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Course/Put It Online

7 min · +90 XP

Server & Domain = Online Shopping

The two things you buy — and that's your whole job.

By the end of this lesson

You'll know exactly what to buy to put a project on the internet.

First — do you even need this module? Only if someone ELSE should open your tool, or you want it reachable from anywhere. A tool just for you, at your computer, is already complete — skipping this module is a valid choice, not a gap. Still here? Then: right now your tool lives on your computer, where only you can see it. To share it with the world, you need two things — and buying them is as easy as ordering something online.

Server = renting a building; domain = the address

A server is an always-on computer in the cloud you rent (a few dollars a month — providers like Hetzner, DigitalOcean, and others). A domain (yourthing.com) is the friendly address you put on it, rented yearly for pocket change.

A beginner-safe path

  1. 1Server: sign up at a provider like Hetzner or DigitalOcean → click 'Create Server' → choose Ubuntu (the highest version number) and the cheapest size. Pick PASSWORD login (not an SSH key) to keep it simple. (Don't be surprised if the provider checks new customers — an ID photo or a tiny card hold; normal, not a scam. Rejected anyway? Just use the other provider.)
  2. 2When it's created, SAVE the server's IP address and the password — you'll hand these to Claude in the next lesson. (Some providers EMAIL the password instead of showing it, and make you change it on first login — fine: give Claude whatever they sent and say 'handle the login however you need'.)
  3. 3Domain: buy one at any registrar (Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.) — search a name, add to cart, pay. Keep the exact domain name.
  4. 4Don't agonize over the options: Ubuntu + cheapest size + a name you like is plenty.
  5. 5Card declined because of your country? Common and solvable: some providers accept other payment methods, and every region has local hosting providers too. Ask Claude: 'I'm in [country] — which server and domain providers can I actually pay for?'
✓Your only job is to buy them

You signed up, clicked Create Server, bought a domain, and saved the IP + password. That's the entire human part. Everything technical comes next — and Claude does it. (Spoiler: yes, really.)

EAEvgeny Arsentyev

Author

Evgeny Arsentyev

PhD · Chief Product Officer at a healthtech company