Oracle Cloud VPS Hosting with Docker, Nginx Proxy Manager and Cloudflare

This guide explains how I deployed and secured my cybersecurity website pnraolive.in using Oracle Cloud Free Tier, Docker, Nginx Proxy Manager, Cloudflare and Uptime Kuma.

---

Project Objectives

• Host a personal cybersecurity website
• Publish technical blogs
• Create online networking tools
• Enable HTTPS with Let's Encrypt
• Monitor website availability
• Secure the platform using Cloudflare

Architecture Overview

Internet
   |
Cloudflare
   |
Oracle Cloud VPS
   |
Docker
   |
Nginx Proxy Manager
   |
Website Container

Oracle Cloud VPS Specifications

Component	Configuration
Provider	Oracle Cloud
Operating System	Ubuntu Server
vCPU	2
Memory	1 GB RAM
Storage	45 GB
Public IP	Static Public IP

Installing Docker

sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose -y

sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Verify installation:

docker ps

Deploying Nginx Proxy Manager

Nginx Proxy Manager simplifies reverse proxy and SSL management.

docker run -d \
--name npm \
-p 80:80 \
-p 81:81 \
-p 443:443 \
jc21/nginx-proxy-manager:latest

Features:

• Reverse Proxy Management
• Let's Encrypt Integration
• Custom Security Headers
• SSL Certificate Management
• Access Control

Deploying Website Container

Create website directory:

mkdir -p ~/pnraolive-v2

Run Nginx:

docker run -d \
--name website \
-v ~/pnraolive-v2:/usr/share/nginx/html \
nginx:alpine

Cloudflare Integration

Cloudflare provides:

• DDoS Protection
• DNS Hosting
• SSL/TLS Encryption
• Caching
• Web Application Firewall

DNS Record Example:

Type: A
Name: @
Content: Public_IP
Proxy Status: Proxied

SSL Configuration

SSL certificates are managed through Nginx Proxy Manager. Verification:

curl -I https://pnraolive.in

Example Response:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Strict-Transport-Security

Website Security Hardening

Implemented security controls:

Cloudflare Security

• Bot Protection
• DDoS Protection
• Managed WAF Rules
• Rate Limiting

Security Headers

X-Frame-Options
X-Content-Type-Options
Referrer-Policy
Permissions-Policy
Content-Security-Policy

Browser Protection

• Disable Right Click
• Disable F12
• Disable Ctrl+U
• Disable Developer Shortcuts

These controls discourage casual copying but do not prevent determined users from accessing publicly served content.

Monitoring with Uptime Kuma

Container:

louislam/uptime-kuma

Capabilities:

• Website Monitoring
• SSL Expiry Alerts
• Email Notifications
• Availability Reporting

Search Console Integration

Configured:

• Sitemap.xml
• Robots.txt
• URL Inspection
• Page Indexing

Sitemap:

https://pnraolive.in/sitemap.xml

Robots:

https://pnraolive.in/robots.txt

Current Website Tools

• Password Generator
• SHA256 Hash Generator
• CIDR Calculator
• Subnet Calculator
• Common Ports Reference

Current Resource Utilization

Docker Containers

Container	RAM Usage
Nginx Proxy Manager	25 MB
Website Container	1 MB
Uptime Kuma	68 MB

Server Performance

Load Average: 0.21
Disk Usage: 18%
Available RAM: 399 MB

Lessons Learned

• Static websites are extremely efficient.
• Cloudflare significantly improves security.
• Docker simplifies deployment and maintenance.
• Search Console improves discoverability.
• Nginx Proxy Manager is ideal for small deployments.

Future Enhancements

• DNS Lookup Tool
• WHOIS Lookup Tool
• SSL Certificate Checker
• Google Analytics 4
• Microsoft Clarity
• Cyber Security Downloads Section
• Sophos CLI Command Reference
• FortiGate CLI Command Reference

Conclusion

Oracle Cloud Free Tier provides a reliable platform for hosting personal websites, technical blogs and lightweight cybersecurity tools. Combined with Docker, Nginx Proxy Manager and Cloudflare, it offers a secure, scalable and cost-effective hosting solution.

---

Author: Nageshwar Rao
Website: https://pnraolive.in