Hi,
With regards to standalone web applications which I installed on my own computer and made available on the web, people must always enter an address like https://example.com:8080. Is there another way to do it without adding the port number at the end?
Kind regards,
Payam
If it is the only server running, you can use the port 80, it is the default and you dont have to put it on the URL.
Or use some kind of redirection, proxy, another server, etc.
You may just rent a little virtual private server for as little as $15 a month.
See my video on installing it: Installing a Xojo Web App Server
Thank you, Christian. I was inspired by Ivan’s suggestion. I opened an 80 port on my router pointing to the computer, where the Xojo app is running. It runs securely on port 30022. Then I went to /etc/apache2/httpd.conf on my Mac and redirected the address which is received through that port to the 30022 port. So, for example, if somebody searches for www.example.com in Safari, and the domain example.com has my public IP, he would be led to my router on port 80 and redirected to https://www.example.com:30022.
But this works only for one web app I think. I guess if I have another app on another computer in the same network, this method won’t help, if I want to access that second web app through the 80 port too. I can’t open two external 80 ports on my router.
So if I guessed correctly, the video you sent is meant to solve that problem.
You can add another redirect in your Apache conf file. The different website can be redirected to a different port number.
Also see Tim Parnell’s Lifeboat project - it can set up a server for multiple websites.
And I wouldn’t recommend running public websites on a computer used for anything else. Even better, don’t have a public server on the same network. There are lots of security concerns, and you need to make sure your “server” is on all the time.
Thank you. Can you tell about one of those security concerns, what it could be, please?
If your website gets hacked, everything on your computer is at risk. And if you rely on your computer to get your job done, you’re also unable to work.
Any server with public access should be separated as much as possible. Some experts assume any public server is already hacked. You’re not paranoid - they really are out to get you!
An old computer might be set up as a server. Or you can get low cost cloud servers - see Christian’s video.
I have a web server in my basement built with parts from several old servers. I also have a commercial grade firewall. And I’m comfortable with repairing hardware and making sure everything is backed up.
I don’t think that those experts are right to say that all public servers are already hacked. Hackers are not almighty people. They are puny mortals as well, and those who are evil among them, are accounted among such as are as low as the lowest types of insects. This is the true spiritual nature of such people. They are even as dead, though you may see them walk, talk and eat like others.
I can only attest of what I see on my web sites.
What I see in logs is a regular suite of attempt to inject code, as well as attempts to get access to Wordpress admin.
Of course, since my sites are protected against such attacks, nothing happens, but I can only suppose that naive, unprotected Wordpress sites, or those who allow free command line access, are in great danger.
From what I see, it looks as if they are using bots, often from Russia. Whenever they get a way to enter a site, they may not necessarily do any harm, but some of them might.