Hosting & Deployment: a web hosting and deployment course
Hosting & Deployment is an interactive web hosting course that takes a site from your laptop to the live internet. In 30 short sections it covers how requests reach a server, domains and DNS, static and dynamic hosting, deploying from Git, CI/CD pipelines, secrets, Docker containers, HTTPS and keeping an eye on a live site.
It is written for people who can already build a web page and now want it online, safely, with updates that go live every time they push code.
What the web hosting course covers
| Sections | Topic | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | What hosting is, and how a request reaches a server | Follow a request from browser to DNS to server and back, then put the steps in order |
| 4 to 6 | Static and dynamic hosting | Compare the two, then pick the right type for a scenario |
| 7 to 9 | Domain names and DNS records | Step through a DNS lookup and match A, CNAME, MX and TXT records to their jobs |
| 10 to 12 | Git and Git-based deployment | Watch a git push trigger a deploy, then order the deploy steps |
| 13 to 15 | CI/CD pipelines | Follow a pipeline from push to deploy and fill in a GitHub Actions workflow |
| 16 to 18 | Environment variables and secrets | See how secrets move from a .env file to a hosting dashboard, then spot a security mistake in committed code |
| 19 to 21 | Hosting platforms, PaaS and IaaS, and deploying to Vercel | Compare platforms and choose one for three projects |
| 22 to 24 | Docker and containers | Compare a virtual machine with a container and build a Dockerfile in the right order |
| 25 to 27 | SSL/TLS and HTTPS | Compare what HTTP and HTTPS send over the wire, then check your knowledge |
| 28 to 30 | Monitoring, logs and debugging in production | Read a live status dashboard and finish a deployment checklist |
From a request to a live site
The first third explains what actually happens when someone types your address. A website is files on a computer; hosting puts them on a server that is always online. The browser asks DNS for the server's IP address, sends an HTTP request and renders the HTML, CSS and JavaScript that come back. You then buy a domain, point it at a server with DNS records, and learn when a site can be static (the same files for everyone) and when it must be dynamic (code runs on each request).
Shipping changes safely
The middle sections cover the habits of a working developer: Git for history, platforms that build and deploy every time you push, CI that runs your tests first, and environment variables that keep API keys out of your code. The course is blunt about the cost of getting this wrong: a key pushed to Git stays in its history, so every exposed key has to be replaced.
Containers, HTTPS and monitoring
The last part covers Docker, which packages an app and everything it needs so it runs the same on any machine, and why a container starts in seconds where a virtual machine takes minutes. It finishes with HTTPS certificates, including free ones from Let's Encrypt, and structured logs you can search when something breaks.
Try a question from the course
Static hosting serves the same pre-built files to every visitor, which makes it cheap and fast. Dynamic hosting runs code on the server for each request, which you need when the page depends on who is asking, such as a dashboard after logging in. Decide which one fits, then press Mark to check your answer in the course.
Pick the right hosting type for a scenario.
Press Mark to have your answer marked in the Hosting & Deployment course.
What you will be able to do
- Explain each step from typing a URL to seeing a page.
- Choose static or dynamic hosting, and PaaS or IaaS, for a project.
- Set up the DNS records that connect a domain to a host.
- Read and complete a simple GitHub Actions workflow.
- Keep secrets out of Git and set them on a hosting platform instead.
- Put the lines of a basic Dockerfile in the right order and say what each does.
- Check a site is served over HTTPS and work through a pre-launch checklist.
Who this course is for
It suits students who have built a project and want to show it to the world, beginners moving from tutorials to real sites, and anyone who has heard of DNS, CI/CD or Docker and wants a clear picture of how they fit together.
What you need to know first
You should know what HTML, CSS and JavaScript files are. If not, start with the HTML, CSS & JavaScript course. A few sections show terminal commands such as git push and vercel --prod, so it helps to have opened a terminal before, but you can follow the course without running anything.
Is it a cloud computing course?
Partly. It explains Platform as a Service, where the provider runs the servers for you, and Infrastructure as a Service, where you rent a virtual machine and set it up yourself, and it covers containers. It does not teach the services of a particular cloud provider such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, or prepare you for their certifications. Think of it as the groundwork that makes those easier.
How long it takes
There are 30 sections, and most take a few minutes: a short explanation and one interactive diagram or question. Learners without a plan can open two sections of a course a day, in order, which takes 15 days. A plan removes the daily limit and lets you jump to any section, such as Docker or HTTPS, straight away.
Common questions
Is this web hosting course free?
Do I need my own server or domain?
What is the difference between static and dynamic hosting?
Does the course teach Docker?
What is CI/CD?
Does it cover AWS or Azure?
Revision cards
Say the answer first, then flip the card to check it.
Where to go next
- Solve it
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Hosting & Deployment
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