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Host websites for (Dev/Test/Prod) at home or small office

David Soden

Times have changed; people and companies are now putting everything online. Money is also of concern. Millions are out of work. What if you could learn to convert your home or small office pc into a REAL web & database server, pay no money, and only pay for just the domain name every year? Imagine how much money you could save on hosting one or more websites this way? Great for working with clients, testing new development, or just hosting the end final product, even a WordPress site. Convenience is the real benefit as everything is local, save time constantly from uploading your website again and again with each change. Everything is local. The first half of the course is free; I want you to see if you can get comfortable with some technical terms. I even include a practice test to make sure you have what you need before proceeding to the next steps of doing the actual work. If you feel comfortable and follow along, you should pay to get the full course, test, and information, including the great downloads. If you are just curious about how the Internet works, then enjoy just the free portion as my thank you to you for taking the time to view my videos and this course.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Simple & basic internet networking
  • Basic firewall and security
  • Web hosting & database software
  • How to host multiple websites with different domain names
  • Ssl certificates
  • Wordpress examples

Syllabus

Introduction
Understanding internet terminology like "IP Address", "DHCP", "DNS", "FIREWALL", and how the internet works generally speaking. Please pass the practice test before paying for the course.
Read more
READ ME PLEASE - IMPORTANT!
Connecting to the Internet
What is hosting
How Domain Names Work
IP Addresses
IP Address Assignments
IP Addresses At Home
Exceptions To IP Addresses

Use this test to see if you learned enough to continue for the rest of the course

Solving IP Address Change Problems
Prepping Your Home for Hosting
PC and Network Settings - Part 1
PC and Network Settings - Part 2
Domain Names
Buy a Domain Name
Cloudflare Additional Option
DNS
Solving the DHCP ISP Problem
Building a Web & Database Server on your home PC
Web and DB Server - Part 1
Web and DB Server - Part 2
XAMPP - Tweaks
Securing & Backing-Up
Configuring SSL Certificates
Backing up your PC/Server
WordPress
Installing WordPress - QuickStart Kit
WordPress Best Practice - Make New Admin
WordPress Best Practice - Email Issues
WordPress Best Practice - Sending Email
WordPress Best Practice - Securing Wordpress
WordPress Best Practice - Wordfence 2FA
WordPress Best Practice - Change /wp-admin
WordPress Best Practice - Backup Plugin
WordPress Default Account Recovery
Corrections, Advanced Topics & Bonus Content
CERTBOT SSL Correction & Renew Certificates
DirectUpdate - MultiSite DNS updater
EspoCRM Part 1
EspoCRM Part 2
EspoCRM Part 3
2023 - Cloudflare Tunnel - no need for Dynamic DNS or holes in your firewall
Class Resources & Downloads

I have provided 3 files - each File is a Dave's WordPress Quickstart Kit.

  • The file that begins with the letter "a" is the Quickstart Kit with the Divi Theme & Builder.

  • The file that begins with the letter "b" is the Quickstart Kit with the Elementor Builder

  • The file that begins with the letter "wp" is the Quickstart Kit with the native WordPress Gutenburgh Builder

Download the attached content

httpd-vhosts.conf Example
Wordfence Import Key
SQL Statement for Default User - Recovery Access
If you chose to buy your domain from Cloudflare - here is how to configure it
Forcing your site to use HTTPS (SSL)

