Posted 5 days ago by Vanessa

Managing a Virtual Private Server (VPS) can be intimidating, especially for developers and entrepreneurs who want to focus on building applications rather than wrestling with server configurations. If you’re looking to host websites, web applications, or WordPress sites on a RamNode VPS without the complexity of manual server management, ServerAvatar is your solution.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through setting up ServerAvatar on a RamNode VPS, from initial server deployment to hosting your first application. By the end, you’ll have a fully managed server environment with an intuitive control panel that handles all the technical heavy lifting.

Why Choose RamNode + ServerAvatar?

RamNode VPS: Reliable and Affordable Cloud Hosting

RamNode has been providing VPS hosting since 2012, offering cloud hosting solutions with features like high-performance NVMe technology, a robust Tier 1 network ensuring consistent uptime, and flexible pay-as-you-go billing starting at just $4/month. Here’s what makes RamNode an excellent choice:

Key RamNode Features:

  • Global Data Centers: Locations in Atlanta, New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, and The Netherlands
  • Flexible Billing: Pay by the hour with PayPal, Credit Card, Bitcoin, WeChat, or Alipay
  • Multiple VPS Types: Standard KVM VPS (SSD-based), Premium KVM VPS (NVMe-powered), and Massive KVM VPS (HDD storage for large data needs)
  • Custom Features: Startup scripts, snapshots, custom firewalls, and OpenStack API included

ServerAvatar: Simplified Server Management

ServerAvatar is a server management panel that connects to your server in just 5 minutes through an automated installation process, immediately making your server ready to host applications. Perfect for users who want powerful server capabilities without the complexity.

ServerAvatar Benefits:

  • One-Click Installations: Auto-installer for more than 15 applications including WordPress, N8N, Mautic, PHPMyAdmin and other popular self-hosted apps
  • SSL Management: Install Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates on your sites with one-click using ServerAvatar control panel. SSL Renewals are automatic
  • Git Integration: Deploy your projects directly from git repositories with custom deployment scripts. You can integrate with Github, Gitlab and BitBucket
  • Multiple PHP Versions: You can host multiple projects on a single server with different PHP versions. Installed, configured and managed by ServerAvatar

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have:

  1. A RamNode Account: Sign up at RamNode.com if you haven’t already
  2. Minimum $5 Credit: RamNode requires a minimum of $5 to start your cloud account, and they offer a 25% credit match to save even more
  3. ServerAvatar Account: Create a free account at ServerAvatar.com
  4. Basic Server Requirements:
    • Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, or 24.04
    • A static public IP address
    • Port 43210 open for incoming connections

Step 1: Deploy Your RamNode VPS

1.1 Choose Your RamNode Plan

Log into your RamNode account and select a VPS plan that fits your needs:

  • Standard KVM VPS: Ideal for standard applications with fully virtualized SSD compute instances, memory options from 512MB to 8GB, CPU from 1 to 4 cores, and SSD storage from 10GB to 180GB
  • Premium KVM VPS: Best for applications demanding high-speed storage and processing power
  • Massive KVM VPS: Perfect for storage-intensive tasks requiring large bandwidth and disk space

For most web applications and WordPress sites, a Standard KVM VPS with 2GB RAM and 40GB SSD storage will be sufficient to start.

1.2 Configure Your Server

  1. Select Operating System: Choose Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (ServerAvatar’s supported versions)
  2. Choose Location: Select a data center location closest to your target audience to reduce latency and improve load times
  3. Set Root Password: Create a strong root password (you’ll need this for ServerAvatar installation)
  4. Configure Firewall: Ensure port 43210 is open for incoming connections

1.3 Deploy and Access Your Server

After deployment, you’ll receive:

  • Your server’s public IP address
  • Root password (via email or RamNode control panel)
  • SSH access details

Step 2: Install ServerAvatar on Your RamNode VPS

2.1 Connect Your Server to ServerAvatar

  1. Log into ServerAvatar: Access your ServerAvatar dashboard
  2. Create New Server: Click the Create → Server button in the top-right corner
  3. Select Server Type: Choose “Self Server” as the server type and select “Custom” as the cloud provider

2.2 Configure Server Connection

Fill out the server connection form:

  • Server Name: Give your server a descriptive name (e.g., “RamNode Production”)
  • Server IP: Enter your RamNode VPS public IP address
  • Root Password: Enter the root password from your RamNode deployment
  • Application Framework: Select the application framework you intend to host. Based on your selection, ServerAvatar will suggest the appropriate setup

Advanced Options:

  • Cleanup Server: Check this to automatically remove conflicting packages during installation, or uncheck to retain existing packages

2.3 Run the Installation

  1. Generate Installation Command: ServerAvatar will provide a unique server-specific installation command
  2. Execute via SSH: Connect to your RamNode VPS via SSH and run the provided command
  3. Monitor Installation: During installation, you’ll see real-time updates showing which services are being installed and configured

The installation process includes:

  • Installing a web server (Apache, Nginx, or OpenLiteSpeed)
  • Installing PHP and all supported versions (from 7.2 to 8.3)
  • Setting up MySQL/MariaDB
  • Configuring security settings
  • Installing SSL certificate management
  • Setting up firewall rules

The entire process takes approximately 5 to 15 minutes. Once completed, your server will be fully configured and ready to host PHP/WordPress websites directly from the ServerAvatar panel.

