |
| Node.js | Node.js 20.19.0 or newer for Hexo 8.0+. Pin the major version used by your project so local and production builds behave consistently. |
| Git | Required by Hexo’s documented setup and useful for versioning source and releases. |
| Domain | A name for which you can create A and, where applicable, AAAA records. |
| NGINX | The web server that reads files from the generated directory and handles HTTP and HTTPS. |
| Certbot | Used with its NGINX integration to request a certificate and edit the NGINX configuration. |
Install Git and Node.js using your Linux distribution’s supported packages or a maintained Node.js version manager. Avoid mixing a system Node.js installation with an unrelated global npm prefix unless you understand which executable and package directory your shell will use.
Install Hexo and create the project
On the machine where you will author and build the site, install the command-line package and create a starter project:
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hexo init blog
cd blog
npm install
hexo new "Hello Hexo"
hexo serverhexo init blog creates the starter project. The project includes _config.yml, package.json, scaffolds, source and themes. The new post is written below source/_posts. By default, hexo server starts a preview server at http://localhost:4000/.
Keep the project in Git from the first change:
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initialize Hexo site"Do not commit private deployment keys, server passwords or tokens. Store those in your operating system’s protected credential mechanism or in your deployment system.
Configure the site before publishing
Open _config.yml and set the values that affect generated URLs and presentation. At minimum, review the site title, subtitle, language, URL, permalink policy, theme and any deployment section supplied by the theme or plugin.
title: Your Gaming Blog
subtitle: Notes, guides and news
url: https://example.com
permalink: :year/:month/:day/:title/
Use the final canonical HTTPS hostname in url. If your public site is only on the apex name, do not generate links that point to an unrelated www hostname; decide the canonical name before publishing and redirect the other name consistently at the web-server layer.
Create a post with:
hexo new "Your First Article"Hexo places a Markdown file in source/_posts. Its front matter controls the title, date, categories, tags and other theme-supported fields. Write the article body below the front matter. Images and other source assets can be kept in the project according to the theme’s documented conventions, then checked in with the post.
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Run a clean local build when an old page, deleted asset or changed theme continues to appear:
hexo clean
hexo generate
hexo serverhexo clean removes generated files and cache data; hexo generate recreates the production tree in public. Inspect the preview at http://localhost:4000/ before transferring anything to the VPS. Check navigation, post URLs, images, feeds, pagination and links from both the home page and a deep article URL.
Choose where the build runs
All approaches produce the same deployable artifact: the contents of public. The differences are operational rather than a change to Hexo itself.
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| Approach | Build location | File transfer | Rollback characteristics | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local build | Your workstation | Git checkout, SSH copy or rsync |
Good when releases are copied into versioned directories | One author or a small site that is edited locally |
| VPS build | A checkout on the server | Pull source, install dependencies and generate on the VPS | Requires careful separation between source and web root | Editors who prefer server-side administration |
| CI build | A controlled build runner | Artifact upload, SSH copy or deployment agent | Strong audit trail when each build has a commit and release directory | Multiple contributors or repeatable automated publishing |
| Hexo deploy plugin | Where the Hexo command runs | Determined by the configured plugin | Depends on the plugin’s destination and rollback facilities | Teams that already maintain a supported deployment plugin |
Hexo also supports hexo deploy -g, which generates the site before invoking a configured deployment plugin. A plugin is optional; NGINX only needs the resulting files.
Publish only the generated files to the VPS
A release-oriented layout keeps source and served content separate. For example, create a directory such as /var/www/hexo/releases/<release-id> for each build and make /var/www/hexo/current point to the selected release. The release identifier can be a Git commit or timestamp. The exact layout is your operational choice, but the web server should never point at the project directory containing package.json, .git or unpublished source.
From the build machine, one simple transfer pattern is:
rsync -az --delete public/ [email protected]:/var/www/hexo/releases/2026-10-15-1200/Use an SSH key restricted to deployment work, and confirm the destination path before using --delete. That option removes files in the destination that no longer exist in the generated site; it is useful for preventing deleted posts or assets from lingering, but a typo in the destination can delete the wrong directory.
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After copying, verify that the destination contains index.html and the expected subdirectories. Change ownership and permissions so the NGINX worker can read files while the deployment account can create new releases. The precise user and group names differ by distribution and by how NGINX was installed, so inspect them instead of assuming a universal value.
Once a release is complete, switch the current symlink atomically to that directory. If a deployment is interrupted, NGINX continues serving the previous complete release rather than a half-copied tree. Keep older releases until you have validated the new one, then remove them according to your storage policy.
Configure NGINX for the Hexo output
NGINX’s root directive defines the filesystem directory used to find a requested file; the request URI is appended to that path. The index directive selects the file returned for a directory request. A minimal HTTP server block is:
server {
listen 80;
listen [::]:80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
root /var/www/hexo/current;
index index.html;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
}
}Replace the hostnames and root with your chosen canonical domain and release path. The try_files rule checks the requested file and directory and returns a 404 when neither exists. It prevents an accidental application fallback from hiding missing static files.
