CentOS

Latest Article:

CentOS - Nginx, Rails, and Mongrels

Following from the mongrel and mongrel cluster article, we can now look at configuring Nginx to proxy to a mongrel cluster so we can serve our Ruby on Rails application.

The process is very easy and can simply be repeated for serving multiple domains.

CentOS Setup:

CentOS setup - page 1: Your CentOS Slice will be a bare-bones install. We need to connect via SSH and secure it as soon as possible.

CentOS setup - page 2: Now we have configured the Slice to be more secure with SSH keys and a basic iptables firewall, we can carry on and update the Slice, ready for the rest of the server install.

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CentOS and MySQL:

MySQL with Rails and PHP options: Installing MySQL with Ruby on Rails and PHP integration is a simple process using the yum package manager.

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CentOS and Ruby on Rails:

Ruby on Rails: Our CentOS Slice is now ready for a Ruby on Rails stack with subversion and Postfix support.

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mod_rails Installation: Passenger (mod_rails) is an exciting and very easy to use method of serving your Ruby on Rails application.

Using mod_rails to serve your application: Now passenger is installed, let's see how to serve our Ruby on Rails application.

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Thin web server for Ruby: Thin is a well established method of serving Ruby on Rails applications. Let's look at the installation and configuration of thin.

Apache, Rails, and thin: Now we've installed and looked at configuring the thin web server, let's create an Apache vhost to proxy our requests.

Nginx, Rails, and thin: Creating a virtual host to proxy requests to the thin web server is very simple. Even easier then using mongrels.

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Mongrel and mongrel_cluster installation: Mongrels are one of the original ways of serving a Ruby on Rails application using a 3rd party server. Let's look at the installation.

Apache, Rails, and mongrels: Now we have mongrels and mongrel_clusters installed, we can move onto create an Apache vhost for our rails application.

Nginx, Rails, and mongrels: Creating a virtual host to proxy requests to our rails application is very simple. Using a mongrel cluster has never been easier.

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CentOS and Apache:

Apache and PHP install: Installing Apache 2.2 and PHP 5.1 on a CentOS Slice is simple using 'yum'. Let's go ahead and install the basics.

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Apache Configuration #1: Let's look at the main CentOS httpd.conf file and see what the settings mean and what effect they have.

Apache Configuration #2: Continuing from the first configuration article, this one looks at some further settings in the main httpd.conf file..

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Apache Virtual Hosts #1: Now Apache is installed and has been optimised we can configure it to host multiple sites by creating virtual hosts.

Apache Virtual Hosts #2: Continuing from the first vhosts article, we now look in detail at the available settings in the vhosts file.

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CentOS and Nginx:

Installing nginx via yum: Installing nginx on a CentOS Slice via the 'yum' package manager can be easily done by enabling extra repositories. Let's take a look.

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Installing nginx from source: Installing nginx on a CentOS Slice from source ensure you have the most up to date release to use.

Adding an Nginx init script: Installing Nginx from source does not create an init file. Let's rectify that so Nginx automatically starts on a reboot.

Nginx from source layout: Adjusting the default layout created when installing Nginx from source allows for much easier administration of the vhosts.

Nginx Configuration: Whether installed from the package manager or from source, we can take a look at the default nginx.conf file and see what can be improved.

Nginx Virtual Hosts #1: Now Nginx is installed and running we can configure it to host multiple sites by creating virtual hosts.

Nginx Virtual Host Settings: Continuing from the previous article, we can now look in detail at more of the settings available to us when creating a vhost.