How important is a Firewall for your Dedicated Server and how to apply it?

Firewall is one of the most effective types of security measure to implement to keep all the viruses far from the web application or the servers. Well, this software is complex but it is essential to know how to work and how to set them up. The firewall will remove or stop any unwanted connections to the website and it is very essential to have a firewall because of the website being under constant attach where Firewall can be one of the best defenses. 

Intro – Firewall:-

Firewall blocks unwanted access to your website or server where your current work also won’t get disrupted. It is usually required practically for everyone who has a website or a server. 

Blocking:

Blocking the server doesn’t mean that no one will be able to access it but you can set up the Firewall by specifying as to what kind of users can view your website which will be then identified by their IP addresses. So by configuring this setting, the firewall will block the websites that can be a huge threat to the website. 

Minimize threat:

Most of the server store sensitive information that includes password, documents and email addresses. There are hackers who are on the lookout to see the vulnerability in the website so that they can steal such valuable information. In a server, all the information are encrypted but just to make extra sure a firewall is the best option.

Easy to use:

Content Management System and Hosting providers offer the option to configure specific types of firewalls on the website or server.

Implementation of Firewall on a Server or Website:-

When it comes Firewall there are many options for setting up the firewall but we will be focusing on the easiest method which is based on IP tables and advanced policy firewalls. 

IP Tables Configuration:

IP tables allow you to deny or grant access to specific IP address or services. This will give you the full control over everything that goes out and in your server including the Secure Shell and Transmission connections. This is mostly preferred for those who like to utilize the command line. If you are on Virtual Private Server or the Dedicated Server then you should have iptables program which usually comes by default with Linux distributions. Review first that it doesn’t have any rules configured by default. 

To check the review you have to type iptables –L on the console. 
After doing this three sets of chains or rule will be shown which will be incoming, outgoing and forwarding packets and the line should end with ACCEPT. 

But if you have to add a new rule to a particular chain then use this command iptables –A INPUT –p tcp –dport 7822 –j ACCEPT. 
By doing this you will enable the incoming TCP connections via port 7822 which is commonly used by SSH. 

You can add another rule which will enable the incoming TCP connection via port 80 (HTTP) type: iptables –I INPUT –p tcp –m tcp –dport 80 –j ACCEPT. 
Port 80 is commonly used for the servers to migrate information since the HTTP protocol is still in use. 

But if you set up the secure sockets layer certificate for the website then you need to also enable access via port 443. 
To enable access via port 443 type: iptables –I INPUT –p tcp –m tcp –dport 443 –j ACCEPT. 

Use this command: iptables –I INPUT rulenum –s ‘IP address goes here’ –j DROP to block specified IP address from accessing your server. The Drop Rule will send the signal to the server to block all type of connection from the specified IP address.

You can click here to know more command that can be utilized with the program

Advanced Policy Firewall:

Advanced Policy Firewall is an alternative method for the people who are not a big fan of the command line. With this method, you can configure a firewall using the simple text editor. But for this, you will also require a particular program which isn’t included in most of the Linux distributions. Now anyway you have to use the command line for configuration but the process will be simple. Follow the instruction here and once you are done try the following method down below. 

/etc/apf/conf.apf

You can use any text editor of your choice but the process will remain the same. For Vim user you can use this command. 

VI /etc/apf/conf.apf .

SET_MONOKERN=”0”
HELPER_SSH_PORT=”22”
IG_TCP_CPORTS=”22”

The above values are default configuration but you will need to change them so that the firewall is effective. Change the SET_MONOKERN to 1to enable the program to be installed and not as the package so that it can perform the task. You will also need to change value HELPER_SSH_PORT to 7822 which is the default for SSH connections and then add the TCP ports you want to enable. 

IG_TCP_CPORTS=”80, 7822, 443”

This will enable the connections via HTTPS, HTTP, and SSH. After this save the changes to the conf.apf file and start the APF program utilizing this command.

Apf - -start

Firewall is very essential when you are trying to stop attacks on your local computer and also on your website. Your website will be under attack even though if you are not aware of it, therefore, it is important to implement a Firewall. Now depending on your hosting plan you can use two type of firewalls on the website which is IP table firewalls and Advanced Policy Firewalls. 