Step 3: Initial Server Configuration

3.1 Access Your Server Panel

Once installation completes, you’ll have access to the ServerAvatar control panel for your RamNode VPS. The dashboard provides:

  • Server Overview: CPU, RAM, and disk usage monitoring
  • Service Management: Start, stop, and restart server services
  • Security Settings: Firewall management and SSH configuration
  • Application Management: Deploy and manage your websites and applications

3.2 Essential Security Setup

ServerAvatar automatically handles basic security, but consider these additional steps:

  1. SSH Key Management: ServerAvatar allows you to set and change SSH port on your servers for enhanced security
  2. Firewall Configuration: Review and customize firewall rules as needed
  3. User Management: System user management in ServerAvatar allows you to manage multiple system users as owners of applications hosted on server

Step 4: Deploy Your First Application

4.1 WordPress Installation

ServerAvatar makes WordPress deployment incredibly simple:

  1. Create Application: Click “Create Application” in your server panel
  2. Select WordPress: Choose WordPress from the auto-installer for more than 15 applications
  3. Configure Domain: Enter your domain name or use a temporary domain
  4. Set PHP Version: Choose your preferred PHP version (7.4 to 8.3 supported)
  5. Database Setup: ServerAvatar automatically creates and configures the database

4.2 Custom PHP Applications

For custom applications:

  1. Application Type: Select “Custom PHP” or your specific framework
  2. Git Integration: Deploy your projects directly from git repositories with custom deployment scripts
  3. Environment Configuration: Set environment variables and custom configurations
  4. SSL Certificate: Install Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates on your sites with one-click

4.3 Node.js Applications

ServerAvatar provides one-click installation and configuration of Node.js, NPM and other required tools to host Node.js based sites on your servers:

  1. Enable Node.js: Install Node.js stack on your server
  2. Deploy Application: Upload your Node.js application files
  3. Process Management: Create and manage processes on your servers with supervisord management

Step 5: Advanced ServerAvatar Features

5.1 Site Management

Staging Environments: Create one-click staging area for your projects for testing or demo purposes. ServerAvatar provides temporary domains for temporary sites

Site Cloning: Automatic site cloning feature allows you to clone your existing sites on same or different server with one-click

Site Control: Quickly enable and disable sites or projects on your servers with one-click to temporary restrict access to your projects

5.2 Development Tools

File Manager: ServerAvatar provides powerful file manager with code editor that allows you to create, edit, delete files along with compressed file operations

Database Management: ServerAvatar provides fundamentally secure database management. Manage multiple databases and database users from control panel

Cron Jobs: ServerAvatar allows you to easily manage cronjobs on your servers with pre-defined schedules and custom schedules

5.3 Performance Optimization

Redis Integration: ServerAvatar provides Redis installation and configuration for all tech stacks. You can also manage Redis config and credentials

PHP Configuration: Manage different PHP settings and configuration for each application/site individually

Disk Cleanup: Automatic disk cleaner in ServerAvatar allows you to clean temporary files and log files to free up space on your server

Step 6: Monitoring and Maintenance

6.1 Server Monitoring

ServerAvatar provides comprehensive monitoring tools:

  • Resource Usage: Monitor CPU, RAM, and disk usage in real-time
  • Service Status: Service management in ServerAvatar provides CPU and RAM usage for services running on the server along with stop, start, and restart options
  • Uptime Tracking: Monitor server availability and performance

6.2 Backup and Security

Automated Backups: Set up regular backups of your applications and databases Security Updates: ServerAvatar handles security patches and updates automatically SSL Management: SSL Renewals are automatic for Let’s Encrypt certificates

Best Practices and Tips

1. Resource Management

  • Monitor your RamNode VPS resources through both RamNode and ServerAvatar dashboards
  • Use RamNode’s flexible pay-as-you-go billing to scale resources up or down as needed
  • Set up alerts for high resource usage

2. Security

  • Regularly review firewall rules and access logs
  • Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication where available
  • Keep applications and plugins updated through ServerAvatar’s management interface

3. Performance Optimization

  • Leverage RamNode’s high-performance NVMe technology for database-heavy applications
  • Use ServerAvatar’s caching features and Redis integration
  • Choose data center locations closest to your audience

4. Cost Optimization

  • Take advantage of RamNode’s flexible pay-as-you-go billing for development servers
  • Use ServerAvatar’s staging features to test before deploying to production
  • Monitor resource usage to right-size your server specifications

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Connection Issues

  • Port 43210 Blocked: Ensure RamNode’s firewall allows incoming connections on port 43210
  • SSH Access Problems: Verify your root password and IP address are correct
  • Installation Timeout: Check your internet connection and server resources

Performance Issues

  • High CPU Usage: Monitor applications through ServerAvatar and optimize as needed
  • Memory Constraints: Consider upgrading your RamNode VPS plan
  • Disk Space: Use ServerAvatar’s automatic disk cleaner feature

SSL Certificate Issues

  • Let’s Encrypt Failures: Ensure your domain points to the correct IP address
  • Certificate Renewal: ServerAvatar handles automatic renewals, but check logs if issues arise

Conclusion

Combining RamNode’s reliable and affordable VPS hosting with ServerAvatar’s powerful server management creates an ideal environment for hosting web applications, WordPress sites, and development projects. This setup gives you the performance and control of a VPS with the simplicity of managed hosting.

Key Benefits of This Setup:

  • Cost-Effective: RamNode’s competitive pricing starting at $4 per month combined with ServerAvatar’s affordable management
  • User-Friendly: No command-line expertise required for most tasks
  • Scalable: Easily upgrade resources as your projects grow
  • Secure: Automated security updates and SSL management
  • Feature-Rich: Everything from one-click app installations to advanced development tools

Whether you’re a developer looking to streamline your deployment process, an agency managing multiple client sites, or an entrepreneur launching your first web application, ServerAvatar on RamNode VPS provides a robust, manageable, and cost-effective hosting solution.

Ready to get started? Sign up for your RamNode VPS and ServerAvatar account today, and have your server running in minutes rather than hours. Your future self will thank you for choosing a setup that lets you focus on building great applications rather than managing server configurations.