Create a Cloud Instance in Vultr
To create a server in Vultr, follow the below given steps. If you want to learn How to use Vultr to manage your infrastructure in Vultr, You can refer our Vultr cloud guide.
Step 1: Go to Instance Creation Page
Vultr provides lots of different types of cloud instances. From the server creation page, you can create lots of different types of cloud instances, like Regular VMs, Dedicated, Bare Metal, Cloud GPUs and some managed services.
To access the server creation page, log in to your Vultr account and click on the Deploy New Server option from the + button given on the dashboard.
Step 2: Choose Server
You can create 4 different types of cloud instances. They are Optimised cloud compute, Cloud compute, Cloud GPU and Bare Metal. Select the one that fits your requirements.
Step 3: Choose Server Type
Based on your selection of the server in the second step, You will have to select a specific type of server. If you have selected Optimised cloud compute instance, You will see options like the following image.
Step 4: Select Server Location
Location is very important option. Make sure to select a server location closest to your major traffic source demographically. You can select locations in 5 different continents.
Step 5: Select Server Image
In simple terms, Server image is an operating system running on the server. So here, You have to select an OS for your server.
If you are managing your servers with ServerAvatar, Select Ubuntu 20.04 or Ubuntu 22.04.
Step 6: Select Server Size
Here, Select a server size according to your requirements. If you are just getting started with the project, You can start small and then upgrade according to the future requirements.
Step 7: Add Auto Backups and Additional Features
We recommend you to enable auto backups for important websites or apps. If you are creating a temporary server, You can skip the auto backups.
In additional features, You can enable DDOS Protection if needed. Enable other options according to your requirements.
Do not enable "No Public IPv4 Address" option. It will result in a server without IPv4, which is not possible to connect with ServerAvatar.
Step 8: Select an SSH Key
If you use SSH key to authenticate with the server, Select an SSH key in this section. If you haven't uploaded your key yet, You can do it by clicking on the Add New option.
SSH key is not mandatory. If you do not use SSH keys, Ignore this option. You can still connect with server using password.
Step 9: Firewall Group
If you are using Vultr firewall, You can select the firewall group from here.
If you do not have 43210 port enabled in your firewall group, you need to configure it to connect a server with ServerAvatar.
Step 10: Server Hostname and Label
You have to choose the hostname and the label for the server in this step. You can set the same hostname and label. They are used for identification purpose only.
Step 11: Deploy Now!
Finally, click on the Deploy Now button to create a server. It might take a minute or two to fully boot up your server. Once it is ready, You will see it in the Products section in Vultr.
Initial Server Configuration
Now, We have a cloud server with Ubuntu installed. However, To install any application on this server, You need to configure a tech stack on the server. ServerAvatar does that automatically for you, as well as provides you an easy user interface to manage multiple websites on the server without ever touching the command line. You can also connect more servers in a single account to manage sites on them.
To start the initial server configuration, connect with your server via SSH and execute the following commands on your server.
# wget https://srvr.so/install
# chmod +x install
# ./install
Once the requirements are checked and installation is started, You will see a link to your server panel where you can monitor the further installation on web and install applications on it using an easy to use panel.
Install and Setup Drupal CMS with ServerAvatar
Step 1. Download Drupal Latest Release Zip file
Visit Drupal's official site and Download Drupal Latest release zip file. You can see the download page in the following image.
Step 2. Create a PHP Application
On the server panel, access the Application tab from the sidebar and click the Create button, as shown in the image below.
Next, fill in the required details to create an application, including the Application Name and Domain Name.
The latest version of Drupal runs on PHP version 8.1. So to change the version, check the Show Advanced Options box and change the PHP version of your application like the below image.
Note That:
If you want to host Drupal CMS on your domain, then make sure to point your domain to the current IP address of your server, and for that:
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Log in to your hosting provider site, where you buy your domain. You can check your domain information with one click.
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Access DNS Manager to edit your DNS records(contact the support team if you don’t find them)
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Change the IP address of A Record of your website to the current server’s IP address.
Click the Create Application button after filling in the required details.
Step 3. Create Drupal Database
On the server panel, Click the Database tab from the sidebar to create a MySQL database for Drupal.
ServerAvatar will create a database by filling in database details, including Database Name, Username, and Password.
Once you are done, Click the Create Database button, and ServerAvatar will create your database in seconds.
Step 4. Upload the Drupal Zip file
ServerAvatar has a built-in File Manager feature, so you won't need FTP clients to manage files.
To Upload a zip file on your application, go to the application panel of your created application in step 2 and click the File Manager tab.
Delete the index.html directory
Now access the public_html directory and delete the index.html directory to avoid forbidden errors on the site.
Upload Drupal Zip file
After deleting the file, it’s time to upload the Drupal zip file to the public_html directory. And for that, Click on the upload icon or Drag and Drop the zip file from your system.
Uncompress the Zip file
Unzip/Uncompress the uploaded Zip file in the public_html directory like the following image.
Delete the zip file after successfully uncompressed.
Move files to public directory
Click on the folder created in the public_html directory where all the files are located. Select all files, including hidden files and move them to the public_html folder.
Step 5. Install SSL Certificate
SeverAvatar allows you to install automatic SSL certificates with one click to keep users' data secure and verify your site ownership.
To install SSL on your website, click the SSL Certificates tab from the application panel.
Click the Automatic Installation button like the above image. You can also ensure Force HTTP to HTTPS to secure the communication between the browser and your website.
Step 6. Install and Setup Drupal
Open the URL of your application on the web browser. The setup page will appear like the following image.
Choose language
Drupal supports more than 100 languages.
Choose the one you want for your site and click the Save and Continue button.
Choose Profile
Select a profile from the given three installation profiles.
It would be recommended to Install the Standard profile and click the Save and continue button.
Verify Requirements
It verifies your site requirements and redirects to the next step if everything is fine.
Set up database
Enter the database credentials that we have created in step 3. It includes the database name, database user, and password.
Advanced Options include-
- Host: leave this field as it is if your database is hosted on the same server as an application
- Port Number: 3306 is recommended for MySQL/Aurora/MariaDB
- Table Name Prefix: Enter the database table name prefix as your choice
Click the Save and continue button.
Install Site
It can proceed to install Drupal on your site if all the information is correct. It’ll show you the installation status like the following image.
Configure Site
Site Information
Enter your site information, including-
- Site Name: Enter the name of your site as you want.
- Site Email Address: Automated emails related to the site, including reset password and registration details, will be sent from this email.
Site Maintenance account
Enter a Special user account information that can perform account-level tasks such as making backups and applying site updates. The account you set up has full administrative privileges.
- Username: Enter a username that is used for logging in to the Drupal Administrative interface
- Password: Enter the password for the admin login
- Email Address: Ente admin email address
Regional Settings
Enter the regional specific information, including-
- Default Country: Select the name of your country.
- Default Time Zone: Select a time zone based on your location
Tick all the boxes under the Update Notification section to automatically check for updates and receive notifications.
Click the Save and continue button after filling in the required details.
Step 7. Drupal Admin panel
Completing all the above steps results in access to the Drupal admin panel, which looks like the following image.
That’s it. Now you can create an intuitive website or complex web application easily with a few clicks.