How To Make Your website Load Faster And Smarter.

In this era of digital age, it is very necessary to maintain a strong online presence. Having a website is mandatory, as it can be used as a marketing tool for making your presence felt globally. Kindly note a visitor will stay on the website only for a maximum of ten seconds. If the content is laudable and he/she gets the information required, they will stay or will navigate to your competitor’s website. So two factors assume great importance in a website – it should possess the required content that gives the visitor an enthralling experience and it should load faster. Imagine yourself scurrying to another video when the advertisement you cannot skip comes in youtube?

1.     Design An Lighter Website:

The first important step. The major reason, a page takes long to load is because the web page is heavy. It is mandatory to get rid of all the unwanted trash. A smaller web page will always bring laurels to your website and so it is necessary to delete the videos or images that are of less concern.

However, before taking the initiative, ensure that you take time to retain components that add value to your website.

Minimum plugin:

·      Having a large number of plug-ins can cause slow uploading of the website. The other disadvantages are security issues, and if a plug-in crashes, it may lead to technical mayhem.

·      You can measure server performance by disabling plug-ins. By this method, you can identify the plug-ins that can cause slow loading of the web pages.

2.     Compressing Web Page:

A complete web page will definitely take time to upload. On the other hand, if a website is compressed, it will load fast since the server need not send data during the upload. You can use compression algorithms such as
Deflate
Gzip

3.     Split Big Pages Into Small, More Number Of Pages:

The main reason for the slow nature of websites is because of the large number of web pages. Kindly find if the web pages in your site are too long. If so, then it is advisable that you split one large page into numerous pages shorter in length.
If your web pages are short, there will be no need for the visitor to make use of the scrolling option. And in recent times, the attention span of visitor is very short. Having multiple pages with respective titles will add to the style of the website and suit the attitude of the visitors

 4.     Source Code:

Do you have the separate scripts for all the pages? If so, then the website will take time to reload all the pages. You can, at best, use the external code, (in other words, a single code) for every page in the website. The code will exist in the cache, and the time required for loading will be less.
Minify CSS and HTML code including any inline JavaScript will save many bytes of date and make your website load faster.
If your site has any complicated script such as own search engine or tool you can place that code in below the folder. In the same way, we can add less in head section compare to the footer of the body section and avoid as much as you can.

5.     Extra White Space:

It is understood, white space is considered one of the favorable components of web design in recent times. It can give your website an attractive look if used at the right dimension. A large portion will take more time for reloading the pages. So cut down the size so that the server will find easy to load.

6.     Optimize Images:

Images are required in a website to make the pages attractive to the visitors. However, it is vital that the right format should be used. You can use many options such as Compressjpeg.com. Compress your all image with help of online Image compressor tool, this will make your image quality and size remain same but size will be decreased.

Regardless of the format, you should optimize the page and compress it so that the loading should be fast. A slow loading page will make the visitor go to the next website. So it is mandatory that even though you may have an attractive online presence, excellent content, the web-pages should be visible as soon as possible to the visitor.

7.     SEO Friendly:

For every business search engine is the main source of traffic which will drag tons of potential user to your website so your website must be structured in such a way that site will rank high in SERP(Search Engine Result Page). For a better SEO friendly website you can read our previous blog- "How to Create a Search Engine Friendly Website."

8.     Web Hosting:

This is the last but most important element for any website performance. When we type a website address in a browser will access the particular file from a particular server by like accessing the remote server. Here is two servers are working one where you are accessing and other is your computer, the browser taking care of the mid process. Your computer may be very fast to access the file but accessing server has that blazing speed also.

Your web hosting will provide the server for you to access your website file globally. So your web hosting provider should have the speed server and excellent up-time flexibility. However, you have the flexibility to choose the web hosting types such as shared hosting, VPS Hosting Servers, dedicated hosting and cloud hosting. For a better website performance you need a best web hosting provider in India. For more about hosting you can read our previous blog " Which kind of web hosting do you need? "
The points given in the article are very easy to be completed even by a novice. Hope, you make your website commendable to the audience. Subscribe to our newsletter for more technical updates.