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sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginxRequest the site by hostname, not just by IP address. If another server block answers, check that the requested hostname exactly matches server_name and that the intended configuration is enabled. A 404 normally means the URI-to-file mapping or the configured root is wrong; confirm that the root actually contains index.html and that every parent directory is searchable by the NGINX process.
Point DNS at the VPS
Create an A record for the domain’s IPv4 address. If the VPS has working IPv6 connectivity, create an AAAA record for that address as well. Do not publish an AAAA record that the server or firewall cannot actually serve; clients may prefer IPv6 and appear to fail even while IPv4 works.
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DNS changes become visible according to the registrar and DNS provider’s TTL behavior. Before requesting a certificate, verify that the names resolve to the intended VPS from more than one network and that inbound HTTP traffic can reach port 80. A DNS record pointing at an old server, proxy or private address will cause certificate validation to fail.
Enable HTTPS with Certbot and NGINX
Install Certbot and its NGINX integration using packages appropriate for your Linux distribution. Once the HTTP server block is reachable for both names, request the certificate:
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.comThe NGINX plugin obtains the certificate and can modify the server configuration. Review its proposed redirect policy and choose whether HTTP should permanently redirect to HTTPS. Test the apex and www names separately; a certificate covering only one name does not secure the other.
NGINX’s SSL configuration needs an SSL-enabled listen directive plus certificate and private-key paths. Certbot normally writes these paths for you. The private key must be protected from ordinary users while remaining readable by the NGINX master process. Do not place private keys inside the Hexo project or the publicly served directory.
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- Opening the HTTP URL follows the redirect you selected.
- The HTTPS certificate covers every hostname you publish.
- A deep post URL works over HTTPS, not only the home page.
- Images, stylesheets, feeds and theme scripts load without mixed-content errors.
- The Certbot installation’s documented renewal mechanism runs successfully before the first certificate expires.
Do not describe renewal as working until you have run the installation’s supported renewal test or otherwise observed a successful renewal path on the target VPS.
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For each publishing cycle, edit and review the source, generate a clean build, transfer it as a complete release and then switch NGINX to that release.
- Update the project and commit the source changes in Git.
- Run
hexo cleanandhexo generate. - Preview locally with
hexo serverand test representative article, category and asset URLs. - Copy the new
publicdirectory to a new release path, not directly over the active directory. - Check the copied release for
index.html, expected assets and correct permissions. - Switch
/var/www/hexo/currentto the new release. - Request the site over HTTPS and inspect the NGINX error log if a page fails.
- Retain the previous release until the new one has passed your checks; switch back to it if necessary.
This process makes rollback a path change rather than a second build. If you use an in-place synchronization instead, take a backup or keep a prior artifact so a bad build can be restored.
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Troubleshoot common failures
hexo: command not found
The global npm executable directory may not be on your shell’s PATH. Use the project-local runner instead:
npx hexo generate
npx hexo serverAlternatively, add the npm global bin directory to the account that runs Hexo and open a new shell. Check that node, npm and the Hexo executable resolve to the versions you expect.
EACCES during npm installation
Do not bypass npm permission errors by running the install as root or repeatedly adding sudo. Use a user-owned Node.js installation or correct the ownership and npm prefix for the account that builds the project. A root-owned project often causes a second set of permission failures during later updates.
NGINX returns 404 for the home page
Confirm that the configured root is the generated directory, not the Hexo source directory, and that it contains index.html. Check whether the request is reaching the expected server_name. Then review the try_files rule and NGINX error log for the exact filesystem path it attempted.
The wrong website appears
The hostname may be resolving to a different IP, or another NGINX server block may be handling the request. Verify A and AAAA records, request the site with the intended hostname, and ensure the matching server block is enabled. Testing by IP alone can select a default server and hide a hostname configuration problem.
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Confirm that every requested name resolves to this VPS and that inbound port 80 is reachable from the public internet. ACME HTTP validation needs to reach the server on port 80. Firewalls, an old A or AAAA record, an upstream proxy and an already-running service that occupies the validation port can each prevent issuance.
New content is missing after deployment
Run hexo clean before generating again, inspect the new public tree, and verify that the transfer copied the complete directory. If the page exists on disk but an old version is visible, check browser or proxy caching and confirm that NGINX’s current path points to the new release.
Operational checklist
- Node.js meets the Hexo version’s compatibility requirement on every build machine.
- Git source, package metadata and credentials are outside the NGINX document root.
- The generated
publicdirectory contains the exact files being served. - NGINX uses
index.htmland a deliberate missing-file policy. - File ownership allows NGINX to read while the deployment account can publish.
- DNS A and, if used, AAAA records point to reachable VPS addresses.
- Port 80 is reachable for ACME validation, and HTTPS is tested for every hostname.
- Deployments are identifiable and reversible rather than overwriting the only copy.
- Backups, monitoring and IPv6 support are checked with your VPS provider; none is guaranteed by Hexo, NGINX or Certbot.
With this arrangement, Hexo handles authoring and generation, while the VPS performs a narrow and dependable job: serve the contents of public over NGINX and protect the domain with TLS. Keeping those responsibilities separate makes updates, diagnosis and rollback much simpler than exposing the entire project to the web.
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