Setting up a development environment on a VPS server involves installing necessary software, libraries, setting up appropriate permissions, and configuring settings. This process can vary depending on your specific needs and the programming languages or frameworks you plan to use. Here, I will describe a general procedure using a Linux based VPS.
1. Get a VPS: You need to have a Virtual Private Server (VPS) to start with. Choose a provider and a plan that suit your needs.
1. Access the VPS: You can use SSH (Secure Shell) to access your VPS. On Windows, you can use a program like PuTTY, whereas on a Unix-like operating system such as Linux or Mac OS X, you can use the Terminal.
1. Update your System: It’s good practice to ensure that your system is up to date. If you’re using a Debian based system like Ubuntu, you can update all installed packages by typing `sudo apt update` and `sudo apt upgrade`.
1. Install Development Tools: Depending on your needs, these might include a text editor or Integrated Development Environment (IDE), Git for version control, etc.
For example, to install Node.js and npm, you would type: `sudo apt install nodejs npm` To install Python and pip (Python’s package manager), you’d type: `sudo apt install python3 pip`.1. Setup Code Editor: Install an editor where you can write your code. For instance, you can install and use an editor like vim by typing `sudo apt install vim`.
1. Setup your Project: Now you can clone your project from GitHub, Bitbucket, or wherever it is hosted. If it requires a special type of setup (like a .env file), handle that now.
1. Install Dependencies: Navigate to your project folder and install necessary dependencies using npm or pip.
1. Lastly, check the firewall of your VPS. You can use UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) to control incoming and outgoing traffic to your applications.
Remember to always keep your packages and system updated, this ensures you keep your system secure from any known vulnerabilities. Furthermore, ensure that your applications and services are also secure and follow good practices when deploying your application or services.
This can vary, for example, if you are using Docker or compiling languages like Rust, C/C++. Then you would need to install related packages and libraries.
Lastly, remember that a development environment needs to be identical to the production environment. This is important to avoid situations like “It works on my machine, but not in production.”
