DNS
Host a website on a VPS without any technical knowledge!

Host a website on a VPS without any technical knowledge!

One of the major issue these days is how to manage a VPS to host a website (run apache, mysql and other necessary modules required to run a website). How ever if you have very less or no technical knowledge, you can still rent a vps and run multiple sites.

Prerequisites

  1. You need a VPS, you can buy from 9xhost or 9xvps.
  2. Ubuntu 16.04 or 14.04 installed on your VPS (64 Bit)

Step 1: Create Account at ServerPilot

ServerPilot is a light weight control panel for a VPS or dedicated server, it installs apache, mysql, php and nginx on your server. It do not produce any kind of control panel overheads for your VPS, because everything is managed through their site. Unlike cPanel which is installed on your VPS and creates a lot of over heads.

You can click here to signup. Once done, click the ‘Connect Server’ on top right corner.

connect-server

After you click ‘Connect Server’, you will see a window something like this

add-server-to-serverpilot

Just fill in your server details. In the SFTP password box enter the password for sftp (it will then be set as your sftp password). After you click ‘Connect To ServerPilot’ , it will take some time for ServerPilot to setup your VPS to be used as a webserver.

ServerPilot Philosophy

ServerPilot calls each website an App, once the server is added to ServerPilot you can than add apps to it, or in other words you can add websites to it (Just like you create new account in cPanel)

Before adding an app to serverpilot, you need to make sure your DNS is pointed to your VPS IP, you can read the article about setting up dns here. Once done, you are ready to create your first app.

Step 2: Create a Word press Site

Note: You can skip this step, if you don’t need to host a WordPress site.

Let see how you can easily setup a wordpress app or site through serverpilot.

create an app

It will display this window

fill-app-details-wordpress

Check the WordPress box, so you can expand the wordpress options. You can also select the php version to run with this site, some application requires different php version so its a plus.

Finally from the drop down list select the server (We’ve added the server in step one). Select the server we just added above, and click ‘Create App’. Once  the app is created you can access the wordpress at the entered domain. Please make sure your DNS is set up before creating an app, or you will not be able to access this installation until DNS is propagated.

Step 3: How to host a simple website

To host a simple static website, you need to create an app, but the process is little different. But you still have to set up the dns first. After the DNS is set, click ‘Create App’.

create an app

Fill the details as filled in the screen shot

create-simple-app

Here WordPress is unchecked since you are not installing wordpress, if this is a static site then you can select any PHP, because PHP will not be required if its a dynamic site then you can select the php as per your requirement. Finally select server (after you select server, it will also ask for server user, by default serverpilot creates a default user called ‘serverpilot‘ just leave it as it is) and click ‘Create App’.

Use Filezilla to upload your site

Finally you need to use an sftp client to upload your web site to your VPS, you can use filezilla, filezilla for windows can be downloaded from here. Once filezilla is downloaded and installed, you need new sftp account.

Selection_004

Click the icon pointed out in the screen shot. And then add a sftp account.

filezilla

Leave the port box empty, after filling all the details click ‘Connect’. Once connected you will see the following directory listings.

directory-list

Click on the apps folder, app folder will contain a folder for each app you have created through ServerPilot control panel. You can select the app you need to upload data too and then drag and drop files from your computer to the server.

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