Your own Virtual Private Server hosting solution

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is the next level up from shared hosting. Due to the explosive progress in cloud computing now everybody can afford a virtual private server.

Compared to a conventional cloud hosting solution with VPS you’ll gain full control of your data. With VPS you are responsible that your data is secured, available and always backed up.

There are many hosters which offer a VPS soution. However the bigger the company in this business the cheaper is their VPS service.

Just to name some of them:

• Amazon AWS EC2
• Rackspace Cloud Servers
• Windows Azure

With this project I want to show how easy it is to set up a Virtual Private Server hosting solution.

Divided in different posts I’m going to install a secure and reliable Ubuntu server. Equipped with different service such as a WordPress website, Node.js installation or a Nginx SSL secured proxy website.

Requirements

Your server must…

• ...be secured with a dedicated firewall, that only allows http, https and ssh.
• ...being accessed with ssh keys.

You have to be able …

• ...to use the linux/unix command line.
• ...to edit files with VI

Modules

The installation of the VPS is built up according to a modular system. Every module corresponds to a blog post with their own requirements (mostly other modules) and installation instructions.

Basic

Server installation

• Ubuntu server
• Update Ubuntu Server
• SSH and network hardening

Development libaries

• build-essential, libcurl4-gnutls-dev, libgeoip-dev, libopenssl-ruby, libxml2, libxml2-dev, libxslt1-dev, ruby-dev

Essential programs

• dnsmasq, duplicity, Git, GnuPG, NcFTP, rng-tools, unzip
• Python

Nginx

• Nginx
• Nginx minimal website
• Redirected subdomains to domain

PHP

• php5-fpm
• Nginx php5-fpm website
• php5-curl, php5-dev, php5-geoip, php5-mcrypt, php5-mysql
• Increase Max Upload for php5-fpm website

Advanced

HHVM

• HHVM

SSL

• Get a free verified SSL certificate from StartSSL
• Convert SSL certificates
• Nginx SSL website
• Install Let’s Encrypt and create a free SSL certificate
• Configure Let’s Encrypt auto renewal for certificates

Node.js

• Node.js
• npm package forever
• Node.js Nginx proxy website

Ruby

• Ruby and RubyGems with RVM

Postfix

• Postfix with mail forwarding

MySQL

• MySQL
• automysqlbackup

Expert

Encryption

• GPG Keys

Services

• phpMyAdmin website
• QR Code service

WordPress

• WordPress website
• Migrated WordPress website
• WPScan

Piwik

• Piwik website
• Piwik geolocation support with GeoIP PECL
• Migrate Piwik website

LimeSurvey

• LimeSurvey webapp
• Piwik for LimeSurvey

Koken

• Koken website

Master of Ubuntu

Amazon Web Services

• s3cmd
• Unattended Encrypted Incremental Backup to Amazon S3

Useful lists

Here you’ll find articles about recommanded additions for your installation:

• Backup server installations
• Useful command aliases

Package sources

This is a list of documented packages and their sources. This list intends to show which sources have to be maintained to update an installation.

automysqlbackup Download with wget from Official AutoMySQLBackup SourceForge website.

duplicity-backup Clone with Git from Official duplicity-backup GitHub repository.

HHVM Install with aptitude from Official HHVM package repository.

Koken Download with wget from Official Koken website.

LimeSurvey Download with wget from Official LimeSurvey website.

MySQL Install with aptitude from Official Ubuntu package repository.

Nginx Install with aptitude from Official Nginx package repository.

Node.js Download with wget from Official Node.js website and compile with built-in tools. Clone with Git from Official Node.js GitHub repository and compile with built-in tools.

php5-fpm, php5 modules Install with aptitude from Official Ubuntu package repository and compile with built-in tools.

phpMyAdmin Install with aptitude from Official Ubuntu package repository.

Piwik Download with wget from Official Piwik website.

Piwik for LimeSurvey Clone with Git from Official Piwik-for-LimeSurvey GitHub repository.

Postfix Install with aptitude from Official Ubuntu package repository.

QR code service Clone with Git from Official QR code service GitHub repository.

Ruby Install with RVM.

RubyGem Install with RVM.

RVM Install with script from Official RVM website.

Ubuntu OS, libraries and programs Install with aptitude from Official Ubuntu package repository.

WordPress Download with wget from Official WordPress website.

WPScan Clone with Git from Official WPScan GitHub repository.