fix grammar in 2021 posts

1 files changed, 153 insertions, 178 deletions

diff --git a/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.org b/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.org
index b27572e..0b38eaa 100644
--- a/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.org
+++ b/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.org
@@ -3,108 +3,93 @@
 #+description: Instructional outline for setting up and maintaining a VPS environment configured for secure and scalable web hosting applications.
 #+slug:        vps-web-server
 
-* Shared Hosting vs. VPS
-
-Choosing a place to host a website is one of the most confusing
-decisions for beginner web developers. Even for experienced web devs,
-choosing between different forms of web hosting can be a daunting
-choice.
-
-First, let's take a look at
-[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_web_hosting_service][shared web
-hosting]]. Shared web hosting is a product where you are purchasing a
-small piece of a web server that is being shared between many websites.
-As a result, the cost of shared hosting is extremely low. You won't have
-access to the server itself, which means you can't install your own
-software on the server, such as Docker. Usually, you are simply allowed
-to connect your domains to the server, set up domain security, and other
-small utilities.
-
-In contrast, a
-[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_server][virtual private
-server]] (VPS) is a virtual machine that replicates the environment of
-having a dedicated server to yourself. You are able to control the
-virtual server's host names, base file system, package manager, etc.
-Another great upside of a VPS is that since it's virtual, the company
-providing the VPS can dynamically increase the disk size, RAM size, or
-number of CPUs at any time. However, the virtual server is still
-physically located on a server that is shared between multiple virtual
-servers.
-
-The choice between shared hosting and VPS mostly depends on your skill
-level with system administration. If you're comforting working on a
-server that is mostly left up to you (or you're willing to learn), then
-a VPS is usually a better option. However, shared hosting is a fantastic
-option for people who don't want to have to learn how to manage their
-server.
+* Shared Hosting vs. VPS (Virtual Private Server)
+
+Choosing a place to host a website is one of the most confusing decisions for
+beginner web developers. Even for experienced web devs, choosing between
+different forms of web hosting can be a daunting choice.
+
+First, let's take a look at [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_web_hosting_service][shared web hosting]]. Shared web hosting is a product
+where you are purchasing a small piece of a web server that is being shared
+between many websites. As a result, the cost of shared hosting is extremely low.
+You won't have access to the server itself, which means you can't install your
+own software on the server, such as Docker. Usually, you are simply allowed to
+connect your domains to the server, set up domain security, and other small
+utilities.
+
+In contrast, a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_server][virtual private server]] (VPS) is a virtual machine that replicates
+the environment of having a dedicated server to yourself. You are able to
+control the virtual server's host names, base file system, package manager, etc.
+Another great upside of a VPS is that since it's virtual, the company providing
+the VPS can dynamically increase the disk size, RAM size, or number of CPUs at
+any time. However, the virtual server is still physically located on a server
+that is shared between multiple virtual servers.
+
+The choice between shared hosting and VPS mostly depends on your skill level
+with system administration. If you're comforting working on a server that is
+mostly left up to you (or you're willing to learn), then a VPS is usually a
+better option. However, shared hosting is a fantastic option for people who
+don't want to have to learn how to manage their server.
 
