Hi guys,

I mainly write reactjs webapplications with php (laravel) backends, backed by redis, nginx, node, … .
Right now I have a managed dedicated server with the needed software and about 3-4 of those projects on that.
The projects are mainly small, so nothing too fancy.

The problem is that my hoster can’t seem to handle the software, as he doesn’t know and care for it. We have had crashes the last couple of days and as I only have limited rights, can’t do much about it.

This is why I’m looking for alternatives and thought digitalocean actually sounds like a good idea. Since my projects are really small right now, but might grow, I could spend just as money for resources as I really need.
My resources are rather limited, because those projects are mainly hobby projects but don’t really cover their costs right now.

I used to have everything on a root server a while ago, but I just didn’t have the time to keep up with all the security rules, updates and stuff like that.

I read about all those cool new things like docker, rancher, tutum, panamax, … and how easy it is to set up servers just for this use.
I’ve read a lot of tutorials, but a few questions still remain:

What should I look into?
I work with Linux and know my way around and I really don’t mind spending some time to set the thing up right. I just don’t want to spend every day fixing, worrying or reading on server administration to be sure that everything works as expected.

Docker on Digitalocean looks super easy. Just setup a droplet with docker preinstalled.
I looked into panamax and rancher and they seem awesome to really orchestrate my docker containers and very easy to use.

So right now I’m leaning towards something like this.

Is it save though?

But is this really save then? Or do I need to fix a lot of things, change settings, secure the server, …
If so: What would you recommend or do you have an article on this?
I always just find howtos and explanations on installing or basic stuff, but not really deep securing it

Does it even make sense in my usecase?

I mean. Not cost wise. I plan on growing those apps, so it does make sense and I don’t mind paying a little more. I just can’t afford 400 €/month just to have a single webapp up.

What I mean is: will docker or rancher help me with my setup or is it easier and saver to just go with a basic lamp and add redis and nodejs?

What would you use or recommend?

I would really like to know about your setup. How do you do it and what are the good things about it?

I’m sorry for this long post. I’m just really confused by all those cool new things and don’t know where to start looking or if I’m even learning about the right thing right now.

best regards