How to host Moodle on Vultr Server - ServerAvatar

Moodle is an 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. Hosting Moodle on Vultr offers a dependable and scalable solution, with a range of instance options and straightforward deployment features. ServerAvatar enhances the process by providing intuitive steps to setting up Moodle on Vultr's VPS, simplifying the deployment process.

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 to our Vultr cloud guide.

Step 1: Go to the Instance Creation Page

Vultr provides different types of cloud instances. From the server creation page, you can create cloud instances such as 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 the Server

You can create 4 different types of cloud instances which includes 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 the Optimised Cloud Compute instance, You will see the options like this as shown in the image below:

Step 4: Select Server Location

Location is a 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, a 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 with a small configuration and then upgrade it according to 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 addition to this feature, You can enable DDOS Protection and other options according to your requirements.

Do not enable the "No Public IPv4 Address" option. It will create the server without IPv4, which is impossible to connect with ServerAvatar.

Step 8: Select an SSH Key

If you use an 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 don’t want to use SSH keys, Ignore this option. You can still connect to your server by using the password.

Step 9: Firewall Group

If you are using the Vultr firewall, You can select the firewall group from here.

If you do not have the 43210 port enabled in your firewall group, you need to configure it to connect a server with ServerAvatar.

Step 10: Server Hostname and Label

In this step, you have to choose the hostname and the label for the server. You can set the same hostname and label. They are used for identification purposes 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

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.