A Hands-On DevOps Practice Task
During one of our DevOps sessions in the Tech With Achievers bootcamp, our tutor gave us a practical assignment:
Create a personal portfolio and host it using Nginx on KillerCoda.
This was a great opportunity to get hands-on with Linux, Nginx, and basic web deployment.
In this article, I’ll walk you through exactly how I hosted my portfolio using KillerCoda’s free cloud playground.
🧩 Why KillerCoda?
KillerCoda provides temporary Linux environments where you can practice DevOps tasks without installing anything locally.
Perfect for learning Linux commands and testing quick deployments.
🛠️ Steps to Host a Portfolio on KillerCoda with Nginx
1. Launch a Linux Playground
- Sign up or login into KillerCoda. [https://killercoda.com]
- Go to Playground.
- Choose an Ubuntu environment.
- Wait for the terminal to load.
2. Install Nginx
Run:
Sudo apt install nginx -y
Verify the installation:
nginx -version
If it prints a version number, Nginx is good to go.
3. Navigate to the Web Root
cd /var/www/html
ls
You’ll find the default file:
index.nginx-debian.html
Feel free to remove it:
sudo rm index.nginx-debian.html
4. Add Your Portfolio
Create your own index.html:
Sudo nano index.html
Paste your portfolio code into the nano editor.
Save and exit:
CTRL + X > Y > Enter
5. Expose Port 80
On the left sidebar in KillerCoda:
-Open the hamburger menu
-Click Port 80
This exposes your Nginx server to the internet.
6. View Your Live Portfolio
KillerCoda generates a public URL.
Open it in your browser — your portfolio should now be live.
📚 What I Learned
How to install and configure Nginx
How static websites are served from /var/www/html
How ports work (specifically HTTP on port 80)
How cloud sandboxes help in DevOps learning
Practical web hosting workflow on Linux
This mini-project boosted my confidence in server management and basic deployment.
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