Moodle VPS template on HostAfrica

Self-Hosted Moodle gives you complete control of your Learning Management System on a dedicated VPS environment. Unlike shared hosting, your Moodle site runs on isolated resources with a dedicated IP for improved performance, security, and reliability. With full root access, you can customize your server, install additional plugins and themes, integrate third-party tools, and scale as needed—perfect for educational institutions, corporate training departments, and anyone who wants a powerful, flexible LMS setup.

Educational Institutions: Run complete online learning platforms for schools, colleges, and universities with full control over student data, course content, and assessment systems.

Corporate Training: Host internal training programs, compliance courses, and professional development with dedicated resources ensuring secure access and reliable performance.

Online Course Platforms: Create and sell online courses with Moodle's powerful course management, enrollment systems, and payment gateway integrations.

Blended Learning Programs: Combine traditional classroom teaching with online resources, assignments, and assessments in a unified platform.

Professional Certification: Deliver certification programs with advanced quiz systems, completion tracking, and automated certificate generation.

K-12 Virtual Schools: Manage complete virtual school environments with parent portals, grade books, and student progress tracking.

Our Self-Hosted Moodle implementation includes CloudPanel, a modern server control panel that makes managing Moodle simple and efficient. The setup provides:

• Dual Admin Interfaces: CloudPanel for server management (cp.yourdomain.com) and Moodle admin for content management (yourdomain.com)

• Automatic SSL: Let's Encrypt certificates automatically installed and renewed for both domains

• Moodle CLI Integration: Command-line tools for advanced Moodle management

• Single Sign-On: One set of credentials (admin username) for both CloudPanel and Moodle

• Automated Deployment: Complete setup in 5-7 minutes via Cloud-init automation

• Pre-configured PHP: All required PHP extensions installed and configured

• Admin Username: admin (used for both CloudPanel and Moodle)

• Admin Password: Auto-generated 16-character alphanumeric password

• Database Name: moodle

• Database User: moodle

• Database Password: Auto-generated during deployment

• PHP Version: 8.3

• PHP Memory Limit: 512M

• Max Upload Size: 64M

• Max Execution Time: 300 seconds

• CloudPanel Domain: cp.{domain}

Cloud-init automates the complete Moodle deployment process during the first VM boot. The script:

1. Sets the hostname and root password

2. Waits for CloudPanel to be ready (30 seconds)

3. Creates CloudPanel admin user with provided credentials

4. Configures reverse proxy for CloudPanel access via custom domain

5. Installs SSL certificate for CloudPanel domain

6. Installs all required PHP 8.3 extensions (curl, zip, gd, mbstring, xml, xmlrpc, soap, intl, mysql)

7. Creates PHP 8.3 site for the main domain

8. Creates MySQL database with secure credentials

9. Installs SSL certificate for Moodle domain (before Moodle installation)

10. Downloads and extracts Moodle 5.1

11. Creates Moodle data directory with proper permissions

12. Configures optimized NGINX vhost for Moodle 5.1 with /r.php routing

13. Runs Moodle CLI installer with database connection

14. Sets correct file permissions for security

15. Sets up Moodle cron job

16. Purges Moodle caches
    
    

Total Deployment Time: 7-10 minutes from provisioning to production-ready

The CloudPanel reverse proxy is created to allow access to the CloudPanel web interface via a custom domain name (cp.yourdomain.com) instead of the default IP address and port (https://server-ip:8443). This makes it easier for users to remember and access the panel.

Additionally, the reverse proxy handles SSL termination, allowing secure HTTPS connections with a valid SSL certificate (via Let's Encrypt), without requiring CloudPanel itself to manage certificates directly. It also provides flexibility for managing traffic, improving security, and allowing CloudPanel to coexist with other services on the same server.

