291 words

1 minute

Server Setup - From Zero to Production

2024-05-25

Development

Linux

/

Server

/

DevOps

/

Deployment

Server Setup - From Zero to Production#

Setting up a server for the first time can seem scary, but it’s actually pretty straightforward.

Pick a VPS Provider#

Provider	Starting Price	Why I Like It
DigitalOcean	$4/month	Easy, great tutorials
Vultr	$2.50/month	Cheap, many locations
Linode	$5/month	Good performance
Hetzner	€3.79/month	Super cheap, EU

Step 1: First Things First#

Connect to Your Server#

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ssh root@your-server-ip

Update Everything#

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apt update && apt upgrade -y

Create a User (Don’t Use Root!)#

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adduser lukkid
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usermod -aG sudo lukkid
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su - lukkid

Step 2: Lock It Down#

SSH Keys (Way Safer Than Passwords)#

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# On your local machine
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ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "lukkid@server"
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ssh-copy-id lukkid@your-server-ip

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sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

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PasswordAuthentication no
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PermitRootLogin no

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sudo systemctl restart sshd

Firewall Setup#

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sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
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sudo ufw allow 80
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sudo ufw allow 443
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sudo ufw enable

Step 3: Install the Good Stuff#

Node.js#

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curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash
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source ~/.bashrc
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nvm install --lts

Python#

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sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-venv

Nginx#

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sudo apt install nginx
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sudo systemctl enable nginx

Step 4: Deploy Your App#

Get Your Code#

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git clone https://github.com/0x90Vold/my-project.git
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cd my-project
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npm install
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npm run build

Keep It Running with PM2#

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npm install -g pm2
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pm2 start npm --name "my-app" -- start
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pm2 save
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pm2 startup

Step 5: Nginx Config#

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sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/my-app

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server {
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    listen 80;
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    server_name example.com;
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    location / {
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        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
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        proxy_http_version 1.1;
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        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
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        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
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        proxy_set_header Host $host;
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    }
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}

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sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/my-app /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
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sudo nginx -t
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sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 6: Free SSL with Certbot#

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sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
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sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com

Done! Free HTTPS forever.

Useful Commands to Remember#

Check Logs#

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sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log
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pm2 logs
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journalctl -f

Monitor Stuff#

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df -h          # disk space
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free -h        # memory
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htop           # processes
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pm2 monit      # your apps

Update Your App#

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cd ~/my-project
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git pull
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npm install
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npm run build
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pm2 restart my-app

My Server Checklist#

Create non-root user
Setup SSH keys
Disable password auth
Enable firewall
Install Node/Python
Setup Nginx
Get SSL certificate
Setup PM2

From Termux on my phone to managing real production servers.

You can do it too!

Server Setup - From Zero to Production

https://blog.lukkid.dev/posts/server-setup/

Author

LUKKID

Published at

2024-05-25

License

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Welcome to My Blog!

How I Approach Building Projects

1

Server Setup - From Zero to Production

Pick a VPS Provider

Step 1: First Things First

Step 2: Lock It Down

Step 3: Install the Good Stuff

Step 4: Deploy Your App

Step 5: Nginx Config

Step 6: Free SSL with Certbot

Useful Commands to Remember

My Server Checklist

Server Setup - From Zero to Production#

Pick a VPS Provider#

Step 1: First Things First#

Connect to Your Server#

Update Everything#

Create a User (Don’t Use Root!)#

Step 2: Lock It Down#

SSH Keys (Way Safer Than Passwords)#

Disable Password Login#

Firewall Setup#

Step 3: Install the Good Stuff#

Node.js#

Python#

Nginx#

Step 4: Deploy Your App#

Get Your Code#

Keep It Running with PM2#

Step 5: Nginx Config#

Step 6: Free SSL with Certbot#

Useful Commands to Remember#

Check Logs#

Monitor Stuff#

Update Your App#

My Server Checklist#