format line wrapping and fix escaped characters

1 files changed, 162 insertions, 183 deletions

diff --git a/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.md b/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.md
index f3a29bf..508f720 100644
--- a/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.md
+++ b/content/blog/2021-03-30-vps-web-server.md
@@ -7,105 +7,96 @@ draft = false
 
 # Shared Hosting vs. VPS
 
-Choosing a place to host a website is one of the most confusing
-decisions for beginner web developers. Even for experienced web devs,
-choosing between different forms of web hosting can be a daunting
-choice.
-
-First, let\'s take a look at [shared web
-hosting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_web_hosting_service).
-Shared web hosting is a product where you are purchasing a small piece
-of a web server that is being shared between many websites. As a result,
-the cost of shared hosting is extremely low. You won\'t have access to
-the server itself, which means you can\'t install your own software on
-the server, such as Docker. Usually, you are simply allowed to connect
-your domains to the server, set up domain security, and other small
-utilities.
+Choosing a place to host a website is one of the most confusing decisions for
+beginner web developers. Even for experienced web devs, choosing between
+different forms of web hosting can be a daunting choice.
+
+First, let's take a look at [shared web
+hosting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_web_hosting_service). Shared web
+hosting is a product where you are purchasing a small piece of a web server that
+is being shared between many websites. As a result, the cost of shared hosting
+is extremely low. You won't have access to the server itself, which means you
+can't install your own software on the server, such as Docker. Usually, you are
+simply allowed to connect your domains to the server, set up domain security,
+and other small utilities.
 
 In contrast, a [virtual private
-server](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_server) (VPS) is a
-virtual machine that replicates the environment of having a dedicated
-server to yourself. You are able to control the virtual server\'s host
-names, base file system, package manager, etc. Another great upside of a
-VPS is that since it\'s virtual, the company providing the VPS can
-dynamically increase the disk size, RAM size, or number of CPUs at any
-time. However, the virtual server is still physically located on a
-server that is shared between multiple virtual servers.
-
-The choice between shared hosting and VPS mostly depends on your skill
-level with system administration. If you\'re comforting working on a
-server that is mostly left up to you (or you\'re willing to learn), then
-a VPS is usually a better option. However, shared hosting is a fantastic
-option for people who don\'t want to have to learn how to manage their
-server.
+server](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_server) (VPS) is a virtual
+machine that replicates the environment of having a dedicated server to
+yourself. You are able to control the virtual server's host names, base file
+system, package manager, etc. Another great upside of a VPS is that since it's
+virtual, the company providing the VPS can dynamically increase the disk size,
+RAM size, or number of CPUs at any time. However, the virtual server is still
+physically located on a server that is shared between multiple virtual servers.
+
+The choice between shared hosting and VPS mostly depends on your skill level
+with system administration. If you're comforting working on a server that is
+mostly left up to you (or you're willing to learn), then a VPS is usually a
+better option. However, shared hosting is a fantastic option for people who
+don't want to have to learn how to manage their server.
 
 # My Situation
 
-I had used shared hosting for approximately 5 years before trying my
-first VPS. I manage a homelab and have had success running a server and
-performing typical sysadmin duties, but I was still hesitant to get a
-VPS. One fear was that I always struggled to properly set up the
-networking part of a server - DNS and hostname configurations were not
-my friend.
+I had used shared hosting for approximately 5 years before trying my first VPS.
+I manage a homelab and have had success running a server and performing typical
+sysadmin duties, but I was still hesitant to get a VPS. One fear was that I
+always struggled to properly set up the networking part of a server - DNS and
+hostname configurations were not my friend.
 
