"Lost connection to server, reconnecting in 12s. Try now" node-red error

I'm encountering an issue with Node-RED's UI when accessed through an Apache reverse proxy with SSL/TLS encryption configured. Here's the setup:

Node-RED is running locally on http://localhost:1880.Apache is used as a reverse proxy to forward requests from a public domain (https://iot.example.com) to Node-RED.SSL/TLS encryption is configured in Apache to handle incoming HTTPS requests.The problem arises when accessing Node-RED's UI through the public domain (https://iot.example.com). Although the UI loads initially, it frequently displays a "Lost connection to server, reconnecting" message, followed by attempts to reconnect.

Upon reviewing Apache's error logs regarding the issue, I noted the following logs:

[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.958983 2024] [socache_shmcb:debug] [pid 9299] mod_socache_shmcb.c(508): AH00831: socache_shmcb_store (0x21 -> subcache 1)[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.959094 2024] [socache_shmcb:debug] [pid 9299] mod_socache_shmcb.c(862): AH00847: insert happened at idx=0, data=(0:32)[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.959114 2024] [socache_shmcb:debug] [pid 9299] mod_socache_shmcb.c(865): AH00848: finished insert, subcache: idx_pos/idx_used=0/1, data_pos/data_used=0/212[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.959132 2024] [socache_shmcb:debug] [pid 9299] mod_socache_shmcb.c(530): AH00834: leaving socache_shmcb_store successfully[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.960120 2024] [ssl:debug] [pid 9299] ssl_engine_kernel.c(415): [client 74.12.48.208:2255] AH02034: Initial (No.1) HTTPS request received for child 2 (server iot.example.com:443)[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.960214 2024] [authz_core:debug] [pid 9299] mod_authz_core.c(843): [client 74.12.48.208:2255] AH01628: authorization result: granted (no directives)[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.960309 2024] [proxy:debug] [pid 9299] mod_proxy.c(1503): [client 74.12.48.208:2255] AH01143: Running scheme http handler (attempt 0)[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.960333 2024] [proxy:debug] [pid 9299] proxy_util.c(2531): AH00942: http: has acquired connection for (localhost)[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.960355 2024] [proxy:debug] [pid 9299] proxy_util.c(2587): [client 74.12.48.208:2255] AH00944: connecting http://localhost:1880/comms to localhost:1880[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.960376 2024] [proxy:debug] [pid 9299] proxy_util.c(2810): [client 74.12.48.208:2255] AH00947: connected /comms to localhost:1880[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.960726 2024] [proxy:debug] [pid 9299] proxy_util.c(3111): AH00951: http: backend socket is disconnected.[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.961074 2024] [proxy:debug] [pid 9299] proxy_util.c(3267): (111)Connection refused: AH00957: http: attempt to connect to [::1]:1880 (localhost) failed[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.962089 2024] [proxy:debug] [pid 9299] proxy_util.c(3276): AH02824: http: connection established with 127.0.0.1:1880 (localhost)[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.962192 2024] [proxy:debug] [pid 9299] proxy_util.c(3462): AH00962: http: connection complete to [::1]:1880 (localhost)[Tue Mar 12 01:46:59.965368 2024] [proxy:debug] [pid 9299] proxy_util.c(2546): AH00943: http: has released connection for (localhost)[Tue Mar 12 01:47:00.007071 2024] [ssl:info] [pid 9299] SSL Library Error: error:0A000126:SSL routines::unexpected eof while reading[Tue Mar 12 01:47:00.007147 2024] [ssl:info] [pid 9299] [client 74.12.48.208:2255] AH01998: Connection closed to child 2 with abortive shutdown (server iot.example.com:443)

I've ensured that Node-RED is running and accessible on http://localhost:1880, and the Apache server is properly configured to handle SSL/TLS connections. Additionally, there are no firewall restrictions blocking communication between Apache and Node-RED.

Here is the relevant apache config file using proxy:

<VirtualHost *:443>        ServerName iot.example.com        ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com        DocumentRoot /var/www/html/IoT        SSLProxyEngine On        ProxyPreserveHost On        ProxyRequests Off        ProxyPass /comms wss://localhost:1880/comms/ disablereuse=On        ProxyPass / http://localhost:1880/        ProxyPassReverse /comms wss://localhost:1880/comms/        ProxyPassReverse / http://localhost:1880/        Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=15552000; includeSubDomains"        ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/IoT.log        CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/IoT_access.log combined        SSLEngine on        SSLCertificateFile /root/.acme.sh/iot.example.com_ecc/fullchain.cer        SSLCertificateKeyFile /root/.acme.sh/safwanshaib.com_ecc/iot.example.com.key</VirtualHost>

node-red settings.js file:

module.exports = {    flowFile: 'flows.json',    flowFilePretty: true,    uiPort: process.env.PORT || 1880,    diagnostics: {        enabled: true,        ui: true,    },    runtimeState: {        enabled: false,        ui: false,    },    logging: {        console: {            level: "info",            metrics: false,            audit: false        }    },    exportGlobalContextKeys: false,    externalModules: {    },    editorTheme: {        palette: {        },        projects: {            enabled: false,            workflow: {                mode: "manual"            }        },        codeEditor: {            lib: "monaco",            options: {            }        },        markdownEditor: {            mermaid: {                enabled: true            }        },    },    functionExternalModules: true,    functionTimeout: 0,    functionGlobalContext: {    },    ui: {        httpRoot: '/',        httpAdminRoot: '/',    },    debugMaxLength: 1000,    mqttReconnectTime: 15000,    serialReconnectTime: 15000,}

I tried updating and upgrading sys packages including Node.js with no luck with the connection error.

What could be causing this issue, and how can I troubleshoot and resolve it? Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.