 * My Situation
 
-I had used shared hosting for approximately 5 years before trying my
-first VPS. I manage a homelab and have had success running a server and
-performing typical sysadmin duties, but I was still hesitant to get a
-VPS. One fear was that I always struggled to properly set up the
-networking part of a server - DNS and hostname configurations were not
-my friend.
-
-As a little bit of background, I originally used
-[[https://www.siteground.com][Siteground]] for my initially shared
-hosting and stayed on that platform for at least a year. However, the UI
-was clunky, and I didn't like how they handled certain technical
-aspects, so I switched to [[https://www.namecheap.com][Namecheap]].
-Namecheap was great because it is the service I primarily use for
-purchasing domain names, which made it incredibly easy to link them to
-my hosting service. However, it was still mediocre shared hosting, and
-Namecheap is notorious for not letting you use
-[[https://letsencrypt.org][Let's Encrypt]] to obtain free SSL/TLS
-certificates; Namecheap wants to make you purchase certificates through
-their store.
-
-Finally, I settled down with [[https://www.iwebfusion.net][iWebFusion]]
-for about the last year of my shared hosting. This service was pretty
-great, came with free SSL/TLS, and I never had any complaints.
-
-However, I finally grew tired of not being able to install software on
-my own web server. I wanted to be able to try out things like
-[[https://postmill.xyz][Postmill]] or [[https://matrix.org][Matrix]].
-This is possible with a VPS, so I decided to grab a new domain name to
-try it out.
+I had used shared hosting for approximately 5 years before trying my first VPS.
+I manage a homelab and have had success running a server and performing typical
+sysadmin duties, but I was still hesitant to get a VPS. One fear was that I
+always struggled to properly set up the networking part of a server - DNS and
+hostname configurations were not my friend.
+
+As a little bit of background, I originally used [[https://www.siteground.com][Siteground]] for my initially
+shared hosting and stayed on that platform for at least a year. However, the
+user interface (UI) was clunky, and I didn't like how they handled certain
+technical aspects, so I switched to [[https://www.namecheap.com][Namecheap]]. Namecheap was great because it is
+the service I primarily use for purchasing domain names, which made it
+incredibly easy to link them to my hosting service. However, it was still
+mediocre shared hosting, and Namecheap is notorious for not letting you use
+[[https://letsencrypt.org][Let's Encrypt]] to obtain free SSL (Secure Socket Layer)/TLS (Transport Layer
+Security) certificates; Namecheap wants to make you purchase certificates
+through their store.
+
+Finally, I settled down with [[https://www.iwebfusion.net][iWebFusion]] for about the last year of my shared
+hosting. This service was pretty great, came with free SSL/TLS, and I never had
+any complaints.
+
+However, I finally grew tired of not being able to install software on my own
+web server. I wanted to be able to try out things like [[https://postmill.xyz][Postmill]] or [[https://matrix.org][Matrix]]. This
+is possible with a VPS, so I decided to grab a new domain name to try it out.
 
 * Getting Started: Buying a VPS
 
-The first step to moving over to a VPS is (you guessed it): finding a
-VPS provider. For my VPSs, I use [[https://1984hosting.com][1984]] and
-prefer their services much more than any alternative, due to their
-location (Iceland), their [[https://1984hosting.com/GDPR/][privacy
-policy]], their respect for GDPR, and the ability to remain anonymous if
-you pay in Bitcoin or Monero.
+The first step to moving over to a VPS is (you guessed it): finding a VPS
+provider. For my VPSs, I use [[https://1984hosting.com][1984]] and prefer their services much more than any
+alternative, due to their location (Iceland), their [[https://1984hosting.com/GDPR/][privacy policy]], their
+respect for GDPR, and the ability to remain anonymous if you pay in Bitcoin or
+Monero.
 
-[[https://njal.la][Njalla]] is another good, privacy-oriented option for
-VPS services.
+[[https://njal.la][Njalla]] is another good, privacy-oriented option for VPS services.
 
-You'll have to decide what specifications you want on your VPS. For me,
-I only build and deploy low-resource HTML, PHP, and Python websites.
-This means I can survive on the smallest VPS: 1 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and
-25GB SSD for $5.00 per month.
+You'll have to decide what specifications you want on your VPS. For me, I only
+build and deploy low-resource HTML, PHP, and Python websites. This means I can
+survive on the smallest VPS: 1 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 25GB SSD for $5.00 per
+month.
 
-As noted above, the great thing about a VPS is you can request your
-provider to increase the resources at any time.
+As noted above, the great thing about a VPS is you can request your provider to
+increase the resources at any time.
 
 * Configuring DNS Settings
 
-Okay, so now let's get into some actual work that has to be done to get
-content moved from a shared host to a VPS. At this point, I'm assuming
-you have a shared host with website content that you can still access,
-and you've purchased a new VPS and can SSH into that server.
+Okay, so now let's get into some actual work that has to be done to get content
+moved from a shared host to a VPS. At this point, I'm assuming you have a shared
+host with website content that you can still access, and you've purchased a new
+VPS and can SSH into that server.
 