 As a little bit of background, I originally used
-[Siteground](https://www.siteground.com) for my initially shared hosting
-and stayed on that platform for at least a year. However, the UI was
-clunky, and I didn\'t like how they handled certain technical aspects,
-so I switched to [Namecheap](https://www.namecheap.com). Namecheap was
-great because it is the service I primarily use for purchasing domain
-names, which made it incredibly easy to link them to my hosting service.
-However, it was still mediocre shared hosting, and Namecheap is
-notorious for not letting you use [Let\'s
-Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org) to obtain free SSL/TLS certificates;
-Namecheap wants to make you purchase certificates through their store.
-
-Finally, I settled down with [iWebFusion](https://www.iwebfusion.net)
-for about the last year of my shared hosting. This service was pretty
-great, came with free SSL/TLS, and I never had any complaints.
-
-However, I finally grew tired of not being able to install software on
-my own web server. I wanted to be able to try out things like
-[Postmill](https://postmill.xyz) or [Matrix](https://matrix.org). This
-is possible with a VPS, so I decided to grab a new domain name to try it
-out.
+[Siteground](https://www.siteground.com) for my initially shared hosting and
+stayed on that platform for at least a year. However, the UI was clunky, and I
+didn't like how they handled certain technical aspects, so I switched to
+[Namecheap](https://www.namecheap.com). Namecheap was great because it is the
+service I primarily use for purchasing domain names, which made it incredibly
+easy to link them to my hosting service. However, it was still mediocre shared
+hosting, and Namecheap is notorious for not letting you use [Let's
+Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org) to obtain free SSL/TLS certificates; Namecheap
+wants to make you purchase certificates through their store.
+
+Finally, I settled down with [iWebFusion](https://www.iwebfusion.net) for about
+the last year of my shared hosting. This service was pretty great, came with
+free SSL/TLS, and I never had any complaints.
+
+However, I finally grew tired of not being able to install software on my own
+web server. I wanted to be able to try out things like
+[Postmill](https://postmill.xyz) or [Matrix](https://matrix.org). This is
+possible with a VPS, so I decided to grab a new domain name to try it out.
 
 # Getting Started: Buying a VPS
 
-The first step to moving over to a VPS is (you guessed it): finding a
-VPS provider. For my VPSs, I use [1984](https://1984hosting.com) and
-prefer their services much more than any alternative, due to their
-location (Iceland), their [privacy
-policy](https://1984hosting.com/GDPR/), their respect for GDPR, and the
+The first step to moving over to a VPS is (you guessed it): finding a VPS
+provider. For my VPSs, I use [1984](https://1984hosting.com) and prefer their
+services much more than any alternative, due to their location (Iceland), their
+[privacy policy](https://1984hosting.com/GDPR/), their respect for GDPR, and the
 ability to remain anonymous if you pay in Bitcoin or Monero.
 
-[Njalla](https://njal.la) is another good, privacy-oriented option for
-VPS services.
+[Njalla](https://njal.la) is another good, privacy-oriented option for VPS
+services.
 
-You\'ll have to decide what specifications you want on your VPS. For me,
-I only build and deploy low-resource HTML, PHP, and Python websites.
-This means I can survive on the smallest VPS: 1 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and
-25GB SSD for \$5.00 per month.
+You'll have to decide what specifications you want on your VPS. For me, I only
+build and deploy low-resource HTML, PHP, and Python websites. This means I can
+survive on the smallest VPS: 1 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 25GB SSD for $5.00 per
+month.
 
-As noted above, the great thing about a VPS is you can request your
-provider to increase the resources at any time.
+As noted above, the great thing about a VPS is you can request your provider to
+increase the resources at any time.
 
 # Configuring DNS Settings
 
-Okay, so now let\'s get into some actual work that has to be done to get
-content moved from a shared host to a VPS. At this point, I\'m assuming
-you have a shared host with website content that you can still access,
-and you\'ve purchased a new VPS and can SSH into that server.
+Okay, so now let's get into some actual work that has to be done to get content
+moved from a shared host to a VPS. At this point, I'm assuming you have a
+shared host with website content that you can still access, and you've
+purchased a new VPS and can SSH into that server.
 
-The first change is minor, but it should be done immediately in order to
-get things moving: DNS settings. Go to wherever your DNS settings are
-handled. If your shared host also managed your DNS settings, you\'ll
-need to first move that DNS over to your new VPS provider. For me, I
-route my DNS through [Gandi](https://www.gandi.net).
+The first change is minor, but it should be done immediately in order to get
+things moving: DNS settings. Go to wherever your DNS settings are handled. If
+your shared host also managed your DNS settings, you'll need to first move that
+DNS over to your new VPS provider. For me, I route my DNS through
+[Gandi](https://www.gandi.net).
 
