VPS toolkit — the foundation under every project
Standardised server setup on VPS or Dedicated: Docker, Nginx/Caddy, UFW, fail2ban, TLS, restic backup, monitoring. Reproducible in 3–4 hours. The foundation under all my projects — and under yours on request.
- Setup time
- 12 min
- TLS
- 1.3
- Backup
- hourly
- Telemetry
- 0
What is this?
Every one of my projects — from the Matrix server through the cloud-exit stack to the AI chatbot — needs a securely configured server as its foundation. Instead of reinventing the setup each time, I have built a standardised VPS toolkit over the past years, which I also offer to clients.
What’s in the toolkit?
Base layer (always):
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, unattended-upgrades on
- UFW firewall with minimal rule set
- fail2ban + Crowdsec (community intel for brute-force defence)
- SSH hardened: no root login, key-only, fail2ban integrated
- Automatic system updates with logging
Application layer:
- Docker + Docker Compose (Podman as option)
- Nginx or Caddy reverse proxy (use-case dependent)
- TLS via Let’s Encrypt, TLS 1.3 + HSTS
- systemd units for application services
Backup layer:
- restic to Storage Box (encrypted)
- Daily backups, hourly snapshots for DB-heavy workloads
- Weekly automated test restore
Monitoring layer:
- Uptime Kuma for service checks
- Notifications via Matrix, Telegram or email
- Log rotation, central logging
Why own VPS?
- German legal basis — EU-GDPR provider, data centres in Germany.
- Price-performance — dedicated CPU cores from ~€10/month, ~5× cheaper than AWS/Azure.
- Stability — SLA in practice better than most hyperscalers.
- No lock-in APIs — classic VPS/dedicated, migratable to other providers any time.
The offering
Standard setup (Cloud VPS): Complete installation on VPS — base, application, backup, monitoring. €890–1,890 one-off + from €12/month hosting.
Dedicated setup (Rootserver AX): For more performance, GPU workloads (AI) or stricter privacy requirements. €1,890–3,900 one-off + from €40/month hosting.
Managed hosting (optional): Monitoring, updates, security patches. From €79/month on Cloud, from €149/month on Dedicated.
Status
In production since 2024 as the foundation under all my projects (Matrix server, cloud-exit stack, AI chatbot, coloring-page generator). Continuously developed. Reproducible in 3–4 hours — documented runbooks stand ready.
Outcomes
- Reproducible base setup in 3–4 hours
- TLS hardened (TLS 1.3, HSTS, OCSP stapling)
- GDPR-compliant log configuration from install
- Daily automated backups with weekly test restore
- Monitoring with push notifications on outage
- Documented runbook scripts for recovery and updates
VPS foundation for your applications?
Whether for a new web portal, your own cloud-exit stack or a staging server — I deliver a production-ready VPS setup in under a day. Including runbook, backup strategy and handover documentation.
Request a setup