Azure Virtual Machines
An Azure service that is used to provision Windows and Linux virtual machines.
8,787 questions
Ok thanks alot Loganathan. Will try it out.
Set up CMS like Expression Engine or Wordpress on Azure Virtual Machine
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Jamie Soon
145
Reputation points
Dear Azure support,
I wonder if you could provide some guide on how to set up a Virtual Machine
- e.g. recommended specs or machine to select for a corporate website that need PHP and Mysql server to install a Content management system like Expression Engine. Number of customers visiting a day could be less than 100.
- Setup the Virtual machine so that we can point the domain names to the website
- Set up the virtual machine to behave like a web hosting service where I can connect using FTP software like Filezilla, and change the permission for the folders if required.
Thanks. Any official virtual machine videos or tutorial would be helpful
regards
Jamie
Azure Virtual Machines
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Loganathan Thangamuthu 6 Reputation points2025-04-17T09:23:09.8833333+00:00 Recommended VM Specifications
For a website with less than 100 daily visitors, you don't need a high-powered VM. Here are the suggested specs:
- CPU: 1-2 vCPUs
- RAM: 2-4 GB
- Storage: 20-40 GB SSD (to accommodate the OS, CMS, and database)
- OS: Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS or Windows Server 2019 (depending on your preference)
- Network Bandwidth: 1 TB/month (adjust based on traffic)
Setting Up the Virtual Machine
- Create the VM:
- Select the OS (e.g., Ubuntu Server).
- Configure the specs as per the recommendations above.
- Open necessary ports (e.g., 80 for HTTP, 443 for HTTPS, and 21 for FTP).
- Install Required Software:
- Update the system:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade(for Ubuntu). - Install PHP:
sudo apt install php php-mysql. - Install MySQL:
sudo apt install mysql-server. - Install Apache or Nginx:
sudo apt install apache2orsudo apt install nginx.
- Update the system:
- Set Up the CMS:
- Download Expression Engine from its official site.
- Upload the CMS files to the web server directory (e.g.,
/var/www/htmlfor Apache). - Configure the database in MySQL and link it to the CMS.
Pointing Domain Names
- Purchase a Domain:
- Use a registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap.
- Update DNS Settings:
- Add an A record pointing to your VM's public IP address.
- If using Azure, configure the DNS zone in the Azure Portal.
- Set Up a Virtual Host:
- For Apache, edit the configuration file:
/etc/apache2/sites-available/yourdomain.conf.
Add<VirtualHost *:80> ServerName yourdomain.com DocumentRoot /var/www/html </VirtualHost> - Enable the site:
sudo a2ensite yourdomain.confand restart Apache.- Enable the site:sudo a2ensite yourdomain.confand restart Apache.
- Install an FTP Server:
- For Ubuntu:
sudo apt install vsftpd. - Configure the FTP server to allow access to the web directory.
- For Ubuntu:
- Connect Using FileZilla:
- Use your VM's public IP, username, and password to connect.
- Ensure port 21 is open in the firewall.
- Change Folder Permissions:
- Use
chmodto modify permissions. For example: sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html
- Use
- For Apache, edit the configuration file:
Official Tutorials
- For detailed guidance, you can refer to: Let me know if you'd like help with any specific step!
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Jamie Soon 145 Reputation points
2025-04-17T10:16:58.55+00:00 -
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Nikhil Duserla 6,960 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator2025-04-21T12:16:24.11+00:00 Hi @Jamie Soon,
Checking to see whether you have resolved the issue with the solution provided above, or if you need any further assistance, please let us know. We are happy to help.
Thank you!
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![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(265.6, 24%, 35%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EDR%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Dharani Reguri 585 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator2025-04-22T11:43:52.92+00:00 Hi @Jamie Soon,
Checking to see whether you have resolved the issue with the solution provided above, or if you need any further assistance, please let us know. We are happy to help.
Thank you!
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Jamie Soon 145 Reputation points
2025-04-23T06:46:20.8433333+00:00 I'm going back to Web App since Virtual Machine I need to install Apache by myself etc. Will try Virtual Machine again later thanks Dharani.
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