Implementation Plan

1. SSL Certificate and Domain Setup

• Purchase SSL Certificate: Obtain an SSL certificate from GoDaddy if you haven't already.
• Link Domain to DigitalOcean Droplet (GoDaddy):

  1. DNS Configuration:

     • Log in to your GoDaddy account (opens in a new tab).
     • Navigate to the Domain Manager and select the domain.
     • Under the DNS settings, update the A record to point to your DigitalOcean droplet's public IP.
     • Set up CNAME records if needed (for www subdomains).
     • Wait for DNS propagation (may take up to 48 hours).
     • GoDaddy Documentation: Managing DNS Records (opens in a new tab)

  2. SSL Certificate Installation:

     • Generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request):
       • SSH into your droplet and generate the CSR:

         sudo openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout yourdomain.key -out yourdomain.csr
       • Enter details as prompted.
     • Upload the CSR in your GoDaddy account and complete the validation process.
     • Download the certificate files once issued.

  3. Install the SSL Certificate on Nginx:

     • Transfer the certificate files to your droplet using SCP or SFTP.
     • Configure Nginx to use the SSL certificate:

       sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
       Add the following under the server block for port 443:

       server {
           listen 443 ssl;
           server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
           ssl_certificate /etc/nginx/ssl/yourdomain.crt;
           ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/ssl/yourdomain.key;
       }
     • Test and reload Nginx:

       sudo nginx -t
       sudo systemctl reload nginx
     • GoDaddy SSL Certificate Installation Guide for Nginx (opens in a new tab)

2. Initial Setup

• Create Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): Set up a VPC in DigitalOcean for secure network isolation.
  • DigitalOcean VPC Setup Guide (opens in a new tab)
• Configure Public and Private IPs: Assign public and private IPs to droplets and configure Floating IPs if needed.
  • DigitalOcean Floating IP Documentation (opens in a new tab)
• DNS Setup: Create A and CNAME records in DigitalOcean to point to your domain.
  • DigitalOcean DNS Setup Guide (opens in a new tab)
• Load Balancers: Create load balancers if necessary and attach droplets.
  • DigitalOcean Load Balancer Setup (opens in a new tab)

3. Security Configurations

• SSH Key Setup: Set up key-based authentication and disable password login.
  • SSH Key Setup on Ubuntu (opens in a new tab)
• Firewall (UFW) Setup: Enable UFW and configure necessary ports (SSH, HTTP, HTTPS).

  sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
  sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
  sudo ufw enable
  • UFW Configuration Guide (opens in a new tab)
• Fail2Ban Setup: Install Fail2Ban to prevent brute-force attacks.

  sudo apt install fail2ban
  • Fail2Ban Configuration Guide (opens in a new tab)
• Enable Automatic Security Updates: Set up unattended upgrades for security patches.

  sudo apt install unattended-upgrades
  sudo dpkg-reconfigure --priority=low unattended-upgrades

4. Application and Web Security

• SSL/TLS Setup: Verify the proper implementation of SSL/TLS. Redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS.

  sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
  Add a 301 redirect:

  server {
      listen 80;
      server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
      return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
  }
• Install Web Application Firewall (WAF): Consider using a WAF like ModSecurity for Nginx.
  • ModSecurity Nginx Setup Guide (opens in a new tab)
• HTTP Security Headers: Add security headers in Nginx:

  add_header X-Content-Type-Options nosniff;
  add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
  add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block";

5. Monitoring and Backups

• Install Monitoring Tools: Use tools like Prometheus and Grafana to monitor server health.
  • Prometheus Installation on Ubuntu (opens in a new tab)
  • Grafana Installation Guide (opens in a new tab)
• Automated Backups: Set up DigitalOcean's automatic backups.
  • DigitalOcean Backup Guide (opens in a new tab)

6. Documentation and Maintenance

• Document IP, DNS, SSL, and security settings.
• Regular Maintenance:
  • Weekly log checks and monitoring alerts.
  • Monthly security audits and documentation updates.
  • Quarterly security testing and performance reviews.

This plan provides a clear path from setting up your droplet, domain, SSL, and security to ongoing maintenance and monitoring.