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Cloudways Hosting Overview

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT | Recorded: 2024-03-11 | Verify against current system state

Abstract

Comprehensive overview of Cloudways hosting platform that replaced Rackspace for AANP website hosting. Covers the dashboard structure (apps vs servers), SSL certificate management using Let's Encrypt with Cloudflare, vertical scaling capabilities and limitations, backup configuration, and support access methods. Discusses why AANP maintains its own Cloudways account rather than using Mighty Citizen's care package (24/7 support access needed). Premium Slack support costs $500/month but still significantly cheaper than Rackspace.

Key Procedures

  • Access Cloudways dashboard (credentials in password safe)
  • Monitor server health: CPU, RAM, disk usage
  • Check SSL certificate status for production and QA
  • Access premium support via Cloudways Slack channel
  • Contact Mighty Citizen via Teamwork for non-urgent issues
  • View server analytics and monitoring graphs
  • Configure SMTP via SendGrid in Cloudways UI
  • Manage team member access permissions

Notable Statements

  • 0:00:06 "Cloudways is our replacement for Rackspace."
  • 0:01:05 "The problem though is that with the care package, their support is only Monday through Friday 9 to 5."
  • 0:06:26 "Our health is really good. It's much better than it was at Rackspace."
  • 0:09:03 "Once you bump it up, you cannot scale down. If you go up, you're not going to be able to come back down later."
  • 0:16:07 "We are paying a lot of money for this higher tier support."
  • 0:20:08 "Just so you know, the higher-tier support is $500 a month."
  • 0:20:23 "We are paying half of what it costs to have our servers at Rackspace."
  • 0:20:39 "Because they're Linux, and they're all Linux, I just don't have any kind of other use for that, because we're mostly a .NET team."

Systems & Configurations

Systems Mentioned

  • Cloudways (managed hosting)
  • Rackspace (deprecated, now empty)
  • Cloudflare (SSL/proxy)
  • Craft CMS (www application)
  • MySQL (database)
  • SendGrid (SMTP)
  • Slack (premium support)
  • Teamwork (Mighty Citizen ticketing)

Specific Configurations

Item Value/Setting Timestamp Notes
Backup Retention 4 weeks daily 0:10:00 Maximum available
Premium Support $500/month 0:20:16 Slack-based direct support
QA SSL Certificate Valid until 2036 0:04:29 Special Cloudflare setup
Production SSL Let's Encrypt 0:11:43 Works with Cloudflare proxy
Git Deployment Buddy/Beanstalk 0:04:58 Mighty Citizen managed
Server Type Linux 0:20:39 All Cloudways servers

Credentials/Access Mentioned

  • Cloudways login (in password safe)
  • Cloudways Slack IT support account
  • Mighty Citizen Teamwork access
  • SSH/SFTP (IP restricted to VPN)

Errors & Troubleshooting

  • Issue: Cannot scale server back down
  • Cause: Cloudways limitation on vertical scaling
  • Resolution: Clone server and point to smaller clone if needed

  • Timestamp: 0:09:03

  • Issue: QA missing intermediate chain certificate

  • Cause: SSL configuration issue
  • Resolution: Jeff believes resolved, monitoring for 2 weeks

  • Timestamp: 0:18:18

  • Issue: Third-party apps don't work with Cloudflare proxy

  • Cause: HigherLogic, JobCenter don't support Cloudflare
  • Resolution: Those CNAMEs must be unproxied
  • Timestamp: 0:14:02

Transcript Gaps & Quality Notes

  • IT team training session
  • Action items: verify all team members have Slack and Teamwork access
  • MySQL and app run on same instance (cheaper than Rackspace separate servers)
  • Care package hours-based, not calendar-based
  • Production went through national conference successfully
  • Cloudways Bot monitors for issues automatically