KWS: how I built a self-hostable cloud platform?

KWS is a self-hostable cloud platform that has a lot of features including,

Deploying LXC instances.

Pre-managed services like PostgreSQL.

Single click hosting by giving your sub-domain, and port to expose.

VPN - secured access to instances.

KWS tunnels which allows home network to be accessible over the internet without exposing(can take in user custom domains)

Here, ill be explaining the whole architecture of KWS, the networking concepts and the system design. I'll share my experiences and challenges I faced while deploying it to my college server. I will talk linux networking, server management and more.

Key Takeaways

Why I built KWS and the problems it addresses

Deploying lightweight instances using LXC

Pre-managed services like PostgreSQL that save setup time

One-click app hosting with subdomains

VPN for secure, private access to instances

KWS Tunnels to safely access home network over the internet, including custom domains

Using the DNS-01 challenge to automate SSL certificate management

Practical insights into DNS, SSL, and reverse proxy setup

System design choices that balance scalability and security

Challenges faced while deploying on a college server environment

Audience Learning Outcomes

A practical understanding of Linux networking

How to set up and manage DNS correctly

How to think about system design in real-world conditions

How architecture decisions impact scalability and security