Hey everyone, looking for some advice here.
I’ve been working as a backend developer but I keep running into the same problem. Over the last few months, I’ve completely messed up my server setup multiple times. Last week I restarted my VPS and couldn’t get back in because the SSH wasn’t working properly. Support told me the firewall was blocking it.
I can write solid backend code and build decent applications, but when it comes to actually deploying and managing them on real servers, I feel completely lost. Most of my work is freelance and personal projects, so I don’t get much hands-on server experience.
The thing is, I know my way around Linux pretty well since I’ve been using it for years. But when it comes to stuff like service management, web server configuration, and security settings, I’m always worried I’ll break something. Recently I spotted some suspicious login attempts on my server and wanted to set up some kind of protection against brute force attacks, but I’m honestly afraid to try it.
Does anyone have recommendations for learning resources that focus specifically on server administration and deployment? I need something that covers the practical side of things.
just curious - are you handling this solo or is there a team? it feels like you’re putting a ton of pressure on yourself since devops is a whole other field. what kind of projects are you working on that require custom server setups?
wait, what about using ansible or terraform for deployments? maybe it’s not your server skills - you just need a repeatable process. when you try recreating setups, do you actually remember every step you took?
Don’t worry - struggling with server stuff doesn’t make you less of a backend developer. They’re totally different skills, and plenty of great developers focus on code rather than infrastructure. Keep improving your programming while slowly picking up server admin skills on the side. DigitalOcean’s tutorials are fantastic for learning basics like firewall setup and fail2ban for blocking brute-force attacks. LinuxAcademy’s also great for hands-on practice with real scenarios. Spin up some cheap VPS instances to mess around with - you can’t break anything permanently, and it’ll build your confidence.
you’re overthinking this. backend dev doesn’t mean you need to handle sysadmin stuff too - most companies keep those roles separate for good reason. try managed hosting like heroku or railway first. way less of a headache than dealing with your own vps.
hey, i get ya. that feeling is super common. honestly, most devs nowadays lean on cloud services for this stuff. focus on your coding skills, and maybe start with Docker to ease into it. don’t stress too much about server stuff - it’s ok to not know it all!