Guides
Hosting, explained by the people who run it.
Practical guides on web hosting, DirectAdmin, WordPress, managed servers and moving sites — written by the people who run them.
DirectAdmin
How to Change the PHP Version and Settings in DirectAdmin
Install several PHP versions with CustomBuild, pick one per domain in DirectAdmin, raise memory_limit and upload sizes, and check what is actually in effect.
Linux
Understanding Linux Load Average, top and htop
What the three load average numbers mean against your core count, what top and htop show, and how to tell CPU pressure from I/O wait and memory trouble.
Networking
What Is a CDN and When Does a Site Need One?
How a content delivery network serves files from near the visitor, what it speeds up and what it does not, the free options, and which sites gain nothing.
CloudLinux
CageFS: What It Does and How to Enable It on CloudLinux
Why every CloudLinux server should run CageFS, what it hides from users, how to initialise and enable it, and how to fix the usual breakages.
Migration
How to Migrate From cPanel to Plesk
Move a cPanel account to Plesk with the Plesk Migrator — sites, databases, mail, DNS — plus the manual method, what does not transfer, and pre-switch checks.
Servers
MySQL and MariaDB Tuning Basics for a Busy Site
The handful of settings that change MySQL performance — buffer pool, log size, connections, temp tables — how to size them, and how to find slow queries.
DirectAdmin
How to Get a Free Let's Encrypt SSL Certificate in DirectAdmin
Issue a free Let's Encrypt certificate from DirectAdmin's SSL page, cover mail and www, get a wildcard, force HTTPS, and fix the errors that stop issuance.
Security
What Is a WAF and Does Your Website Need One?
How a web application firewall filters attacks before they reach your site, what it stops and what it cannot, the free options, and when it is worth turning on.
WordPress
How to Fix "Error Establishing a Database Connection" in WordPress
The six causes of WordPress's database connection error — credentials, MySQL down, full disk, corrupt table, too many connections, host — with a fix for each.
CloudLinux
How to Set LVE Limits: SPEED, PMEM, IO, IOPS, NPROC and EP
What each CloudLinux LVE limit means, worked starting values for three package tiers, the lvectl commands, and when to raise a limit or move a customer up.
Hardware & Datacenter
ECC RAM: What It Is and Why Servers Use It
How error-correcting memory detects and fixes bit flips, why they happen more than you would think, what it costs, and how to check a server has it.
Linux
How to Update a Linux Server Safely (and Automate Security Patches)
The right way to run updates on Ubuntu, Debian and AlmaLinux, what to check before and after, when to reboot, and how to automate security patches only.