Step 1: Create a New Server Instance

  • Choose a cloud provider (AWS, DigitalOcean, Google Cloud, etc.).
  • Launch a virtual server (instance) this configuration for ubuntu/ linux based but the process is almost same and there few changes according tot he environment
  • Copy the public IP address — this is how you’ll access your server online.

Step 2: Install a Web Server (Nginx or Apache)

  • Connect to your server via SSH.
  • Install one of the following:
  • Nginx: sudo apt install nginx
  • Apache: sudo apt install apache2

Step 3: Test Server with IP Address

  • Open a browser.
  • Enter your server’s public IP.
  • You should see a default welcome page (Nginx or Apache) — this confirms the server is active.

Step 4: Point Your Domain to the Server

  • Log into your domain provider’s dashboard.
  • Go to DNS settings.
  • Add an A record:
  • Host: @
  • Points to: Your public IP
  • TTL: Automatic or 3600 seconds

DNS vs. Nameservers

  • DNS Records connect your domain name to your server’s IP.
  • Nameservers decide where DNS is managed (usually your domain provider unless using services like Cloudflare).

👉 Read our full blog on DNS vs Nameservers here that shows understanding between DNS and nameservers also how to configure it

Configure Your Server to Host a Website

Step 5: Configure Nginx to Serve Your Website

  1. Navigate to the Nginx configuration directory:
    bash cd /etc/nginx/sites-available/ sudo nano example.com

  2. Add the following configuration to the file:
    nginx

server {

listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;

root /var/www/example.com;
index index.html index.htm;

location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
}
}

Step 6: Enable the Site

  1. Create your website directory:

bash sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example.com sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/example.com

  1. Add a basic index.html file inside that folder.

  2. Enable your site by linking it to the sites-enabled directory:

bash sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ sudo nginx -t sudo systemctl reload nginx

Step 7: Check If Domain Is Pointed Correctly

  • Use the ping command to test your domain:

bash ping example.com
* If it returns your server’s IP address, your domain is correctly pointed.

Step 8: Secure Your Website with an SSL Certificate

  1. Install Certbot for Nginx:

bash sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

  1. Run Certbot to automatically configure SSL:

bash sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com

  • This enables HTTPS (port 443) and redirects all HTTP traffic to HTTPS.

Final Step: Deploy Your Application

  • Your server is now ready to host any application (Python, Node.js, etc.).

  • Upload your code or application files to:

/var/www/example.com

  • Nginx will serve your app through your custom domain securely.