-Once you know where your DNS settings are, go ahead and update the
-`A` records to match the public IP address of your VPS. For
-example:
+Once you know where your DNS settings are, go ahead and update the `A` records
+to match the public IP address of your VPS. For example:
 
 ``` txt
 A         example.com     xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
@@ -113,37 +104,36 @@ A         subdomain       xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
 CNAME     www             example.com.
 ```
 
-If you have any other records that require updates, such as MX or TXT
-records for a mail server, be sure to update those accordingly.
-Personally, I don\'t host my own mail server. I route all mail on my
-custom domains to [Migadu](https://www.migadu.com). Hosting your own
-email server can become complex quickly and is not for beginners.
+If you have any other records that require updates, such as MX or TXT records
+for a mail server, be sure to update those accordingly. Personally, I don't
+host my own mail server. I route all mail on my custom domains to
+[Migadu](https://www.migadu.com). Hosting your own email server can become
+complex quickly and is not for beginners.
 
-DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, so be sure to give it
-some time before assuming you\'ve made an error.
+DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, so be sure to give it some
+time before assuming you've made an error.
 
 # Server Updates and Packages
 
-Now that the DNS settings have been changed, let\'s set up our server
-while we wait for the DNS to propagate. First up is to ssh into your
-server. If you\'ve signed up with a service like DigitalOcean, you can
-add your SSH key to your account and to your VPS droplet so that you
-don\'t need a password in order to SSH.
+Now that the DNS settings have been changed, let's set up our server while we
+wait for the DNS to propagate. First up is to ssh into your server. If you've
+signed up with a service like DigitalOcean, you can add your SSH key to your
+account and to your VPS droplet so that you don't need a password in order to
+SSH.
 
 ```sh
 ssh root@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
 ```
 
-The VPS that is used in this blog post runs Ubuntu 20.04 with an Apache
-web server. If you\'re working on a different operating system (OS) or
-want a different web server, such as Nginx, you\'ll have to use
-different commands to set it up.
+The VPS that is used in this blog post runs Ubuntu 20.04 with an Apache web
+server. If you're working on a different operating system (OS) or want a
+different web server, such as Nginx, you'll have to use different commands to
+set it up.
 
-First, let\'s update and upgrade our server.
+First, let's update and upgrade our server.
 
-**NOTE:** Since we have logged in to the server as `root` for
-now, we don\'t need to use the `sudo` modifier before our
-commands.
+**NOTE:** Since we have logged in to the server as `root` for now, we don't
+need to use the `sudo` modifier before our commands.
 
 ```sh
 apt update && apt upgrade -y
@@ -151,11 +141,11 @@ apt update && apt upgrade -y
 
 # Create A User Account
 
-While being able to use `root` can be beneficial at times,
-you shouldn\'t use `root` unless you have to.
+While being able to use `root` can be beneficial at times, you shouldn't use
+`root` unless you have to.
 
-So let\'s set up a new user in our system. The `-m` option
-below tells the OS to create a home directory for the new user.
+So let's set up a new user in our system. The `-m` option below tells the OS to
+create a home directory for the new user.
 
 ```sh
 adduser USERNAME
@@ -167,41 +157,40 @@ Now, create a password for that user.
 passwd USERNAME
 ```
 
-Finally, add the user to the sudoers file, so they can perform
-priveleged commands.
+Finally, add the user to the sudoers file, so they can perform priveleged
+commands.
 
 ```sh
 usermod -a -G sudo USERNAME
 ```
 
-If you are using SSH keys and not passwords, you\'ll need to copy your
-SSH key from your local machine to the VPS. If you haven\'t disabled
-password-based SSH yet, the easiest way to do this is
-`ssh-copy-id` from your local computer (not from the VPS):
+If you are using SSH keys and not passwords, you'll need to copy your SSH key
+from your local machine to the VPS. If you haven't disabled password-based SSH
+yet, the easiest way to do this is `ssh-copy-id` from your local computer (not
+from the VPS):
 
 ```sh
 ssh-copy-id testuser@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
 ```
 
-If you\'ve disabled password-based SSH, you\'ll need to manually copy
-your SSH key into the `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` file.
+If you've disabled password-based SSH, you'll need to manually copy your SSH
+key into the `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` file.
 
 # Install Software
 
-Our goal here is to host a web server, so the next step is to install
-the Apache web server and any other packages we need.
+Our goal here is to host a web server, so the next step is to install the Apache
+web server and any other packages we need.
 
-From this point on, I will be logged in as a user (not
-`root`) and will need to use the `sudo` modifier
-for most commands.
+From this point on, I will be logged in as a user (not `root`) and will need to
+use the `sudo` modifier for most commands.
 
