Modern Low-Cost Infrastructure Project for Beginners

Overall Goal

Set up a personal website on a virtual machine that follows modern best practices while minimizing costs.

Required Resources

A low-cost virtual machine (VM) from a provider like DigitalOcean, Linode, or Hetzner (~$5/month)
A domain name (can be as low as $1-2/year for some TLDs, or free from Freenom)
A personal computer with internet access

Tasks

1. Basic Web Server Setup

Sign up for a VM provider and create your first Linux server (Ubuntu or Debian recommended for beginners)
Learn basic Linux navigation and file management commands
Install a web server (Nginx or Apache)
Create a simple HTML website and make it accessible via your VM's IP address
Test that your website is visible from the internet

2. Domain and DNS Configuration

Register a domain name
Configure the domain's DNS settings to point to your VM's IP address
Learn about A records, CNAME records, and TTL values
Wait for DNS propagation and verify your website is accessible via your domain name

3. Backup Implementation

Create a simple backup script using tools like tar and cron
Set up your script to run automatically on a schedule
Configure backups to be stored in multiple locations:
- Locally on your VM (different directory)
- Off-site (could be a free cloud storage service or another location)
Test your backup system by recovering files

4. Development Environment

Create a separate directory for testing changes before they go live
Configure your web server to serve this directory under a subdomain (e.g., dev.yourdomain.com)
Learn how to safely test changes in this environment before applying them to your main website
Implement a simple process for promoting changes from development to production

5. Email Configuration

Set up a basic email forwarding system
Configure MX records in your DNS
Create email addresses like [email protected] that forward to your personal email
Test that emails are properly received

6. Security Implementation

Configure a firewall using UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall)
Secure SSH access:
- Disable password authentication
- Set up SSH key-based authentication
- Consider changing the default SSH port
Install Let's Encrypt for free SSL certificates
Configure your web server to use HTTPS
Set up automatic certificate renewal
Implement basic security headers for your website

7. Documentation

Create a comprehensive document that includes:
- All commands used during setup
- Configuration file locations and important settings
- Regular maintenance tasks and how to perform them
- Troubleshooting steps for common issues
- Backup and restore procedures
Store this documentation securely but accessibly

8. Monitoring and Maintenance Plan

Set up basic system monitoring using built-in tools like top, htop, or glances
Create a simple maintenance schedule for:
- Checking system logs
- Applying security updates
- Verifying backups
- Renewing SSL certificates

Challenge Rules

You must complete this project using ONLY:

Official documentation from software and service providers
Linux man pages
Official tutorials from your VM provider
NO AI tools, NO forums, NO Stack Overflow, NO YouTube tutorials

Learning Outcomes

By completing this project, you will gain practical experience with:

Linux server administration
Web server configuration
DNS management
Backup strategies
Basic security practices
Technical documentation
Problem-solving through official documentation

Extension Challenges (Optional)

Once you've completed the main project, consider these extensions:

Implement a simple CI/CD pipeline using Git hooks
Set up a static site generator (like Hugo or Jekyll)
Add a simple database to your website
Configure server monitoring with email alerts
Implement content caching for better performance

Remember, the goal is not just to get a website running, but to understand each component of your infrastructure and why it's configured the way it is. Good luck!

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