Overview
This guide helps you get a basic website online on your VPS using either:
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Nginx (recommended for most users)
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Apache (popular and very flexible)
You’ll install the web server, open firewall ports, and test that your site is reachable.
Before you start
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These steps are written for Ubuntu/Debian.
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You’ll need SSH access to your VPS.
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If you already enabled a firewall, make sure ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) are allowed.
Step 1: Connect to your VPS via SSH
From your computer:
ssh username@YOUR_VPS_IP
Option A: Install Nginx (recommended)
Step A1: Install Nginx
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sudo apt update -
sudo apt install nginx -y
Step A2: Start and enable Nginx
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sudo systemctl start nginx -
sudo systemctl enable nginx
Step A3: Allow web traffic through the firewall (UFW)
If you use UFW:
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sudo ufw allow 80/tcp -
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
Step A4: Test Nginx
On your computer, open a browser and go to:
http://YOUR_VPS_IP
You should see the “Welcome to nginx!” page.
Option B: Install Apache
Step B1: Install Apache
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sudo apt update -
sudo apt install apache2 -y
Step B2: Start and enable Apache
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sudo systemctl start apache2 -
sudo systemctl enable apache2
Step B3: Allow web traffic through the firewall (UFW)
If you use UFW:
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sudo ufw allow 80/tcp -
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
Step B4: Test Apache
On your computer, open a browser and go to:
http://YOUR_VPS_IP
You should see the Apache2 Ubuntu Default Page.
Step 2: Upload a simple test page
This confirms you’re serving your own content.
For Nginx (default web root)
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cd /var/www/html -
echo "<h1>It works — Q-Fi Cloud</h1>" | sudo tee index.html
Restart (optional, but safe):
sudo systemctl reload nginx
For Apache (default web root)
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cd /var/www/html -
echo "<h1>It works — Q-Fi Cloud</h1>" | sudo tee index.html
Restart (optional):
sudo systemctl reload apache2
Now refresh:
http://YOUR_VPS_IP
You should see your new page.
Step 3: (Optional) Point a domain to your VPS
To use a domain (example: example.com):
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Log into your domain DNS provider
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Create an A record pointing to your VPS IP
Example:
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Host/Name:
@ -
Type:
A -
Value:
YOUR_VPS_IP
DNS can take a bit to update depending on TTL.
Troubleshooting
Site doesn’t load at all
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Confirm your VPS allows inbound traffic on port 80.
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Check firewall status:
sudo ufw status
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Confirm the service is running:
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Nginx:
sudo systemctl status nginx -
Apache:
sudo systemctl status apache2
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You see an old page / changes don’t show
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Hard refresh your browser (Ctrl+F5)
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Confirm you edited the correct file:
/var/www/html/index.html
Port 80 works but domain doesn’t
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DNS may not have propagated yet
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Confirm the A record points to the correct IP
Need help getting your site live?
Send us:
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Your OS (Ubuntu/Debian)
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Nginx or Apache
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Your domain (if using one)
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Any error messages or screenshots
We’ll help you get it online.
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