How to Set Up an HAProxy Load Balancer
HAProxy is an open source load balancer, capable of balancing any TCP based service. It’s commonly used for balancing HTTP, and can help solve traffic problems on your web server. Here’s how to set it up….
Apache vs. Nginx: Which Web Server Is the Better Choice?
Nginx and Apache combined serve over 50% of the web. But Apache has seen a decline in recent years, in favor of Nginx. Is Nginx really better, and are there any benefits to using Apache?
How to Run NGINX Inside Docker (for Easy Auto-Scaling)
One of the most common workloads of Docker is using it to containerize web servers like NGINX and Apache to run a high-performance content delivery fleet that can be easily auto-scaled and managed. We’ll show you how to set i…
How to See How Many Hits Your Server is Handling
The amount of traffic your server is receiving is an important metric for any sysadmin to watch. There are tools that show you easy to read graphs compiled using your web server’s access log, which make this process simple….
Why Your Staff Are Your Cybersecurity Weak Link
Your entire staff is on the front line when it comes to cybersecurity. They’re the ones manning the ramparts, so it’s vital they are able and willing. They need knowledge, you need their buy-in.
How to Manually Reset a WordPress Password in the Database
If you’ve gotten locked out of your WordPress instance, you can always reset your password by manually editing the table that it uses to store passwords in, provided you have access to the MySQL database….
How to Run a Linux Command When a File Set Changes
Learn how to run Linux commands when any file in a watched set of files changes, and when new files are created. We show you how to use this flexible tool.
How to Configure Cache-Control Headers in Apache
Each user’s browser makes use of a built-in cache to store downloaded objects, which can significantly speed up repeat visits to your website by loading from disk rather than the network. Here’s how to configure it in Apache….
How to Configure Cache-Control Headers in NGINX
Caching is the process of storing downloaded data for later use, where it can be read from disk rather than requesting it again. Making proper use of your browser and CDN caching can speed up your website significantly….
How to Set Up Basic HTTP Authentication in Apache
Basic HTTP authentication uses usernames and passwords to secure certain routes of your website. It’s commonly used to lock down admin panels and backend services, and—in conjunction with HTTPS—provides good security for …
How to Create and Use Self-Signed SSL in Nginx
If you just need encryption for internal server connections or non-user facing sites, signing your own SSL certificates is an easy way to avoid dealing with an external certificate authority. Here’s how to set it up in nginx….
How to Redirect IP Address to Domain Name in NGINX or Apache
It’s an edge case, but if someone types in your IP address instead of your domain name, you’ll want your server to handle that request properly, and redirect them to the actual site. We’ll show how to set it up in NGINX and A…
How to Export a CSV file from MySQL Command Line
Comma Separated Values files (CSV) are a way of transferring data between applications. Databases like MySQL and spreadsheet software like Excel support importing and exporting through CSV, so you can use CSV files to exchang…
What Does Docker Do, and When Should You Use It?
Docker is a tool for running your applications inside containers. Containers package all the dependencies and code your app needs to run into a single file, which will run the same way on any machine.
Reduce Your Website’s Size With Gzip and Deflate Compression
Your website’s speed is important, as a faster website will dramatically decrease your bounce rate. Compressing your files on the server side is an easy way to reduce the size of your website, which speeds up loading….
Which Type of RAID Should You Use For Your Servers?
RAID, or “Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks,” is the process of combining multiple hard drives or SSDs in parallel as one logical volume, making the array more resistant against drive failures. There are many kinds of RAID…
Getting Started with Monit for Server Monitoring
Monit is a server monitoring program that can check the processes running on your system to ensure that they’re always online and operating within reasonable CPU and memory limits. It also comes with a web interface to monito…
How to Test Your Linux Server’s Disk and RAM Speed
If you’re regularly writing or reading files, your disk speed can affect your server’s performance. We’ll show you how to measure your server’s speed, and how to understand how it stacks up to the competition….
The Best Free VPS Providers For Running a Small Linux Box
Many cloud server providers operate at such large economies of scale that they’ll give away small instances for free, simply to entice you to use their platform. You can take advantage of this to run a small Linux box for dev…
How to Set Up a Mail Agent for Command Line Email
Having your server send you emails is a simple way to get notifications from bash scripts, applications, and cron jobs. Command line email works similarly to personal email, and is easy to configure and use….
Configuring FileZilla Server for FTPS on Windows Server
If you’re managing a Windows Server and you need a way to transfer files, you might need to resort to using FTP, and the best way to do that is with FileZilla Server. Here’s how to set it up.
How to Randomize Uploaded Filenames in WordPress
WordPress file upload capabilities have really improved over the years, but there’s one problem we keep running into — the filenames are perfectly preserved when you upload, which leaves to inconsistent and really long image…