-The first change is minor, but it should be done immediately in order to
-get things moving: DNS settings. Go to wherever your DNS settings are
-handled. If your shared host also managed your DNS settings, you'll need
-to first move that DNS over to your new VPS provider. For me, I route my
-DNS through [[https://www.gandi.net][Gandi]].
+The first change is minor, but it should be done immediately in order to get
+things moving: DNS settings. Go to wherever your DNS settings are handled. If
+your shared host also managed your DNS settings, you'll need to first move that
+DNS over to your new VPS provider. For me, I route my DNS through [[https://www.gandi.net][Gandi]].
 
-Once you know where your DNS settings are, go ahead and update the =A=
-records to match the public IP address of your VPS. For example:
+Once you know where your DNS settings are, go ahead and update the =A= records
+to match the public IP address of your VPS. For example:
 
 #+begin_src txt
 A         example.com     xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
@@ -112,36 +97,35 @@ A         subdomain       xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
 CNAME     www             example.com.
 #+end_src
 
-If you have any other records that require updates, such as MX or TXT
-records for a mail server, be sure to update those accordingly.
-Personally, I don't host my own mail server. I route all mail on my
-custom domains to [[https://www.migadu.com][Migadu]]. Hosting your own
-email server can become complex quickly and is not for beginners.
+If you have any other records that require updates, such as MX or TXT records
+for a mail server, be sure to update those accordingly. Personally, I don't host
+my own mail server. I route all mail on my custom domains to [[https://www.migadu.com][Migadu]]. Hosting
+your own email server can become complex quickly and is not for beginners.
 
-DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, so be sure to give it
-some time before assuming you've made an error.
+DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, so be sure to give it some
+time before assuming you've made an error.
 
 * Server Updates and Packages
 
-Now that the DNS settings have been changed, let's set up our server
-while we wait for the DNS to propagate. First up is to ssh into your
-server. If you've signed up with a service like DigitalOcean, you can
-add your SSH key to your account and to your VPS droplet so that you
-don't need a password in order to SSH.
+Now that the DNS settings have been changed, let's set up our server while we
+wait for the DNS to propagate. First up is to ssh into your server. If you've
+signed up with a service like DigitalOcean, you can add your SSH key to your
+account and to your VPS droplet so that you don't need a password in order to
+SSH.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 ssh [email protected]
 #+end_src
 
-The VPS that is used in this blog post runs Ubuntu 20.04 with an Apache
-web server. If you're working on a different operating system (OS) or
-want a different web server, such as Nginx, you'll have to use different
-commands to set it up.
+The VPS that is used in this blog post runs Ubuntu 20.04 with an Apache web
+server. If you're working on a different operating system (OS) or want a
+different web server, such as Nginx, you'll have to use different commands to
+set it up.
 
 First, let's update and upgrade our server.
 
-*NOTE:* Since we have logged in to the server as =root= for now, we
-don't need to use the =sudo= modifier before our commands.
+*NOTE:* Since we have logged in to the server as =root= for now, we don't need
+to use the =sudo= modifier before our commands.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 apt update && apt upgrade -y
@@ -149,11 +133,11 @@ apt update && apt upgrade -y
 
 * Create A User Account
 
-While being able to use =root= can be beneficial at times, you shouldn't
-use =root= unless you have to.
+While being able to use =root= can be beneficial at times, you shouldn't use
+=root= unless you have to.
 
-So let's set up a new user in our system. The =-m= option below tells
-the OS to create a home directory for the new user.
+So let's set up a new user in our system. The =-m= option below tells the OS to
+create a home directory for the new user.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 adduser USERNAME
@@ -165,40 +149,40 @@ Now, create a password for that user.
 passwd USERNAME
 #+end_src
 
-Finally, add the user to the sudoers file, so they can perform
-priveleged commands.
+Finally, add the user to the sudoers file, so they can perform privileged
+commands.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 usermod -a -G sudo USERNAME
 #+end_src
 
-If you are using SSH keys and not passwords, you'll need to copy your
-SSH key from your local machine to the VPS. If you haven't disabled
-password-based SSH yet, the easiest way to do this is =ssh-copy-id= from
-your local computer (not from the VPS):
+If you are using SSH (secure shell protocol) keys and not passwords, you'll need
+to copy your SSH key from your local machine to the VPS. If you haven't disabled
+password-based SSH yet, the easiest way to do this is =ssh-copy-id= from your
+local computer (not from the VPS):
 
 #+begin_src sh
 ssh-copy-id [email protected]
 #+end_src
 
-If you've disabled password-based SSH, you'll need to manually copy your
-SSH key into the =~/.ssh/authorized_keys= file.
+If you've disabled password-based SSH, you'll need to manually copy your SSH key
+into the =~/.ssh/authorized_keys= file.
 
