After debating for a while to get my own server or a VPS, I eventually chose for a VPS. The 2 main factors in the decision being the cost, but also kind of safety. Having a server running in your home 24/7 only increases risk. Beside that, a VPS allows for shared server usage. Thus being a tiny bit more environmentally friendly than my own dedicated server. 

Now what is a VPS exactly? A VPS stands for a Virtual Private Server. So a server for you alone. But a virtual one. So you don’t actually have one in your home. This can be slightly confusing, but it basically means someone else has this server in their building. It is likely that they have a lot of them. And you can access this server remotely. 

In the real basics. A server is a computer without a direct screen. So you can runs programs on it. That is all. 

Getting such a server setup for a first time isn’t nothing. Luckily a friend of mine with a lot of experience regarding servers and hosting guided me through the process in a call that lasted 2 hours showing me all kind of tools and mechanics useful in managing your server. 

One tool we used for running some discord bots permanently is called ‘pm2’. As stated on their own site. pm2 is a production process manager for node.js. Discord bots run with node.js so this is perfect. pm2 is a daemon process manager that helps keep applications online 24/7. And what the fuck is a daemon? A daemon is a weird term for a process that runs in the background. 

I also learned the very very basics of a docker so I can host this very website on my VPS! Very cool! I’m currently hosting this website, 3 discord bots on the VPS, and am planning on soon adding a Mnecraft server! A lot of options to explore. 🙂