 ```sh
 sudo apt update; sudo apt upgrade -y; sudo apt autoremove -y
 sudo apt install apache2
 ```
 
-If you need other language support, such as PHP, you\'ll need to install
-that too.
+If you need other language support, such as PHP, you'll need to install that
+too.
 
 ```sh
 sudo apt install libapache2-mod-php php-dom
@@ -211,20 +200,18 @@ sudo systemctl restart apache2
 
 # Website Files & Folders
 
-Next up is to create the directories for the domain(s) we want to be
-hosted on this web server.
+Next up is to create the directories for the domain(s) we want to be hosted on
+this web server.
 
 ```sh
 cd /var/www
 sudo mkdir example.com
 ```
 
-We have a folder for `example.com` now, so let\'s add an
-`index.html` file and put it within a specific
-`public_html` folder. You don\'t need this
-`public_html` if you don\'t want it, but it helps with
-organizing items related to `example.com` that you don\'t
-want to publish to the internet.
+We have a folder for `example.com` now, so let's add an `index.html` file and
+put it within a specific `public_html` folder. You don't need this
+`public_html` if you don't want it, but it helps with organizing items related
+to `example.com` that you don't want to publish to the internet.
 
 ```sh
 cd example.com
@@ -232,8 +219,8 @@ sudo mkdir public_html && cd public_html
 sudo nano index.html
 ```
 
-You can put anything you want in this `index.html` file. If
-you can\'t think of anything, paste this in there:
+You can put anything you want in this `index.html` file. If you can't think of
+anything, paste this in there:
 
 ``` html
 <!DOCTYPE html>
@@ -249,10 +236,9 @@ you can\'t think of anything, paste this in there:
 </html>
 ```
 
-If you want something to be served at
-`example.com/page01/file.txt`, you\'ll have to create the
-`page01` directory under the `example.com`
-directory. For example:
+If you want something to be served at `example.com/page01/file.txt`, you'll
+have to create the `page01` directory under the `example.com` directory. For
+example:
 
 ```sh
 cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
@@ -262,9 +248,9 @@ sudo nano file.txt
 
 # Apache Configuration
 
-Now, let\'s set up the files that will tell the server where to find the
-files for `example.com`. We will copy the default
-configuration file and create our own.
+Now, let's set up the files that will tell the server where to find the files
+for `example.com`. We will copy the default configuration file and create our
+own.
 
 ```sh
 cd /etc/apache2/sites-available
@@ -272,9 +258,8 @@ sudo cp 000-default.conf example.com.conf
 sudo nano example.com.conf
 ```
 
-This configuration file will have a few default lines, but you\'ll need
-to edit it to look similar to this (settings may change based on your
-personal needs):
+This configuration file will have a few default lines, but you'll need to edit
+it to look similar to this (settings may change based on your personal needs):
 
 ``` config
 <VirtualHost *:80>
@@ -296,35 +281,33 @@ sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf
 sudo systemctl reload apache2
 ```
 
-You can always run a test to make sure no errors or warnings are found
-in your configuration files.
+You can always run a test to make sure no errors or warnings are found in your
+configuration files.
 
 ```sh
 sudo apache2ctl configtest
 ```
 
-Now, restart the web server entirely. After this, you should be able to
-browse to `http://example.com` and see the HTML content you
-provided earlier. Note that SSL/TLS has not been enabled yet, so you
-won\'t be able to use the secure version yet
-(`https://example.com`).
+Now, restart the web server entirely. After this, you should be able to browse
+to `http://example.com` and see the HTML content you provided earlier. Note that
+SSL/TLS has not been enabled yet, so you won't be able to use the secure
+version yet (`https://example.com`).
 
 ```sh
 sudo systemctl restart apache2
 ```
 
-You can repeat this for as many websites as you need. Just create the
-domain folders in `/var/www/`, add the configuration file,
-enable the configuration, and restart `apache2`.
+You can repeat this for as many websites as you need. Just create the domain
+folders in `/var/www/`, add the configuration file, enable the configuration,
+and restart `apache2`.
 
 # SSL/TLS Certificates: Serve Websites Over HTTPS
 
-In order to serve secure content, you\'ll need to obtain SSL/TLS
-certificates. Luckily, there\'s a free tool called
-[Certbot](https://certbot.eff.org) that helps us with the process.
+In order to serve secure content, you'll need to obtain SSL/TLS certificates.
+Luckily, there's a free tool called [Certbot](https://certbot.eff.org) that
+helps us with the process.
 
-The first step is to install `snapd` and `core`
-for Ubuntu.
+The first step is to install `snapd` and `core` for Ubuntu.
 
