How do you use VPS as a developer platform?
Working from a Virtual Private Server (VPS) has many benefits that reflect modern-day developer preferences.
This post highlights such advantages and takes the reader through some must-have tools and operating systems essential in streamlining their development workflows.
Benefits of a VPS in Development
Accessibility and Mobility - One fascinating trait of VPS hosting is the fantastic level of accessibility that comes with it. This means that developers can tap into their work environments anywhere. This may be a laptop at a coffee shop or a mobile device in transit. This is enabled by cloud-based IDEs, such as Code anywhere and Cloud9, which offer full development features even on the move. It is invaluable flexibility for freelancers and remote teams to keep track of their productivity without being hoarded in a place.
Isolation and Security: One of the most critical features is the complete isolation of each VPS from the projects or clients. This isolation is not restricted to the software-related dependencies of all client data and applications. There is an arrangement of isolation to the extent that legal and security parameters for all the client's data and applications are separated and secure from each other.
Scalability: The other reason it is recommended to be VPS is that one can scale resources according to the project. This helps enable developers to scale server capabilities, which not only helps them pay the right amount to the provider but also keeps them open to growth without being hindered by the local hardware's physical limitations.
Resiliency: VPS platforms are built on a resilient framework. They have automatic backup and smooth recovery processes that would allow quick service restoration within minimal downtimes, a factor necessary in consideration of front-end customer-based service that relies on high availability.
Core Tools and Technologies for the VPS Setup
Operating Systems: Choose an operating system that is of quality and gives room for easy software installation. Among the developers, the most popular operating systems remain Ubuntu and CentOS, as they offer stable, strong support for large numbers of development tools. So, the use of this operating system will entirely depend on the developer's knowledge of the platform and the exigencies of the projects at hand.
The Development Tools: Modern development is highly complemented by cloud-based IDEs like Code anywhere and Cloud9. These developments have reached huge heights by offering potent tools that can be accessed from anywhere. Even classical tools like Vim are used through an SSH connection, compounding classic development with modern, scalable infrastructure.
Version Control Systems: Git is by far one of the excellent tools for managing source code. Applying it in a VPS environment, every single change will be tracked keenly, and subsequently, they shall coordinate across the various stages in an organized manner.
Automation and Configuration Management: The other significant advantage of using Puppet is that it allows automation of provisioning and configuration of VPSs with the aid of an automation tool. This aspect actually increases the speed of setup processes and minimizes any human mistake possibilities, giving the environment stability and uniformity.
Common Web Development Needs on a VPS
Server Environment Setup: Setup of any server environment like LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) or MEAN (MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, Node.js) on VPS is pretty easy. The flexibility and control a virtual server offers empower developers with the efficiency of deploying these environments using just a few commands.
Database Management and Effective at That. In essence, fabulous and perfect database management is strategic; it leaves the developer to choose either SQL databases like MySQL and PostgreSQL, among others, or forego them for NoSQL like MongoDB, depending on the requirements of the application.
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): A CI/CD pipeline, when implemented on a VPS, can greatly increase the efficiency of development processes. It enables automated testing and deployment of changes to the code, with much more productivity and reduced chances of errors occurring in production.
