NGINX, Apache, SSL Encryption - Certification Course

Compare Apache and NGINX to plan scalable, cost-effective web deployments, balancing compatibility, capacity, and latency to deliver efficient, high-traffic web applications.

Apache's historical strength lay in architectural simplicity with one process per Http connection, allowing modular upgrades and easy issue isolation; scaling to many connections introduced bloated performance and security risks.

Explore how Nginx resolves Apache’s connection concurrency, offers a lightweight, scalable open-source server, and can run standalone or as a front-end proxy for Apache and other backends.

Deploy a Digital Ocean droplet running Ubuntu 18.04, create an educational project, and sign up to receive the server password for logging in and executing commands.

Attach a floating IP to your server to enable future IP transfers and flexibility by selecting Nginx in the networking tab and clicking assign to connect and configure with Nginx.

Connect to your virtual server using terminal, putty, or DigitalOcean's web console. Log in with root and the server's IP and password, then change the password.

Update the server's package index, install nginx with apt, accept the disk space prompt, and verify the installation by visiting the server's IP to see the Welcome to Nginx page.

Install and secure MySQL on Ubuntu alongside Nginx by removing anonymous users, disallowing remote root access, removing the test database, and switching to MySQL native password authentication.

Install and configure php on nginx to process dynamic content with php-fpm, enable index.php in the server block, and test the configuration before reloading the server.

Log in to your domain registrar and point your name servers to digitalocean, then configure the dns zone and nginx to serve your home page.

Configure the dns zone file in DigitalOcean by adding A records for root and www that point to the floating IP, then allow propagation.

Update the NGINX block file to include www and non-www domain variations, reload the server, and verify access by domain name and IP address after DNS changes propagate.

Secure your nginx server with a Letsencrypt SSL certificate by installing certbot, configuring www and non-www domains, and enabling https with automatic renewal.

Install phpMyAdmin on an Nginx server to manage databases via a web-based GUI, configure the database securely, set up a link to the Nginx web root, and test login.

Rename the phpMyAdmin symbolic link to a non-obvious url to secure access, then verify by loading the new path in your browser, adding a security layer.

Secure phpMyAdmin with an nginx authentication gateway by creating a password file with an encrypted password and a username, then enable the gateway to require login before access.

Configure an nginx authentication gateway to protect phpMyAdmin by adding a location block, defining auth_basic and auth_basic_user_file, restarting the server, and testing access before proceeding to WordPress setup.

Install WordPress, a flexible content management system powering a third of all websites, and manage membership sites, e-commerce stores, and blogs directly from the browser admin panel.

Create a WordPress database in MySQL with UTF-8, and set up a dedicated WordPress user with full privileges and a secure password. Then flush privileges and exit.

Install the necessary PHP extensions for WordPress on a LAMP stack by updating the apt package index, installing required packages, confirming prompts, and restarting PHP FPM to apply the changes.

Configure nginx block for WordPress by adding favicon and robots.txt location blocks and static content caching. Adjust try_files for permalinks, test with nginx -t, and reload the server.

Install WordPress on a prepared server by downloading the latest WordPress package, extracting it, configuring wp-config.php, moving files to the html directory, and setting permissions for web serving and updates.

Configure WordPress by updating the wp-config.php with generated secret keys, set database name and user, and password, and enable direct file system writes to avoid FTP prompts.

Set up WordPress on nginx by selecting language, naming the site, creating a secure login with a strong password, and configuring seo and admin access via the dashboard and phpMyAdmin.

Learn how ssl certificates secure communication and verify identity by examining digital certificates and issuing authorities, including Let's Encrypt, Digicert, GoDaddy, and Global Sign, and assess trust.

Learn how digital certificates are issued to an intended user, device, or web page, verified by a trusted certificate authority, and renewed before expiry with public keys and digital signatures.

Explore the types of SSL certificates—from domain validation to organization and extended validation—and learn issuance guidelines, verification steps, and how to obtain a free certificate with Letsencrypt.

Understand how ssl certificates secure data with digital signatures and hash values validated by private and public keys. See how browsers verify domain names against the certificate to prevent misuse.

Discover how to obtain an SSL certificate from a certificate authority like Digicert for Xyz.com, verify domain ownership, install it, and ensure browsers trust the certificate for https connections.

Install a Let's Encrypt certificate and learn automated management that eliminates manual steps, while preferring cloud hosting on a DigitalOcean Ubuntu 16.04 LTS droplet with TLS.

Register a domain name, since ssl certificates require a domain, not a public ip, create a digital ocean droplet with a fractional cent per hour cost and free $10 credit.

Point your domain's name servers to Digital Ocean, update ns1.digitalocean.com, ns2.digitalocean.com, and ns3.digitalocean.com at your registrar, and save changes to host your site with Digital Ocean.

Sign up for Digital Ocean, activate your account by email, enter billing with PayPal, and create a droplet that runs briefly for about an hour at minimal cost.

Switch from monthly to hourly pricing and select the smallest droplet at 0.07 per hour with 512mb ram, 1 core, 20gb ssd, 1tb transfer, ssl certificates install on any configuration.

Create a DigitalOcean droplet by selecting Ubuntu 16.04 64 bit, the smallest size, and the New York region, then use the ip address and email credentials in the next lecture.

Install PuTTY, connect to the server from Windows or Mac terminal, log in as root, and change the initial Digital Ocean droplet password to begin server configuration.

Install the lamp stack (apache, mysql, php) on a virtual machine, configure apache utilities and phpmyadmin, set passwords, restart services, and prepare for https with an SSL certificate.

Configure DNS on Digital Ocean by adding an A record and a CNAME to map your domain to your server, ensuring www resolves to ux.com.

Add the IP address and domain name to the hosts file, adjust the server time and date, and configure a cron job to renew the Letsencrypt certificate.

Install the Letsencrypt client, configure an SSL certificate for your domain, enable https with redirects, and verify the SSL status on the SSL Labs website, noting Google rankings.

Run periodic ssl certificate status checks to detect certificate authority cancellations and expiry, review domain names and validity dates, and prepare automatic renewal with cron jobs.

Redirect all domain variations to the https base domain using an htaccess file and Apache settings, then test variations and set up auto-renewal for SSL.

Set up a cron job in crontab to automatically renew the SSL certificate with Let's Encrypt renew on Ubuntu, logging to renewal log in /var every Monday at 3:30 a.m.