 ```sh
 sudo apt install snapd
@@ -338,8 +321,7 @@ Next, install the `certbot` snap package.
 sudo snap install --classic certbot
 ```
 
-Execute the following command to ensure that the `certbot`
-command can be run.
+Execute the following command to ensure that the `certbot` command can be run.
 
 ```sh
 sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot
@@ -347,10 +329,10 @@ sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot
 
 Finally, you can run `certbot` one of two ways:
 
-1.  run it and let it alter your Apache configuration files
-    automatically to enable HTTPS redirects.
-2.  run it and only allow it to create certificates. You\'ll need to
-    manually alter the config files to enable HTTPS redirects.
+1. run it and let it alter your Apache configuration files automatically to
+   enable HTTPS redirects.
+2. run it and only allow it to create certificates. You'll need to manually
+   alter the config files to enable HTTPS redirects.
 
 Run certbot and allow automatic config changes:
 
@@ -358,18 +340,16 @@ Run certbot and allow automatic config changes:
 sudo certbot --apache
 ```
 
-Run certbot for certificates only and don\'t allow it to alter config
-files:
+Run certbot for certificates only and don't allow it to alter config files:
 
 ```sh
 sudo certbot certonly --apache
 ```
 
-The Certbot packages on your system come with a cron job or systemd
-timer that will renew your certificates automatically before they
-expire. You will not need to run Certbot again unless you change your
-configuration. You can test automatic renewal for your certificates by
-running this command:
+The Certbot packages on your system come with a cron job or systemd timer that
+will renew your certificates automatically before they expire. You will not need
+to run Certbot again unless you change your configuration. You can test
+automatic renewal for your certificates by running this command:
 
 ```sh
 sudo certbot renew --dry-run
@@ -379,13 +359,13 @@ Now, test your domains by going to `https://example.com`.
 
 # Firewall Security
 
-To enable better security on your server, you\'ll need to enable a basic
-firewall. For Ubuntu, we\'ll use [the uncomplicated
+To enable better security on your server, you'll need to enable a basic
+firewall. For Ubuntu, we'll use [the uncomplicated
 firewall](../secure-your-network-with-the-uncomplicated-firewall/).
 
-Now, add the following rules to the firewall allow SSH, Apache, and
-HTTP(S) connections. If you need to, you can enable different ports for
-specifics applications, SFTP, etc.
+Now, add the following rules to the firewall allow SSH, Apache, and HTTP(S)
+connections. If you need to, you can enable different ports for specifics
+applications, SFTP, etc.
 
 ```sh
 sudo ufw default deny incoming
@@ -395,7 +375,7 @@ sudo ufw allow Apache
 sudo ufw allow proto tcp from any to any port 80,443
 ```
 
-Once you\'ve added all the rules you need, enable the firewall.
+Once you've added all the rules you need, enable the firewall.
 
 ```sh
 sudo ufw enable
@@ -403,16 +383,15 @@ sudo ufw enable
 
 # Troubleshooting
 
-If you run into any issues during your VPS set-up, be sure to walk back
-through your actions and make sure you didn\'t miss any steps.
+If you run into any issues during your VPS set-up, be sure to walk back through
+your actions and make sure you didn't miss any steps.
 
-Many websites have fantastic guides to setting up various web servers.
-This is one of the areas [where DigitalOcean
-shines](https://www.digitalocean.%20com/community/tutorials). For
-simpler or more Linux-oriented questions, I suggest using \[Linuxize\]
+Many websites have fantastic guides to setting up various web servers. This is
+one of the areas [where DigitalOcean
+shines](https://www.digitalocean.%20com/community/tutorials). For simpler or
+more Linux-oriented questions, I suggest using [Linuxize]
 (<https://linuxize.com>).
 
-If you\'re getting certain errors (e.g.
-`500 Internal Server Error`) and need to debug locally, you
-can view the `access.log` and `error.log` files in
-the `/var/log/apache/` directory.
+If you're getting certain errors (e.g. `500 Internal Server Error`) and need to
+debug locally, you can view the `access.log` and `error.log` files in the
+`/var/log/apache/` directory.