 * Install Software
 
-Our goal here is to host a web server, so the next step is to install
-the Apache web server and any other packages we need.
+Our goal here is to host a web server, so the next step is to install the Apache
+web server and any other packages we need.
 
-From this point on, I will be logged in as a user (not =root=) and will
-need to use the =sudo= modifier for most commands.
+From this point on, I will be logged in as a user (not =root=) and will need to
+use the =sudo= modifier for most commands.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 sudo apt update; sudo apt upgrade -y; sudo apt autoremove -y
 sudo apt install apache2
 #+end_src
 
-If you need other language support, such as PHP, you'll need to install
-that too.
+If you need other language support, such as PHP, you'll need to install that
+too.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 sudo apt install libapache2-mod-php php-dom
@@ -208,19 +192,18 @@ sudo systemctl restart apache2
 
 * Website Files & Folders
 
-Next up is to create the directories for the domain(s) we want to be
-hosted on this web server.
+Next up is to create the directories for the domain(s) we want to be hosted on
+this web server.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 cd /var/www
 sudo mkdir example.com
 #+end_src
 
-We have a folder for =example.com= now, so let's add an =index.html=
-file and put it within a specific =public_html= folder. You don't need
-this =public_html= if you don't want it, but it helps with organizing
-items related to =example.com= that you don't want to publish to the
-internet.
+We have a folder for =example.com= now, so let's add an =index.html= file and
+put it within a specific =public_html= folder. You don't need this =public_html=
+if you don't want it, but it helps with organizing items related to
+=example.com= that you don't want to publish to the internet.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 cd example.com
@@ -228,8 +211,8 @@ sudo mkdir public_html && cd public_html
 sudo nano index.html
 #+end_src
 
-You can put anything you want in this =index.html= file. If you can't
-think of anything, paste this in there:
+You can put anything you want in this =index.html= file. If you can't think of
+anything, paste this in there:
 
 #+begin_src html
 <!DOCTYPE html>
@@ -245,9 +228,8 @@ think of anything, paste this in there:
 </html>
 #+end_src
 
-If you want something to be served at =example.com/page01/file.txt=,
-you'll have to create the =page01= directory under the =example.com=
-directory. For example:
+If you want something to be served at =example.com/page01/file.txt=, you'll have
+to create the =page01= directory under the =example.com= directory. For example:
 
 #+begin_src sh
 cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
@@ -257,9 +239,9 @@ sudo nano file.txt
 
 * Apache Configuration
 
-Now, let's set up the files that will tell the server where to find the
-files for =example.com=. We will copy the default configuration file and
-create our own.
+Now, let's set up the files that will tell the server where to find the files
+for =example.com=. We will copy the default configuration file and create our
+own.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 cd /etc/apache2/sites-available
@@ -267,9 +249,8 @@ sudo cp 000-default.conf example.com.conf
 sudo nano example.com.conf
 #+end_src
 
-This configuration file will have a few default lines, but you'll need
-to edit it to look similar to this (settings may change based on your
-personal needs):
+This configuration file will have a few default lines, but you'll need to edit
+it to look similar to this (settings may change based on your personal needs):
 
 #+begin_src config
 <VirtualHost *:80>
@@ -291,31 +272,30 @@ sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf
 sudo systemctl reload apache2
 #+end_src
 
-You can always run a test to make sure no errors or warnings are found
-in your configuration files.
+You can always run a test to make sure no errors or warnings are found in your
+configuration files.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 sudo apache2ctl configtest
 #+end_src
 
-Now, restart the web server entirely. After this, you should be able to
-browse to =http://example.com= and see the HTML content you provided
-earlier. Note that SSL/TLS has not been enabled yet, so you won't be
+Now, restart the web server entirely. After this, you should be able to browse
+to =http://example.com= and see the HTML (hypertext markup language) content you
+provided earlier. Note that SSL/TLS has not been enabled yet, so you won't be
 able to use the secure version yet (=https://example.com=).
 
