Subscription-Free Cloud Solutions for Marketing Agency

Project Overview

As a freelance consultant, I developed a fully self-hosted, subscription-free cloud and software infrastructure for a marketing agency. The objective was to design a cost-effective solution using free and open-source software (FOSS), ensuring that the agency only incurred the cost of the Virtual Private Server (VPS), while eliminating recurring software subscription fees.

The final system included a WordPress-powered website, a ticketing and support system, and a NextCloud instance for file sharing and collaboration. All services were hosted on subdomains of the agency's main domain, leveraging Let's Encrypt for SSL certificates and secure access.

Key Contributions

Deployed WordPress for the agency’s main website, configured with a user-friendly interface for easy content management.

Set up NextCloud as a file-sharing platform, enabling secure document management and team collaboration.

Implemented a ticketing and support system on a subdomain, allowing the agency to manage client inquiries and support tickets efficiently.

Configured DNS records to direct the agency’s main domain to the WordPress site, and subdomains to NextCloud and the support system.

Utilized Let’s Encrypt for SSL certificates to ensure secure, HTTPS access across all platforms.

Automated server administration tasks using Bash scripting and version control via Git to manage the entire system lifecycle.

Deployed all services on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and OpenShift, ensuring scalable and secure hosting on a VPS.

Technical Stack

WordPress for content management

NextCloud for secure file storage and sharing

OpenShift and RHEL for hosting

Git and Bash for version control and automation

Let’s Encrypt for free SSL certification

DNS configuration for domain and subdomain management

Outcome: The agency benefited from a fully functional, scalable cloud infrastructure with zero ongoing subscription fees. This solution allowed them to host their website, manage client communications, and collaborate securely—all while only paying for VPS hosting.