Guide topic

Website, TLS and server security guides

Security guides covering TLS certificates, HTTPS, HSTS, security headers, mixed content, Linux firewalls, VPS hardening, SSH, access controls, and practical web-hosting security.

Security

Understand the system, not just the setting.

Hosting security is a set of layers: account access, operating systems, network exposure, TLS, application updates, browser policies, backups, and monitoring. These guides explain individual controls without pretending one header or firewall rule makes an application secure.

See DotMoose security approach

13 guides

Start with the problem you are solving.

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Security

Linux firewall setup: open only what the server needs

Plan Linux firewall rules around required services, management access, established traffic, IPv4/IPv6, provider firewalls, logging, and a safe rollback path.

Security

SSL certificate error: identify name, chain or date problems

SSL/TLS certificate errors can involve hostname mismatch, expiry, incomplete trust chain, untrusted issuer, clock issues, or the wrong certificate being served.

Security

SSL certificate expired: what to do before renewing blindly

An expired SSL/TLS certificate may indicate failed automation, DNS validation, wrong deployment path, stale proxy configuration, or a service no longer using the renewed certificate.

Security

HTTPS not working: test DNS, TLS and web-server layers

If HTTPS is not working, confirm DNS reaches the right server, port 443 is reachable, the TLS handshake succeeds, the certificate matches, and the web server has the correct virtual host.

Security

Mixed content warning: why an HTTPS page can still be insecure

Mixed content occurs when an HTTPS page requests resources over HTTP. Find hard-coded URLs, database content, stylesheets, scripts, images, proxies, and third-party dependencies.

Security

HSTS header setup: when to enable it and when to wait

HSTS tells browsers to use HTTPS for a host. Enable it only after HTTPS, redirects, certificates, renewal, subdomains, and rollback implications are understood.

Security

Website security headers: what the common headers do

Understand HSTS, Content-Security-Policy, frame controls, Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy, and why security headers need application-aware testing instead of a copied scorecard.

Security

VPS security checklist for a new Linux server

A practical Linux VPS hardening checklist covering access, updates, firewall rules, service exposure, backups, logs, TLS, secrets, and monitoring.

Security

SSL/TLS certificates explained for website owners

Understand HTTPS, TLS certificates, domain validation, certificate names, renewal, redirects, mixed content, HSTS, and what a certificate does not secure.

Linux

SSH key setup: how public-key login works

SSH key setup uses a private key on the client and an authorized public key on the server. Learn generation, installation, permissions, passphrases, rotation, and recovery.

WordPress

WordPress hosting checklist: what to verify before launch

A pre-launch WordPress checklist covering HTTPS, backups, updates, email delivery, DNS, security, performance, and recovery.

Email

Email deliverability checklist for small businesses

A practical business email checklist covering sending domains, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, reverse DNS, reputation, forms, newsletters, bounce handling, and testing.

Backups

Backup storage is not the same as file sync

What another copy should protect you from: deletion, ransomware, and hardware failure.