 #+begin_src sh
 sudo systemctl restart apache2
 #+end_src
 
-You can repeat this for as many websites as you need. Just create the
-domain folders in =/var/www/=, add the configuration file, enable the
-configuration, and restart =apache2=.
+You can repeat this for as many websites as you need. Just create the domain
+folders in =/var/www/=, add the configuration file, enable the configuration,
+and restart =apache2=.
 
 * SSL/TLS Certificates: Serve Websites Over HTTPS
 
-In order to serve secure content, you'll need to obtain SSL/TLS
-certificates. Luckily, there's a free tool called
-[[https://certbot.eff.org][Certbot]] that helps us with the process.
+In order to serve secure content, you'll need to obtain SSL/TLS certificates.
+Luckily, there's a free tool called [[https://certbot.eff.org][Certbot]] that helps us with the process.
 
 The first step is to install =snapd= and =core= for Ubuntu.
 
@@ -340,10 +320,10 @@ sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot
 
 Finally, you can run =certbot= one of two ways:
 
-1. run it and let it alter your Apache configuration files automatically
-   to enable HTTPS redirects.
-2. run it and only allow it to create certificates. You'll need to
-   manually alter the config files to enable HTTPS redirects.
+1. run it and let it alter your Apache configuration files automatically to
+   enable HTTPS (Hypertext Transport Protocol) redirects.
+2. run it and only allow it to create certificates. You'll need to manually
+   alter the config files to enable HTTPS redirects.
 
 Run certbot and allow automatic config changes:
 
@@ -358,11 +338,10 @@ files:
 sudo certbot certonly --apache
 #+end_src
 
-The Certbot packages on your system come with a cron job or systemd
-timer that will renew your certificates automatically before they
-expire. You will not need to run Certbot again unless you change your
-configuration. You can test automatic renewal for your certificates by
-running this command:
+The Certbot packages on your system come with a =cron= job or =systemd= timer
+that will renew your certificates automatically before they expire. You will not
+need to run Certbot again unless you change your configuration. You can test
+automatic renewal for your certificates by running this command:
 
 #+begin_src sh
 sudo certbot renew --dry-run
@@ -373,13 +352,11 @@ Now, test your domains by going to =https://example.com=.
 * Firewall Security
 
 To enable better security on your server, you'll need to enable a basic
-firewall. For Ubuntu, we'll use
-[[../secure-your-network-with-the-uncomplicated-firewall/][the
-uncomplicated firewall]].
+firewall. For Ubuntu, we'll use [[https://cleberg.net/blog/ufw.html][the uncomplicated firewall]].
 
-Now, add the following rules to the firewall allow SSH, Apache, and
-HTTP(S) connections. If you need to, you can enable different ports for
-specifics applications, SFTP, etc.
+Now, add the following rules to the firewall allow SSH, Apache, and HTTP(S)
+connections. If you need to, you can enable different ports for specific
+applications.
 
 #+begin_src sh
 sudo ufw default deny incoming
@@ -397,15 +374,13 @@ sudo ufw enable
 
 * Troubleshooting
 
-If you run into any issues during your VPS set-up, be sure to walk back
-through your actions and make sure you didn't miss any steps.
+If you run into any issues during your VPS set-up, be sure to walk back through
+your actions and make sure you didn't miss any steps.
 
-Many websites have fantastic guides to setting up various web servers.
-This is one of the areas
-[[https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials][where DigitalOcean
-shines]]. For simpler or more Linux-oriented questions, I suggest using
-[Linuxize] ([[https://linuxize.com]]).
+Many websites have fantastic guides to setting up various web servers. This is
+one of the areas [[https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials][where DigitalOcean shines]]. For simpler or more Linux-oriented
+questions, I suggest using [Linuxize] ([[https://linuxize.com]]).
 
-If you're getting certain errors (e.g. =500 Internal Server Error=) and
-need to debug locally, you can view the =access.log= and =error.log=
-files in the =/var/log/apache/= directory.
+If you're getting certain errors (e.g. =500 Internal Server Error=) and need to
+debug locally, you can view the =access.log= and =error.log= files in the
+=/var/log/apache/= directory.