Build Debian packages (.deb) using Travis

In this article, we are going to describe the steps required to build and deploy .deb packages allowing to distribute a custom-made software for any Debian or Ubuntu servers, using a 3rd-party service for the build process.

As mentioned in a previous article on building Python projectsTravis CI is service to provide continuous integration of projects hosted on GitHub. This is the 3rd-party service that we will be using to generate .deb packages from our files, being scripts, source code or compiled binaries.

The advantage of using a service to compile your code and build your packages is to avoid to have to maintain the infrastructure, share your work with anyone around the world, and allow to work from anywhere. Continue reading “Build Debian packages (.deb) using Travis”

Link an AWS server with a domain name

Website hosting as became simple and affordable, so much so that you don’t even need to purchase a website hosting anymore, but instead, for few $$$ per month, use a platform such as WordPress , you will be ready to publish content nearly immediately, after some time spent in achieving the look you need.

However, how do you host multiple projects that each requires particular technologies that aren’t bundled by default in common hosting providers? The solution is to purchase a private server that will let you have full control to allow you any required dependencies.

There’s multiple providers of virtual private server (VPS), which are all becoming cheaper and more powerful with time. In this article, we will look at purchasing an Ubuntu server from Amazon Web Services (AWS) as LightSail image. AWS was selected as it is currently the market leader for such services, and we choose the LgihtSail which comes as monthly flat-fee to avoid exponential costs. Finally, Ubuntu is the operating system of choice to allow portability to other cloud providers if we ever wish to switch. Continue reading “Link an AWS server with a domain name”