Cloud computing is incredibly popular these days, but there are still a host of reasons that it makes sense to set up your own hosting server.
In this piece, we’ll take a look at the fundamentals of setting up a Linux hosting server. Before we dive into the technical detail, though, let’s take a closer look at exactly why you might want to set up your own server.
Why to Set Up a Linux Hosting Server
There are lots of reasons why you might want to set up your own Linux hosting server. Here’s a closer look.
Cut costs
While you might find that the performance of your own server pales in comparison to cloud servers from companies like Google and Microsoft, it’s a relatively inexpensive option.
You will find that in theory, it’s possible to create a robust hosting server using just a few basic materials. In the long run, those will be much cheaper when compared to subscribing to a cloud hosting service.
If you have some basic server needs and you’re conscious about cost (and you want to unlock the benefits below) you might want to invest in a Linux hosting server.
Versatile options
Personal servers are lots of fun and you have complete control over them. You could use your own dedicated server for gaming, for instance, to make sure that you have stable gaming experience.
On the other hand, you might want to create a home media server. This makes it easy for you to access all your local media in one place on any device.
Secure backups
We all know that it’s important to keep a range of backups of our data. A home server is yet another secure place to backup your data alongside your physical and cloud-based backups.
Control your data
If you have your own server, you have complete control over your data. You don’t have to worry about the risks and potential dangers that come with hosting your data on a cloud service.
This is a big advantage and it’s one of the main reasons that people decide to learn how to create a Linux hosting server.
How to Set Up a Linux Hosting Server
If you’ve decided to set up a Linux hosting server, you’ve started on a very challenging yet rewarding path! You might find that there’s quite a bit to learn, but all of the hard work will be worth it.
Here’s a closer look at the basics of how to set up a Linux hosting server. There’s a lot of detailed technical guidance and information out there if you get stuck along the way and need the insights of some experts.
Collect your basic components
First things first, you need to make sure that you have all of the basic components installed. This includes the three following technologies:
- APache2 (an open-source HTTP web-server used around the world)
- PHP and PHP SQLite component (a server-side scripting language that you can use to interact with your MySQL database)
- MySQL (a database solution that can store vast ranges of data in complex tables)
You can install all of these solutions from the command line. For your convenience, here are those commands:
- sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install apache2
- sudo apt-get install mysql-server php5-mysql
- sudo apt-get install php5 libapache2-mod-php5 php5-mcrypt
- sudo apt-get install php5-sqlite
Navigate to your server
If you are practicing locally, you will be able to find your local server by opening up your browser and typing in “localhost”. That’s all that is required, given that by default Apache runs at port 80. If you are looking for a web host, BlueHost has some great deals on Linux servers.
If you would like to change the port address, you will be able to do so by editing the following configuration file: /etc/apache2/ports.conf
Simple navigate to that config file and then switch out “Listen 80” for your desired port number. Once you have done that, it’s important that you restart the apache2 server.
If everything has worked properly, you should see a message from Apache2.
Build on your foundations
Now that you have the foundations in place, it’s time to create a webpage that you can use as the interface to call information that is stored in your MySQL table.
There is obviously a wide range of languages and technologies that you can use to achieve this. It can take some time to get the results that you’re hoping for, and you should use the technologies that you are most comfortable with.
We hope that this piece has been useful for you and given you an idea of the components that you will need to create a Linux hosting server. We have also explored how to install those components using the command line once you have identified them.
We wish you all the best when it comes to creating your server!