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Host websites for (Dev/Test/Prod) at home or small office with these activities:
Review Basic Networking Concepts
Solidify your understanding of fundamental networking concepts before diving into hosting. This will make the course material easier to grasp.
Show steps
  • Review definitions of IP addresses, DHCP, DNS, and firewalls.
  • Research how these components interact to enable internet access.
  • Take a practice quiz on networking fundamentals.
Review 'Networking All-in-One For Dummies'
Gain a broader understanding of networking concepts to better contextualize the course material.
View Microsoft 365 PowerPoint For Dummies on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the sections on IP addressing, DNS, and firewalls.
  • Take notes on key concepts and definitions.
  • Relate the book's explanations to the course's introductory material.
Set up a Test Website
Practice setting up a basic website on your local machine using XAMPP. This hands-on experience will reinforce the concepts taught in the course.
Show steps
  • Install XAMPP on your computer.
  • Create a simple HTML page.
  • Place the HTML page in the XAMPP 'htdocs' directory.
  • Access the page through your web browser using 'localhost'.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Review 'WordPress All-in-One For Dummies'
Gain a deeper understanding of WordPress to better utilize it for web hosting.
View WordPress All-in-One For Dummies on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the sections on WordPress installation and configuration.
  • Explore the chapters on theme customization and plugin management.
  • Experiment with the techniques described in the book on your test website.
Document Your Hosting Setup
Create a detailed document outlining the steps you took to set up your web server. This will help solidify your understanding and serve as a reference for future troubleshooting.
Show steps
  • Record each step of the server setup process.
  • Include screenshots of configuration settings.
  • Explain the purpose of each setting and its impact.
  • Organize the document in a clear and logical manner.
Follow Advanced WordPress Tutorials
Explore advanced WordPress topics like security hardening, plugin development, and theme customization to deepen your knowledge.
Show steps
  • Find tutorials on WordPress security best practices.
  • Implement the security measures described in the tutorials.
  • Explore tutorials on creating custom WordPress themes or plugins.
Contribute to a WordPress Plugin
Contribute to an open-source WordPress plugin project. This will provide practical experience and expose you to real-world development workflows.
Show steps
  • Find an open-source WordPress plugin project on GitHub.
  • Identify a bug or feature request to work on.
  • Fork the repository and make your changes.
  • Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete Host websites for (Dev/Test/Prod) at home or small office will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Web Developer
Web developers design, build, and maintain websites. This course helps web developers gain a better understanding of how to host their own websites for development, testing, or production purposes. The course will be useful for web developers. Skills in configuring DNS, solving IP address problems, and setting up web and database servers, as covered in this course, are directly applicable to the tasks of a web developer. The course addresses the use of WordPress.
See salaries and explore the career path for Web Developer
Webmaster
A webmaster is responsible for maintaining and managing one or more websites. The course will be extremely useful for any seeking that role. Skills in configuring SSL certificates, securing web servers, and backing up data, as covered in the course, are directly applicable to the responsibilities of a webmaster. The course will be useful for anyone wanting to become a webmaster. Understanding how domain names work, configuring DNS, and troubleshooting IP address issues will prove greatly beneficial.
See salaries and explore the career path for Webmaster
Web Administrator
A web administrator maintains and manages websites, ensuring their functionality, security, and performance. This course helps build a foundation for website administration by covering essential topics like basic internet networking, firewall security, and web hosting software. Skills in configuring SSL certificates, securing web servers, and backing up data, as covered in the course, are directly applicable to the responsibilities of a web administrator. The course will be useful for someone hoping to administer web sites. Understanding how domain names work, configuring DNS, and troubleshooting IP address issues will prove greatly beneficial for any web administrator.
See salaries and explore the career path for Web Administrator
Systems Administrator
Systems administrators are responsible for the upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of computer systems, including servers. The course helps illustrate how to set up a web and database server on a home PC, as well as how to solve IP address change problems. Aspiring systems administrators benefit from the course. The course's focus on securing and backing up servers, as well as configuring SSL certificates, are critical for maintaining the integrity and security of systems. This information also helps systems administrators handle web hosting and database software.
See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Administrator
Information Security Analyst
Information security analysts protect computer systems and networks from cyber threats. The course helps build a foundation for securing web servers by covering basic firewall security and SSL certificate configuration. Skills in backing up PCs or servers, as addressed in the course, are crucial for protecting against data loss and ensuring business continuity, key responsibilities of an information security analyst. Information security analysts benefit from learning to secure WordPress.
See salaries and explore the career path for Information Security Analyst
Database Administrator
Database administrators manage and maintain databases, ensuring their integrity, security, and availability. The course helps database administrators to set up a web and database server on a home PC. Database administrator's can use skills in securing and backing up data, as well as configuring SSL certificates, to protect the integrity and security of databases. This is covered in the course. The course addresses the use of WordPress.
