Setting Up a Linux Dedicated Server for Web Development

In this article, we'll explore the process of setting up a Linux-based dedicated server for hosting PHP websites and Node.js websites. We'll cover the necessary steps, commands, and configurations to ensure a smooth and efficient development environment.

Section 1: PHP Website Hosting

PHP is a widely used server-side scripting language for web development. Here's how you can set up a dedicated server to host PHP websites:

1. Install Apache Web Server

   Apache is a popular web server for hosting PHP websites. To install Apache, run the following command:

   sudo apt-get install apache2
       

2. Install PHP

   Next, you'll need to install PHP. Run the following command to install PHP and the necessary modules:

   sudo apt-get install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql
       

3. Configure Apache

   After installing Apache and PHP, you'll need to configure Apache to work with PHP. Edit the Apache configuration file using the following command:

   sudo nano /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/dir.conf
       

   Find the following line:

   DirectoryIndex index.html
       

   And replace it with:

   DirectoryIndex index.php index.html
       

   Save the changes and restart Apache:

   sudo systemctl restart apache2
       

4. Test PHP Installation

   Create a test PHP file in the Apache document root directory:

   sudo nano /var/www/html/info.php
       

   Add the following code to the file:

   <?php phpinfo(); ?>
       

   Save the file and visit http://your-server-ip/info.php in your web browser. If you see the PHP information page, your PHP installation is successful.

Section 2: Node.js Website Hosting

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, allowing developers to run JavaScript on the server-side. Here's how you can set up a dedicated server to host Node.js websites:

1. Install Node.js

   First, you'll need to install Node.js on your server. Run the following commands to install Node.js from the official repository:

   sudo apt-get install curl
   curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_14.x | sudo -E bash -
   sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
       

2. Create a Node.js Application

   Create a new directory for your Node.js application and initialize a new npm project:

   mkdir my-node-app
   cd my-node-app
   npm init -y
       

   Install any required dependencies for your application using npm.

3. Configure a Process Manager

   To keep your Node.js application running, you'll need a process manager like PM2. Install PM2 globally using npm:

   sudo npm install -g pm2
       

   Once PM2 is installed, you can start your Node.js application with the following command:

   pm2 start app.js
   

   Replace app.js with the entry point of your Node.js application.

4. Set up a Reverse Proxy

   To serve your Node.js application over the web, you'll need to set up a reverse proxy. We'll use Nginx as an example:

   sudo apt-get install nginx
       

   Configure Nginx to forward requests to your Node.js application by editing the default Nginx configuration file:

   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
       

   Add the following server block to the file:

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

   Replace your-domain.com with your actual domain name, and 3000 with the port your Node.js application is running on.

   Save the changes, restart Nginx, and your Node.js application should now be accessible over the web.

By following these steps, you'll have a Linux-based dedicated server set up and ready to host both PHP websites and Node.js websites. Remember to adjust the configurations and commands based on your specific requirements and server environment.