Unlock the Power of DIY PaaS: Introducing CapRover

Are you tired of relying on expensive and limiting cloud-based services to deploy your applications? Look no further than CapRover, an open-source DIY Platform as a Service (PaaS) that puts you in control.

What is CapRover?

CapRover is an easy-to-use app/database deployment and web server manager that supports a variety of applications, including Node.js, Ruby, PHP, Postgres, and MongoDB. With its user-friendly interface, you can focus on building your apps instead of worrying about the underlying infrastructure. Plus, with One Click Apps, you can set up applications like Postgres, MongoDB, Plausible Analytics, or PGAdmin with just a single click.

The Cost-Effective Alternative to Traditional PaaS

Traditional PaaS solutions may be popular, but they come with a hefty price tag. With CapRover, you can enjoy the same benefits of a PaaS without breaking the bank. By deploying your own PaaS on your preferred infrastructure, you can save money and gain more control over your applications.

Key Features of CapRover

• CLI for automation and scripting
• Web GUI for accessibility and convenience
• No lock-in: remove CapRover and your apps keep working
• Docker Swarm under the hood for containerization and clustering
• Nginx (fully customizable template) under the hood for load balancing
• Let’s Encrypt under the hood for free SSL (HTTPS)

Getting Started with CapRover

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to install CapRover on your own Virtual Private Server (VPS), deploy a Node.js and Postgres application with a smooth CI/CD flow, and set up a secure password and SSL certificate.

Setting Up Your VPS

To get started, you’ll need to purchase a VPS from a provider like Digital Ocean, Vultr, Hetzner, or Linode. Make sure your VPS has at least 1 GB of RAM to avoid build process problems. For this tutorial, we’ll be using the CX11 VPS from Hetzner, which comes with 1 vCPU, 2 GB of RAM, 20 GB of disk space, 20 TB of traffic, and costs only $3 per month.

Installing Docker and CapRover

Before installing CapRover, you’ll need to install Docker on your VPS. Once you’ve installed Docker, you can install CapRover with a simple command:

docker run -d --restart=always -p 80:80 -p 443:443 -p 3000:3000 caprover/caprover

Configuring Your Domain and Firewall

Next, you’ll need to point your domain to your VPS and configure your firewall to allow incoming traffic. We’ll show you how to do this using Ubuntu 18.04 and UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall).

Initializing CapRover

With your VPS and firewall set up, you can now initialize CapRover. This involves installing the CapRover CLI, setting up a new secure password and SSL certificate, and configuring your domain.

Hosting Applications on CapRover

Now that you have CapRover up and running, you can host your first Node.js application on it. We’ll show you how to create a basic Node.js app connected to a Postgres database and set up a CI/CD flow that automatically rebuilds and deploys your app whenever you push to your master branch.

General Security Tips

As with any self-managed server, security is crucial. We’ll provide some general security tips to help you keep your server and applications secure:

1. Regularly update your system and dependencies
2. Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication
3. Limit access to your server and applications
4. Monitor your server and application logs