my projects

Dockerize the App: I containerized the Flask application using Docker, learning how to manage app dependencies and deployment on a server. This was my first time using Docker on a production server, and I loved the flexibility it gave me to run the app anywhere.

DigitalOcean Deployment: For hosting, I used a DigitalOcean droplet running Ubuntu. I initially set up a more powerful droplet since I wasn’t sure about my resource needs, but later learned I could downsize once the app was running smoothly.

Nginx & Reverse Proxy: To handle web traffic, I set up Nginx as a reverse proxy. I learned how to route traffic securely using HTTPS with TLS encryption (thanks to Let’s Encrypt's tool 'certbot'), ensuring that data flowing between the client and server stayed private, and the server was secure from directory traversal, SQL injection, and XSS attacks.

System Monitoring with Splunk: I also set up Splunk for tracking system logs. This was a key learning point — I had to figure out how to forward logs from my webapp server to a separate server running Splunk Enterprise. I also got my hands dirty with networks because I had to set up a Splunk Universal Forwarder on the webapp host to send logs to Splunk Enterprise running on the other droplet. Once I was satisifed with the logs being forwarded, I navigated to my host's IP at port 8080 and was able to start making my dashboard and set up alerts, which has helped me keep an eye on things like web traffic, failures, attackers, and user base. I currently have 800+ users and 99% uptime, where the missing 1% was due to a maintence break.

Security Practices: Securing the server was one of my biggest takeaways. I Improved my ability with firewalls, input sanitation, networking, SSL/TLS, and reverse proxies. By setting up firewalls and TLS, I ensured the app was secure from potential attacks like port scanning, man in the middle, and server-side request forgery.