TaThanh03/Self-hosting

Deploy a simple documentation site

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#5 opened on Aug 29, 2025

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Description

Technical sketch: Deploy a simple documentation site on a free cloud server

🎯 Objective

The goal of this issue is to deploy a simple documentation site (MkDocs) on a free cloud server.
This is the first chapter of Part 1 in my self-hosting journey.
It serves as both a technical learning milestone and the foundation of my public CV.

  • Chap 1 of Part 1 → publish something visible on the internet.
  • Chap 2 will later migrate the same service to a self-hosted Raspberry Pi.

📝 Context

  • Belongs to Part 1: Host My First Doc Site.
  • Focus on public first, self-host later.
  • Audience: both technical (myself, recruiters) and non-technical (journal readers).
  • Each small objective should be rewarding → here the “reward” is having my first public doc site live.

📌 Deliverables

  • A GitHub (or GitLab) repository with MkDocs setup.
  • A running documentation site deployed on a free cloud VM.
  • A public URL that anyone can visit.
  • Documentation (journal entry) explaining: why, what tools, how to reproduce.

🛠️ Tools / Tech to Use

  • MkDocs (static site generator)
  • Git + GitHub (or GitLab) for version control
  • Cloud Free Tier (Oracle / AWS / GCP → choose one)
  • Linux basics (Ubuntu/Debian server)
  • Optional: Docker + Nginx/Caddy to serve the site

🧑‍💻 Skills to Gain

  • Provision a cloud VM on a free tier
  • Connect via SSH and perform basic Linux administration
  • Install MkDocs, build a documentation site
  • Deploy a static site to a public server (via Docker or web server)
  • Verify accessibility from the internet
  • Document the entire process in a reproducible way

✅ Definition of Done

  • A working documentation site is live on a cloud VM
  • URL is reachable from a public browser
  • Repository with MkDocs config + docs committed
  • Journal entry created in docs/part1-chap1-cloud.md
  • Screenshots or logs attached in this issue as evidence

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