From Zero to Production: My HNG DevOps Stage 0 Journey

I just completed a hands-on Linux server setup and deployment no Docker, no automation, just raw DevOps fundamentals.

Here’s exactly how I approached it:

1. Server Provisioning & Access
   Spun up a Linux server on the cloud
Connected via SSH using key-based authentication
Created a secure non-root user: hngdevops
Granted sudo privileges

2. Security Hardening
   Disabled root SSH login
Disabled password authentication (keys only)
Configured Uncomplicated Firewall:
Allowed only ports 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS)
Blocked everything else

3. Web Server Setup
   Installed and started Nginx
   

Configured routes:
/ → Static HTML page displaying my HNG username
/api → JSON response:
{
"message": "HNGI14 Stage 1",
"track": "DevOps",
"username": "my-username"
}

1. SSL Configuration Used Certbot to generate a valid SSL certificate Enabled HTTPS on the server Configured HTTP → HTTPS redirect (301)

5.** Validation & Debugging**

Ensured:
/api returns HTTP 200 with Content-Type: application/json
Username matches exactly (case-sensitive)
SSL is valid (no self-signed certificates)
Firewall and Nginx are active and correctly configured

Key Lessons
Most failures aren’t tools they’re mis-configurations (ports, services, permissions)
“Connection refused” vs “Timeout” tells you exactly where the issue is
Security first: lock down access before exposing your server

Live Demo

* Deployed and accessible over HTTPS 
This project sharpened my troubleshooting, Linux, and networking skills exactly what real-world DevOps demands.
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