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citatech
citatech

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My NGINX Adventure: From Panic to Pride on a Fresh Ubuntu Server

šŸ‘‹ Let me tell you about the time I stared down a blank Ubuntu server and somehow turned it into a functioning web server. Spoiler: There were a lot of deep breaths, Googling, and celebratory coffee breaks involved. ā˜•

The Journey Begins: ā€œWait, Where Do I Even Start?ā€

So, the task was simple on paper: Install NGINX, serve a custom HTML page, and donā€™t break anything. But as a newbie, even ā€œsimpleā€ feels like climbing Mount Everest in flip-flops. Hereā€™s how I tackled it:

1.** SSH? More Like ā€œSOSā€**
First step: Connect to the server. I typed ssh username@my-server-ip into my terminal, held my breath, andā€¦ success! (No, I didnā€™t accidentally lock myself outā€¦ this time.)

  1. Updating Packages: The Calm Before the Storm
    Ran sudo apt update like a responsible human. Pro tip: Never skip updates. Theyā€™re like vitamins for your server.

  2. Installing NGINX: The Moment of Truth
    Typed sudo apt install nginx and prayed to the tech gods. A few seconds later, NGINX was installed! šŸŽ‰

  3. The ā€œIs It Working?ā€ Panic
    I checked NGINXā€™s status with sudo systemctl status nginx. When I saw ā€œactive (running),ā€ I did a little victory dance. (No shame.)

What I Learned

1.** NGINX Isnā€™t Scary , Itā€™s Your Friend**
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Configuring a web server felt intimidating at first, but breaking it down into steps made it manageable. Now I see NGINX as a trusty tool, not a foe.
2. Linux Commands Are Life
I finally get why people love the terminal. Running commands like sudo and nano made me feel like a wizard casting spells. šŸ§™ā™‚ļø
3.** Documentation Is Everything**
Writing this blog post forced me to reflect on my process. Itā€™s wild how much you learn by explaining your steps to others!

Why This Task Matters for My Future

This project wasnā€™t just about setting up a serverā€”it was a tiny peek into the world of* DevOps engineering*. Whether itā€™s automating deployments, managing cloud infrastructure, or ensuring reliability (shoutout to Site Reliability Engineers), tasks like these are the building blocks of bigger goals.

Iā€™m especially excited to dive deeper into specialties like:
ā€¢ Cloud Engineering (because who doesnā€™t love the cloud?)
ā€¢ Kubernetes (containers are magic, right?)
ā€¢ CI/CD Pipelines 
ā€¢ AWS Solutions Architecture, Azure DevOps, and Google Cloud Engineering (multi-cloud is the future!)

ā€¢ Platform Engineering (streamlining development workflows)

Every step forwardā€”even a ā€œsimpleā€ NGINX setupā€”feels like progress toward becoming a well-rounded engineer.

Final Thoughts: Youā€™ve Got This!

If youā€™re staring at a similar task, hereā€™s my advice: Breathe. Break it into tiny steps. Celebrate the small wins. And when you hit a wall, remember: Every error message is just a clue, not a criticism.

Want to explore opportunities in DevOps, cloud, or infrastructure? Check out HNGā€™s hiring programs, theyā€™re a goldmine for aspiring engineers!

And hey, if I can set up NGINX without burning down the internet, you definitely can too. šŸ’Ŗ

P.S. Want to see my custom page in action? Visit http://[my-server-ip]/ and look for the giant welcome message! (Or just imagine me grinning at a terminal. šŸ˜„)

References

All the cool engineering roles Iā€™m eyeing next:

DevOps Engineers

AWS Solutions Architects

Automation Engineers

Monitoring/Observability Engineers

Automation Engineers

Docker Specialists

Linux Developers

PostgreSQL Developers

Now go conquer your own NGINX mountain! šŸ”ļø

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