See salaries and explore the career path for Database Administrator
IT Support Specialist
IT support specialists provide technical assistance to users and troubleshoot computer-related issues. An IT support specialist will find this course helpful, as it clarifies internet terminology like IP address, DHCP, DNS, and firewall. The course offers an understanding of how the internet works. IT support specialists benefit from the course's practical guidance on solving IP address change problems and prepping a home for hosting, allowing them to better assist users with these tasks. The course also covers securing and backing up data.
See salaries and explore the career path for IT Support Specialist
Technical Support Engineer
Technical support engineers provide advanced technical support to customers and resolve complex technical issues. The course introduces students to internet terminology like IP Address, DHCP, DNS, and FIREWALL. The course offers insights into basic internet networking that are relevant to the role of a technical support engineer. The course covers solving IP address change problems. Learning how domain names work may be useful for the technical support engineer.
See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Support Engineer
Network Engineer
A network engineer designs, implements, and manages computer networks. This course may prove useful for a network engineer wishing to broaden their understanding of hosting. The course's exploration of basic internet networking, IP addresses, and DNS configuration provides valuable insights into the fundamental principles of network infrastructure. The course offers an opportunity for a network engineer to learn how to manage domain names and solve DHCP ISP problems.
See salaries and explore the career path for Network Engineer
IT Consultant
IT consultants provide expert advice and guidance to organizations on how to use technology to achieve their business goals. This course provides the knowledge and skills necessary to host websites at home or in a small office, as well as an understanding of internet terminology. An IT consultant might be a good fit for this course. Skills in configuring SSL certificates, securing servers, and backing up data, as covered in the course, are highly relevant to IT consulting projects. The course addresses the use of WordPress.
See salaries and explore the career path for IT Consultant
DevOps Engineer
DevOps engineers automate and streamline software development and deployment processes. This course may be useful for DevOps engineers implementing websites. DevOps engineers will learn the course's techniques for hosting multiple websites with different domain names. The course will aid the DevOps engineer in learning how to configure SSL certificates and securing the server. The course touches on the use of WordPress and the quickstart kit.
See salaries and explore the career path for DevOps Engineer
Software Engineer
Software engineers design, develop, and test software applications. This course may be useful for software engineers deploying software to the web. This is because the course covers the use of web and database server, and how they might be set up on a PC. Skills in configuring SSL certificates and backing up data, as addressed in the course, are relevant to ensuring the security and reliability of software applications that are built and deployed by software engineers.
See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer
Cloud Computing Technician
A cloud computing technician deploys, manages, and maintains cloud-based systems and services. The course's instruction on understanding how domain names work and solving the DHCP ISP problem can be valuable to cloud computing technicians. The course covers the use of Cloudflare. This may be useful for a cloud computing technician who wants to broaden their existing skillset. The course covers configuring SSL certificates.
See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Computing Technician
Technical Trainer
Technical trainers deliver training programs on technical topics to employees or customers. This course may be useful for a technical trainer looking to learn about hosting web sites. The course covers the use of web and database servers, and how to set them up on a PC. Skills in configuring SSL certificates and backing up data make the course helpful for any technical trainer.
See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Trainer
Solutions Architect
Solutions architects design and implement IT solutions that meet business requirements. This course may be useful for solutions architects planning to host web sites. An understanding of how to host multiple websites with different domain names will be useful. The course covers the use of Cloudflare. A solutions architect may wish to understand internet terminology like IP Address, DHCP, DNS, and FIREWALL.
See salaries and explore the career path for Solutions Architect

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Host websites for (Dev/Test/Prod) at home or small office.
Cover image
WordPress All-in-One For Dummies
Save
Provides a comprehensive guide to WordPress, covering everything from installation to theme customization. It's a useful resource for both beginners and experienced users. It can be used as a reference text for the WordPress-related sections of the course. It provides additional depth on WordPress topics.
WordPress All-in-One For Dummies
Paperback
$$
WordPress All-in-One for Dummies (For Dummies...
Paperback
$$
Wordpress All-in-One for Dummies (For Dummies...
Paperback
$$
WordPress All-in-One for Dummies
Paperback
$$
WordPress All-in-One For Dummies
Kindle Edition
$$
Cover image
Microsoft 365 PowerPoint For Dummies
Save
Provides a broad overview of networking concepts, suitable for beginners. It covers topics like IP addressing, DNS, and security, which are essential for understanding web hosting. While not a deep dive, it's a good resource for building a foundational understanding. It is useful as additional reading to supplement the course.
Microsoft 365 PowerPoint For Dummies
Paperback
$$

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Effort
5.5 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructor
David Soden
Language
English
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