Linux VPS
SSH, packages, services and everyday Linux administration.
265 guides · page 1 of 14
.htaccess vs VirtualHost config: AllowOverride, performance and security
How Apache looks up .htaccess files on every request, what AllowOverride and AllowOverrideList control, when to move rules into the VirtualHost for speed, and when .htaccess is the right tool.
Add a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate to the Proxmox web interface
Replace the self-signed Proxmox certificate with a free Let's Encrypt one using the built-in ACME client, with HTTP or DNS validation and automatic renewal.
Add a new user on Linux (adduser vs useradd)
Create a new user account on your Linux VPS with adduser on Ubuntu and Debian or useradd on AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux, with a password, home folder and the right shell.
Add a swap file on a Linux VPS
Create a swap file, make it survive reboots, tune swappiness, and learn when swap helps and when you really need more RAM.
Add a user to a group in Linux
Add an existing Linux user to a group with usermod -aG or gpasswd, check the result with id, understand why a new login is needed, and remove a user from a group.
Add an additional IPv4 address to a Linux VPS
Configure a second or extra IPv4 address on a Linux VPS with Netplan on Ubuntu, NetworkManager on AlmaLinux/Rocky or ifupdown on Debian, test it and bind services to it.
Add free SSL (HTTPS) to a Node.js app
Secure a Node.js app with free SSL: AutoSSL on cPanel, or Let's Encrypt with Certbot on an Nginx or Apache reverse proxy, plus redirects and trust proxy.
Allow sudo without a password (NOPASSWD) for one user or command
Let a deploy script or one trusted user run sudo without typing a password, using a NOPASSWD rule in /etc/sudoers.d, ideally limited to the exact commands needed.
AlmaLinux vs Rocky Linux vs Ubuntu Server: which server OS?
Compare AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu Server and Debian for servers: support lifecycles, package managers, control panel support, security tooling and which to pick.
Apache as a reverse proxy: mod_proxy, ProxyPass and WebSockets
Use Apache to publish Node.js, Python or Java apps: enable mod_proxy, write ProxyPass and ProxyPassReverse rules, forward headers, proxy WebSockets and balance across backends.
Apache configuration explained: files, contexts and merge order
Where Apache's configuration lives on Debian and RHEL systems, how server, VirtualHost, Directory, Location and Files sections work, the order they merge in, and tools to inspect the result.
Apache modules: list, enable and disable them safely
How Apache's modular design works, the modules a modern server needs, how to enable or disable them on Debian/Ubuntu and AlmaLinux, and how trimming modules saves memory.
Apache MPMs explained: prefork vs worker vs event
How Apache's Multi-Processing Modules handle connections, why event is the modern default, how to switch MPM safely and how to size MaxRequestWorkers for your RAM.
Application servers explained: PHP-FPM, Gunicorn, Node.js and Tomcat
What an application server is, how it differs from a web server, how PHP-FPM, LSAPI, Gunicorn/Uvicorn, Node.js and Tomcat run app code, and how they sit behind a reverse proxy.
ARM servers and ARM VPS explained: are they right for you?
What ARM64 servers are, how they compare with x86 on performance per watt and price, software compatibility for web stacks and Docker, and how to test and migrate to an ARM VPS.
Attach and use a block storage volume on a cloud VPS
Add extra block storage to a cloud server or VPS: attach the volume, find the new disk, format and mount it persistently, move data like databases onto it, and resize or detach safely.
Automate Proxmox with the REST API, pvesh and API tokens
Script Proxmox VE: explore the API with pvesh, call it remotely with curl and an API token, start VMs and clone templates, and keep automation credentials safe.
Automate VPS setup with cloud-init user-data
Use cloud-init user-data to configure a new VPS at first boot: create users and SSH keys, install packages, write files and run commands, then test and debug with cloud-init logs.
Autoscaling explained: scale servers up, down and out
How autoscaling works in the cloud: vertical vs horizontal scaling, scaling metrics and policies, stateless app design, load balancers, cooldowns and how VPS users can scale without it.
Back up a Linux VPS to S3-compatible storage with rclone
Install rclone, connect it to any S3-compatible bucket, back up files and database dumps, encrypt with a crypt remote, schedule with cron and restore when needed.
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