Self-Hosting Guides   >  The Bare Minimum

Install a Web Server

Checklist

Install nginx

The next thing you'll need to do is install a web server on your server so that you can host a website. There are many web servers to choose from, but for this guide, we'll be using nginx, a popular open source web server that's simple and lightweight.

To install nginx, open a terminal window on your server and type the following command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install nginx

Install nginx

That's it, nginx is now installed on your server!

Test Your Web Server

Now that you have a web server installed, it's time to make sure it's working properly. Open a web browser on your local computer and type your server's IP address into the address bar.

If everything's working properly, you should see the default nginx welcome page.

nginx welcome page (local)

Web Server Installed

Congratulations, you've successfully installed a web server and can now serve content locally on your network!

Next, it's time for the most exciting part, making your website publicly accessible to the rest of the world.