# The Server Saga

In the last article, I shared why I decided to ditch shared hosting and build my own server on Oracle Cloud (Free Tier). Today, we get practical: how to create the machine and, most importantly, how to get inside without losing your sanity.

It sounds simple: "Create Instance", "Download Key", "Connect". But anyone who has dealt with Linux and Cloud knows it's never that straightforward.

**1\. Choosing the Machine (Our "Little Beetle")**

The dream setup on Oracle is the **Ampere (ARM)** instance with 24GB of RAM. However, since it's highly sought after, capacity is often unavailable. The strategy? Don't stand still. I provisioned an **AMD Micro (E2.1)** instance. It only has 1GB of RAM and 2 CPUs, but it's enough to get started.

* **Pro Tip:** I chose **Ubuntu 24.04** as the operating system. It's stable, modern, and has tutorials for everything.
    

**2\. The SSH Key Challenge**

Unlike cPanel where you have a login password, in professional Cloud environments, we use **SSH Keys**. It's a file (`.key`) that acts like a physical key. The trouble starts when you try to use this key in the terminal.

The classic error I faced: `WARNING: UNPROTECTED PRIVATE KEY FILE!`

Linux is paranoid (rightfully so). If your key is in a folder where "other users" can read it, it blocks access. The solution isn't obvious for Windows users:

Bash

```bash
chmod 600 my-key.key
```

This command tells the system: "Only I read this. No one else." It was the first realization that I am now the one in charge of security.

**3\. Connecting Like a Pro (The Config File)**

After fixing permissions, typing `ssh -i path/to/key ubuntu@123.123.123.123` every time gets tiring. I discovered we can create a "shortcut" in our computer's `~/.ssh/config` file:

Plaintext

```bash
Host oracle
    HostName 123.123.123.123
    User ubuntu
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/my-key.key
```

Now, I just type `ssh oracle` in the terminal and I'm in.

**4\. What About the Firewall?**

Upon entering, the first thing I noticed: Oracle's firewall (Security Lists) blocks everything by default. Trying to open port 80 or 443 requires complex configurations in the Cloud panel and the machine's `iptables`. But we won't suffer through that. Next week, I'll show how I bypassed the entire firewall using **Cloudflare Tunnels**, exposing my services with HTTPS without punching a single hole in the server's security.

**Week 1 Summary:** We have a free Linux server, updated, and with SSH access configured and secure. The foundation is laid. Next Tuesday, we will install the engine that will run everything: **Docker**.