Mini Infrastructure Project

Learning Objectives

• Understand server provisioning and configuration
• Learn web server installation and configuration best practices
• Develop skills in network security and firewall management
• Implement basic system hardening techniques
• Document infrastructure deployment for repeatability

Requirements

You are required to set up a complete web server environment manually, documenting every step:

1. Server Provisioning
   • Provision a virtual machine (local VM with VirtualBox/VMware, or cloud free tier: AWS EC2, Azure VM, GCP CE)
   • Install Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS
   • Configure network settings (static IP if local, public/private IP if cloud)
   • Update all system packages
2. Web Server Installation
   • Choose and install a web server:
     • Option A: Apache - configure apache2.conf and create a virtual host
     • Option B: Nginx - configure nginx.conf and create a server block
   • Verify the web server is running (systemctl status)
3. Network Security Configuration
   • Configure a firewall using UFW or iptables:
     • Allow HTTP (80), HTTPS (443), SSH (22)
     • Deny all other incoming traffic
   • Verify firewall status
   • Test connectivity from an external system
4. Content Deployment
   • Create a simple index.html with a "Hello, World!" heading, a description of your setup, and basic CSS
   • Deploy to the web server's document root
   • Verify the page is accessible via browser
5. Documentation
   • Create a setup guide documenting all steps and commands
   • Document any issues encountered and their solutions
   • Include screenshots of the working web server

Stretch Goals

• Configure HTTPS with Let's Encrypt or a self-signed certificate
• Implement SSH hardening: disable root login, key-based auth only, fail2ban
• Set up log rotation
• Configure automatic security updates

Deliverables

• Working web server accessible via HTTP
• Complete documentation of the setup process
• index.html with required content
• Screenshots of the deployed website

References

• How To Install Nginx on Ubuntu - DigitalOcean
• UFW Firewall Guide - DigitalOcean
• Ubuntu Server Documentation
• Let's Encrypt Getting Started
• VirtualBox Documentation
• AWS EC2 Getting Started

Once you complete this task you will have manually provisioned and secured a real server - the hands-on foundation that makes everything from containers to Kubernetes actually make sense.