How to host Moodle on Hostinger VPS - ServerAvatar

Moodle is a widely used open-source learning management system (LMS) known for its versatility and robust features. It enables educators and organizations to create interactive online learning environments, facilitating course management, assessments, and collaborative tasks effectively. For deploying Moodle, Hostinger is an ideal choice due to its reliable, and easy-to-use cloud infrastructure. ServerAvatar simplifies the deployment of Moodle on Hostinger VPS (Virtual Private Server) by providing a user-friendly interface that automates the setup process, making it accessible to users with various levels of technical expertise.

Create a VPS in Hostinger

Getting started with Hostinger:

Discover how simple it is to create an account and set up a cloud VPS on Hostinger, one of the top hosting providers. Follow our step-by-step guide to swiftly establish your account to deploy a server and complete its initial setup.

What Is Hostinger?

Hostinger is a popular web hosting company known for its affordable hosting solutions and user-friendly interface, offering services like domain registration, website hosting, and cloud hosting to help individuals and businesses manage their online presence effectively.

Step 1: Create an account

• Log in to your Hostinger account. If you don’t have an account, create an account on Hostinger.
• After login, Click on the VPS option as shown in the image below.

Step 2: Select the plan

• Next, you will see various plans offering different specifications for hosting your VPS. Select the plan that best fits your requirements.

Step 3: Complete your Payment

• Now, you have to proceed to complete the payment for your VPS plan.

Step 4: Start with Setup

• Once the payment is complete, you will be redirected to the page to begin setting up your VPS. Click on the Start Now option to proceed.

Step 5: Select Location

• Next, you have to select the location for your server. Hostinger provides various locations for setting up your VPS.
• The general rule is to select the region that is closest to your audience. It means that for the majority of your audience, Your sites will load faster due to lower latency.

Step 6: Select an Operating System

• In this step, you need to select your server operating system. Generally, the Moodle application requires Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or a later version for compatibility and support. We recommend selecting Ubuntu 20.04 LTS x64 or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS x64. If you are using ServerAvatar to manage your servers, these operating systems are required.

Step 7: Adding Additional Feature (Optional)

• The next option is to install an additional feature to your VPS. You can enable the malware scanner by selecting the provided checkbox. This step is optional; if you want to add it, select the checkbox and click on Continue.

Step 8: Login Method

• Next, you need to set a Root Password for your VPS and provide a Hostname. Additionally, you can add an SSH Key, which is optional. Once you have completed these steps, click on Continue.

Step 9: Finalise Details

• In the last step of this process, you need to verify the VPS information. Click on the Finish Setup option to complete the setup process.

• After clicking the Finish Setup button, You can see the Initiating Setup process as displayed in the image below.

Step 10: VPS Management and SSH Key Access

• Once the setup is complete, you will find the option to Manage VPS, allowing you to manage your VPS from its Custom Dashboard. Additionally, you will have the SSH Access option, which enables server access via Terminal.

• Congratulations! You have successfully created your Hostinger VPS, which is now ready to connect with ServerAvatar.

Initial Server Configuration

The Initial server configuration includes the installation and configuration of various packages required to host your website. Usually, You have to write commands and modify configuration files. Luckily, With ServerAvatar, Your full server configuration and optimization can be automated.

Here are the three ways to automatically configure your server with ServerAvatar.

wget https://srvr.so/install
chmod +x install
./install

Auto-install Moodle with ServerAvatar

Step 1: Create a PHP application

To create a PHP application, access the Application tab from the server panel and click the Create button.

Now fill up the required details in the application form to create an application.

Click on the Create Application button.

Note that:

If you want to host Moodle LMS on your domain, then make sure to point your domain to the current IP address of your server, and for that:

1. Log in to your hosting provider site, where you buy your domain. You can check your domain information with one click.

2. Access DNS Manager to edit your DNS records(contact the support team if you don’t find them)

3. Change the IP address of A Record of your website to the current server’s IP address.

Step 2: Auto-install Moodle application

On the application panel, click the Auto deploy tab from the sidebar.

Now click on the Moodle Install Now Card from the list of auto-deploying applications.

It asks you to enter details to deploy the Moodle application, which includes-

Registration details

• Full Name: Full site name displays to your users on the site home page
• Short Name: Site short name
• Summary: A brief description of your course that will appear on your site's home page
• Database Server: Choose the server from the connected server in which you want to host your database
• Database Name: The name of your database

PHP Settings

• PHP Version: Select the supported PHP version of Moodle

Admin Information

• Username: Admin username
• Email: Admin Email address
• Password: Admin password
• Support Email: Support email for your user.

Click the Install Now button after filling up all the details.

Access your site URL from the application panel to log in to your Moodle Admin area.