How to Build a Secure Web Server to Host Multiple Websites
✅ Requirements
– A VPS or Dedicated Server (e.g. from Hetzner, OVH, DigitalOcean)
– Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS (recommended)
– Root access or SSH access with sudo privileges
– Domain names pointing to your server IP
🧱 Step 1: Install Ubuntu Server
1. Download Ubuntu Server LTS: https://ubuntu.com/download/server
2. Install with minimal options (no GUI)
3. Set up SSH with a key pair (disable password login)
🔐 Step 2: Secure the Server
Run the following after your first login:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo adduser youruser
sudo usermod -aG sudo youruser
Enable the firewall:
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw enable
Secure SSH:
Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config:
PermitRootLogin no
PasswordAuthentication no
Restart SSH:
sudo systemctl restart sshd
Install Fail2Ban:
sudo apt install fail2ban
🌐 Step 3: Install NGINX and Certbot
sudo apt install nginx
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
Enable firewall rules for HTTP/HTTPS:
sudo ufw allow ‘Nginx Full’
📁 Step 4: Create Your First Website
Example domain: example.com
1. Create a directory for the site:
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/html
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/example.com
2. Create an NGINX configuration:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com
Paste the configuration and save.
3. Enable the site:
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
4. Reload NGINX:
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx
🔐 Step 5: Enable HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt
Issue a free SSL certificate:
sudo certbot –nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com
Enable auto-renew:
sudo systemctl status certbot.timer
🧠 Step 6: Optimize NGINX for Performance
Edit /etc/nginx/nginx.conf:
worker_processes auto;
events {
worker_connections 1024;
}
http {
keepalive_timeout 65;
client_max_body_size 100M;
}
Reload NGINX:
sudo systemctl reload nginx
🔁 Step 7: Repeat for More Websites
Repeat steps for each new domain:
1. Create directory: /var/www/yourdomain.com/html
2. Create and enable a site config in NGINX
3. Issue an SSL certificate with Certbot
🛡️ Step 8: Harden the Server
Enable Automatic Security Updates:
sudo apt install unattended-upgrades
sudo dpkg-reconfigure –priority=low unattended-upgrades
Monitor with Fail2Ban:
Configure jail rules in /etc/fail2ban/jail.local
Optional: Use a Web Application Firewall (Cloudflare, ModSecurity, or NAXSI)
📝 Final Checklist
| Task | Completed? |
|———————————-|————|
| Ubuntu Server Installed | ✅ |
| SSH Secured & Firewall Active | ✅ |
| NGINX Installed and Configured | ✅ |
| Websites Deployed via Virtual Hosts | ✅ |
| HTTPS with Certbot Enabled | ✅ |
| Auto Updates and Monitoring Set | ✅ |
🧰 Bonus Tips
– Use Ansible or shell scripts to automate site creation
– Add PHP-FPM if using WordPress or Laravel
– Install Webmin or Cockpit for GUI management
– Use Docker + NGINX Proxy Manager for a web-based control panel
🚀 Conclusion
You’re now running a secure, scalable web server for hosting multiple websites. With NGINX, SSL, firewalls, and monitoring, this setup is production-ready.
Need help adding PHP, MySQL, Docker, or deployment automation? Reach out or comment!
