VPS Setup & Deployment Project

This project provides an automated setup pipeline for deploying and configuring a VPS (Virtual Private Server) with basic security measures, LETSENCRYPT to enable SSL, and NGINX deployment.

Repository Structure

.
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── pipeline.yml
├── vps_setup.sh
├── advanced_setup.sh (optional)
└── docker-compose.nginx.yml

Quick Start

Using GitHub Actions Pipeline

1. Fork this repository

2. Add the following secrets to your GitHub repository:

   • ROOT_PASSWORD: Your VPS root password
   • VPS_IP: Your VPS IP address

   To add secrets:

   1. Go to your repository settings
   2. Navigate to Secrets and Variables > Actions
   3. Click "New repository secret"
   4. Add each secret with its corresponding value

3. Push changes to the main branch to trigger the pipeline

Manual Setup

You can run the setup without the pipeline by executing the scripts directly on your VPS:

# Basic setup
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/your-username/vps-setup/main/vps_setup.sh
chmod +x vps_setup.sh
./vps_setup.sh

# Optional advanced setup
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/your-username/vps-setup/main/advanced_setup.sh
chmod +x advanced_setup.sh
./advanced_setup.sh

Or

# Copy and run basic setup
scp vps_setup.sh root@your_vps_ip:~
ssh root@your_vps_ip "chmod +x vps_setup.sh && ./vps_setup.sh"

# For advanced setup
scp advanced_script.sh root@your_vps_ip:~
ssh root@your_vps_ip "chmod +x advanced_script.sh && ./advanced_script.sh"

# Deploy services
scp docker-compose.nginx.yml root@your_vps_ip:~
ssh root@your_vps_ip "docker compose -f docker-compose.nginx.yml up -d"

Docker Compose Manual Deployment

To deploy NGINX manually:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/your-username/vps-setup/main/docker-compose.nginx.yml
docker compose -f docker-compose.nginx.yml up -d

---

Domain and SSL Configuration

Prerequisites

1. Own a domain name
2. Access to your domain provider's DNS settings

Setup Steps

1. Create an A Record:

   • Log into your domain provider's dashboard
   • Add a new A record pointing to your VPS IP address:
     • Type: A
     • Name: @ (for root domain) or subdomain (e.g., 'test' for test.yourdomain.com)
     • Value: Your VPS IP address
     • TTL: 3600 (or as preferred)

2. Configure your Docker Service: Update your service configuration in your app docker-compose.yml to include SSL support:

Simply add to your service

environment:
      VIRTUAL_HOST: test.yourdomain.com
      LETSENCRYPT_HOST: test.yourdomain.com

Example:

services:
  service-name:
    image: ....
    environment:
      VIRTUAL_HOST: test.yourdomain.com
      LETSENCRYPT_HOST: test.yourdomain.com
      LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL: ${EMAIL} # Optional hh
    networks:
      - nginx-proxy-network
networks:
  nginx-proxy-network:
    external: true

Key points:

• Replace test.yourdomain.com with your actual domain/subdomain
• Ensure the service is connected to nginx-proxy-network
• The VIRTUAL_HOST and LETSENCRYPT_HOST environment variables must match your domain
• SSL certificates will be automatically generated through Let's Encrypt

3. Apply Configuration:

docker compose up -d

4. Verify SSL:
   • Wait a few minutes for SSL certificate generation
   • Visit your domain through HTTPS
   • Check certificate validity in your browser

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Scripts Overview

vps_setup.sh (Basic Setup)

• Updates system packages
• Installs essential tools
• Configures basic firewall rules
• Sets up Docker and Docker Compose
• Implements basic security measures

advanced_setup.sh (Optional but Recommended)

• Implements additional security measures
• Configures fail2ban
• Sets up log monitoring
• Hardens SSH configuration
• Creates non-root user with sudo privileges

⚠️ Note: The script will only run once. After running, be carefull with the following:

• Disable root SSH access
• Change SSH port from default (22)
• Set up SSH key authentication
• Disable password authentication

Pipeline Workflow

The pipeline consists of two main jobs:

1. server-setup: Configures the VPS with basic requirements
2. deploy-nginx: Deploys NGINX using Docker Compose

The pipeline triggers on pushes to main branch when changes are made to:

• docker-compose.nginx.yml
• .github/workflows/pipeline.yml
• vps_setup.sh

Security Recommendations

1. After initial setup:

   • Change default SSH port
   • Disable root SSH access
   • Enable SSH key authentication
   • Disable password authentication
   • Configure and enable fail2ban
   • Set up proper firewall rules

2. For production environments:

   • Use secrets management service
   • Implement regular security updates
   • Set up monitoring and logging
   • Use HTTPS with valid certificates
   • Regularly audit access logs

Contributing

⚠️ Warning: My code sucks, feel free to make a PR hh

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Submit a pull request

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Links

LinkedIn

My Website

Twitter