After deployment, access your Moodle admin dashboard:

1. URL: https://{domain}

2. Click on Login

3. Username: admin

4. Password: Auto-generated (provided in provisioning confirmation)

To Edit Profile:

1. Top-right corner → click your name/avatar → click Profile

2. On the profile page, click Edit profile

3. Update your details (email, name, city, country, description, profile picture, password)

4. Scroll down → click Update Profile

• Primary URL: https://cp.{domain}

• Fallback URL: https://{server_ip}:8443

• Username: admin (same as Moodle)

• Password: Same password as Moodle

1. Login to Moodle

2. Go to Home

3. Click on Add a new course

4. Fill in course details and save

1. Login to CloudPanel Admin Area

2. Go to Settings

3. Ensure you create an A record for your new domain in your DNS manager, pointing to the Moodle VPS IP

4. Add the domain in CloudPanel and save

5. Your CloudPanel URL should now be the new domain

Ensure you create an A record for your new domain in your DNS manager, pointing to the Moodle VPS IP.

1. Login to the CloudPanel GUI

2. Navigate to Sites → Your Domain → Manage

3. Navigate to the vhost settings

4. Change the server_name for both ports 80 and 443 to your new domain

5. Click Save

At this point, the new domain should load without SSL.

Run via terminal:

Then reload nginx:

Administrators can reset both CloudPanel and Moodle passwords:

Access your server via SSH and execute password reset commands:

The server comes with UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) pre-configured with secure rules:

Cause: Cloud-init script failed to run or SSL installation failed

Solution:

Cause: Firewall blocking ports or service not running

Solution:

Cause: Database credentials mismatch

Solution:

Cause: DNS records not propagated or ports 80/443 blocked

Solution:

• Verify DNS A record points to server IP

• Check ports are open: ufw status

• Wait 5-10 minutes for DNS propagation

• Retry SSL installation via CloudPanel

Cause: CloudPanel doesn't accept certain special characters

Solution: Use alphanumeric passwords only (A-Z, a-z, 0-9)

Cause: Incorrect ownership of Moodle files

Solution:

Cause: PHP limits not configured properly

Solution: Login to CloudPanel → Sites → click on your domain → under PHP Settings, adjust the configuration.

Cause: Cache not configured or insufficient resources

Solution:

• Enable Moodle caching in Site Administration → Plugins → Caching

• Install Redis or Memcached for improved performance

• Check system resources: htop

• Optimize MySQL: mysqltuner

Cause: NGINX not configured for Moodle 5.1's new directory structure

Solution: Ensure NGINX configuration has:

• root pointing to /home/moodle/htdocs/{domain}/moodle/public

• try_files $uri $uri/ /r.php; for the Moodle 5.1 router

• Change default admin username after first login

• Use strong alphanumeric passwords (16+ characters)

• Keep Moodle core, themes, and plugins updated regularly

• Install a security plugin or enable Moodle's built-in security features

• Enable two-factor authentication for admin accounts

• Regular database backups via CloudPanel

• Restrict file upload types in Moodle settings

• Review user roles and permissions regularly

• Monitor failed login attempts

• Keep PHP and system packages updated

• Enable Moodle caching (File cache, Redis, or Memcached)

• Use a CDN for static assets (themes, images)

• Optimize images before uploading

• Remove unused themes and plugins

• Enable NGINX caching for static files

• Configure Moodle session handling properly

• Set up cron to run every minute (configured automatically)

• Monitor disk space for moodledata directory

• Use database query optimization

• Consider external database server for large deployments

• Schedule regular backups (daily recommended)

• Monitor disk space usage (especially moodledata directory)

• Review CloudPanel logs periodically

• Test updates on staging environment before production

• Keep SSH keys secure and rotate regularly

• Document any custom configurations

• Monitor server resources (CPU, RAM, disk I/O)

• Set up email notifications for system alerts

• Regularly review and clean up old course backups

• Archive old courses to free up resources

• Moodle Documentation: https://docs.moodle.org/

• Moodle Administrator Guide: https://docs.moodle.org/en/Admin_quick_guide

• CloudPanel Documentation: Introduction | CloudPanel | Documentation

• Moodle CLI Scripts: https://docs.moodle.org/en/Administration_via_command_line

• NGINX Optimization: F5 Blog | NGINX

• Let's Encrypt: Documentation

• Moodle Forums: All courses | Moodle.org

• Moodle Plugins Directory: Moodle Plugins directory | Moodle.org