Self Web Hosting at Home in Ubuntu Linux

Name: Self Web Hosting at Home in Ubuntu Linux
Rating: 4.4 (3 reviews)

Host your own website at home in a weekend

Created bySamson Mwachibua

Last updated 1/2025

English

What you'll learn

Get to speed using Ubuntu Operating System
Set up and manage a web server - apache
Set up and manage database servers - MySQL and PostgreSQL
Install and configure phpMyAdmin and phpPgAdmin
Set up and Configure FTP servers - FileZilla and VSFTPD
Set up and configure the samba file server
Add web programming capabilities to apache server using PHP and Python
Set up a WSGI server to run Flask application
Set up server to be accessed outside LAN using public IP address and Domain name
configure server for remote administration using SSH or RDP
Perform data backup and restoring data from backup snapshot

Course content

9 sections • 41 lectures • 3h 0m total length

Introduction4:24
Learn to host a home website on Ubuntu, configure Apache and optional Nginx, run PHP and Python web apps, manage MySQL or PostgreSQL databases with backups and domain access.
Course Requirements1:43
Learn to host your own website from home using Linux with no prior Linux knowledge. Require internet connection and Ubuntu 18+ (24) to avoid issues; virtualization with VirtualBox supported.

Introduction2:24
Set up the Ubuntu server environment, install Ubuntu, and tour the desktop. Compare desktop, server, and core flavors, and explain why the desktop version is beginner-friendly.
Installing server Operating system4:21
Install Ubuntu as a server operating system, choosing between live session testing or a full install, then configure language, keyboard layout, offline setup, computer name home server, and password.
Quick server desktop tour5:11
Perform a quick desktop tour of a freshly installed Ubuntu system, exploring the control panel, appearance settings, user management, and key system specifications (Ubuntu 24, hardware, memory, disk capacity).
Configuring Server Network3:03
Configure the server network in Ubuntu by switching IPv4 from automatic to static, entering IP address, netmask, gateway, and DNS, then apply changes and verify connectivity.
Updating your Server3:53
Update and upgrade your Ubuntu server with sudo apt update and sudo apt upgrade, then install net-tools to review network status using ifconfig, and restart afterwards.

Introduction1:57
Installing Apache web server4:32
Install and configure the Apache web server via the terminal, then test it with localhost. Create a simple test page and copy it to /var/www/html, verifying access at localhost/test.html.
Basic Apache Commands5:01
Learn basic Apache commands for self hosting on Ubuntu: start, stop, restart, status, and version checks to manage the Apache web server and preview the default page.
Installing Nginx1:38
Install the nginx web server on ubuntu linux using sudo apt install nginx. Test by visiting localhost to confirm it’s functioning, noting avoid running apache and nginx simultaneously.

Introduction2:48
Learn to serve web content remotely on Ubuntu Linux, using FTP and file sharing. Install Vsftpd, FileZilla, and Samba, and manage remote uploads to the public HTML folder.
setting up samba12:02
setting up VSFTPD4:52
Set up vsftpd on ubuntu to serve web content remotely, edit /etc/vsftpd.conf to enable and set local_root to /var/www/html, then restart the service and test uploading via ftp.
Setting up Filezilla7:46
Learn to install and configure the FileZilla ftp server on Ubuntu, create a web user, set a /var/www/html upload directory with read and write access, and test upload from Windows.

Introduction2:17
Explore web programming and install PHP and Python, then test them. Learn how HTML alone yields static pages and how PHP and Python enable dynamic, user-friendly websites.
Installing PHP3:15
Install PHP to enable Apache to execute PHP scripts, restart Apache, and create a test info.php in /var/www/html to verify PHP version and features via localhost/info.php.
Installing and configuring Python3:15
Install and configure Python on Ubuntu Linux, verify the Python 3 version, install Python 3 if needed, and set up pip3 and a virtual environment (venv) for Flask.
Installing Python virtual environment6:09
Set up an Ubuntu web root, create a Python virtual environment, activate it, install Flask, and configure a minimal __init__.py with an index route.
Python Flask Setup2:45
Learn how to install and run Flask in a development environment on Ubuntu Linux, manage virtual environments, and test locally with a development server.
Installing WSGI server10:31
Install and configure the WSGI server with Apache to run Flask or Django apps in production, including a CGI script, Python path setup, and mod_wsgi integration.

Introduction1:23
installing mysql5:32
install and configure mysql server on ubuntu, set a root password, create a web db user, grant privileges, and practice basic mysql commands from the shell.
installing and configuring phpMyAdmin5:40
Install and configure phpMyAdmin to provide a web interface to MySQL, including installing the php MySQL packages, enabling the Apache configuration, and testing at localhost/phpmyadmin.
installing postgresql2:02
installing and configuring phpPgAdmin6:56
consuming mysql in PHP5:14

Introduction1:17
Learn to expose your website to the world by using a public IP or a free domain name, moving from local intranet access to global reach.
Accessing using Public IP address5:56
Access your home web server from outside the network using your public IP. Configure router port forwarding for HTTP on port 80 to your internal IP and verify via browser.
Accessing using Domain name13:02
Register a domain and map it to your Ubuntu web server, using dynamic DNS with no-ip to handle changing public IP addresses, and access the server via your domain.

Introduction1:54
Explore remote access to your Ubuntu server using SSH and remote desktop, enabling offsite, secure management as if you were in front of the machine.
Setting Up Remote Desktop Connection1:54
Set up remote login via the RDP connection to access the Ubuntu home server's graphical user interface. Configure hostname and port 3389, then enter user credentials to authenticate.
Access Remote Desktop using linux client5:13
Connect to your home server via rdp using Remmina on Ubuntu, configure a new connection to 192.168.0.222, set up port forwarding for 3389 to access via domain name outside network.
Access Remote Desktop using windows client2:52
Use windows remote desktop to connect to your home web server by entering the server's ip or domain name, authenticate as remote user, and access files as if onsite.
Installing SSH2:09
Install the SSH server on your home web server, enable it, and verify it is active so you can connect remotely in the next lesson.
set up secure SSH client3:30

Introduction1:40
Learn to set up data and system backups for a home Ubuntu Linux server. Back up user files and the Apache public HTML folder, define backup frequency, and plan restoration.
Setting Up Deja Dup backup7:51
Restoring data using Deja dup3:01
Restore deleted files from a Deja Dup backup in Ubuntu by selecting the backup date, choosing /var/www/html, and entering the encrypted password to complete the restore.
Setting and system backup using timeshift5:05
Install timeshift and create weekly rsync snapshots of your Ubuntu system on an ext4 external drive, excluding all files by default, then finalize a snapshot for restoration.
Restoring system using timeshift4:12

Requirements

A Computer to run the tasks
Internet connection
No prior Linux skills or experience needed

Description

This course is a step-by-step guide for hosting your own website both for beginners and intermediate users as well. By the end of the last section the student will be able to set up a basic web server in apache and set it to be accessed externally, outside their home network using the public IP address or a domain that they will register for free. For simplicity this course uses the Ubuntu desktop version to accomplish all the tasks. Behind the scenes, the desktop and server versions of the Ubuntu operating system uses the same kernel and so nothing changes except that the former has a GUI and the latter a command line interface. This will help beginners understand the concepts easily and make their learning curve smooth.

The student will learn how to transfer files from the development machine to the web server using FTP and File server applications. FileZilla and VSFTPD are FTP applications of choice used in this course. At the same time the samba file server is also used to implement file transfer. More so, you will be able to use the file server as your own custom implementation of Google drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Dropbox.

Implementation of programming logic to the web server is also discussed in-depth and students will practically learn how to add PHP and WSGI modules so that they can be processed by the web server to run python and PHP scripts. Students will see how to set up a flask framework in Python as well. All these concepts are well explained, and the student is guided on what to do in every step; and enabled to use their favorite scripting language to run their web application.

Database concepts are also discussed in depth. The student will set up MySQL and PostgreSQL database servers and install the web admin interfaces as well, such as phpMyAdmin and phpPgAdmin for MySQL and PostgreSQL respectively.

Students will also practically see how to do remote administration of their server using SSH and RDP. The SSH will connect via the command line in terminal and RDP using windows remote desktop.

The course ends with a discussion and practical examples on data backup. Students shall see how to perform system backup and regular file backup and how to restore in the case of data loss.

Who this course is for:

All beginners and seasoned linux users.
Web developers who want to self-host their web applications
Anyone who wants to learn how web servers are set up and work

Self Web Hosting at Home in Ubuntu Linux

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction2 lectures • 6min

Preparing Server Environment5 lectures • 19min

Working With Web Servers4 lectures • 13min

Uploading Content Remotely4 lectures • 27min

Web Programming6 lectures • 28min

Working with Databases6 lectures • 27min

Accessing Your Website Externally3 lectures • 20min

Administering your Server Remotely6 lectures • 18min

Data Backup5 lectures • 22min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: