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How to Install Cherokee Web Server on AnonVM

Cherokee Web Server is an open-source, high-performance web server designed to handle heavy traffic while offering a flexible and easy-to-use configuration. It's known for its low resource usage and support for modern protocols such as HTTP/2 and WebSockets. This tutorial will guide you through the process of installing Cherokee Web Server on an AnonVM server, ensuring a fast and secure web hosting environment.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, make sure your AnonVM server meets the following requirements:

• VPS or Dedicated Server with root or sudo access.
• Operating System: This tutorial is compatible with Ubuntu/Debian-based systems or CentOS.
• Domain Name (optional): If you want to use SSL/TLS certificates (for HTTPS), a domain name is required.

Step 1: Update Your System

First, update the system’s package list to make sure you have the latest software and security patches.

For Ubuntu/Debian-based systems:

For CentOS-based systems:

Step 2: Install Cherokee Web Server

Method 1: Install Cherokee Using Package Manager (For Ubuntu/Debian-based systems)

1. Add Cherokee repository (if not available in default repository):

    

   sudo apt-get install software-properties-common sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cherokee-webserver/ppa sudo apt update

2. Install Cherokee:

    

   sudo apt install cherokee -y

Method 2: Install Cherokee on CentOS or RHEL-based systems

Cherokee might not be available in default repositories for CentOS. In this case, you can compile it from source:

1. Install dependencies:

    

   sudo yum install gcc make automake autoconf libtool libxml2-devel libssl-devel pcre-devel zlib-devel -y

2. Download and compile Cherokee:

    

   wget https://github.com/cherokee/webserver/archive/refs/tags/v1.2.104.tar.gz tar -xvzf v1.2.104.tar.gz cd webserver-1.2.104 ./autogen.sh ./configure make sudo make install

Step 3: Start and Enable Cherokee Web Server

After installing Cherokee, you'll need to start the service and enable it to start on boot.

1. Start Cherokee Web Server:

    

   sudo systemctl start cherokee

2. Enable Cherokee to start at boot:

    

   sudo systemctl enable cherokee

3. Check the status of Cherokee: You can check if Cherokee is running with:

    

   sudo systemctl status cherokee

   If everything is set up correctly, you should see a message indicating that the Cherokee service is active.

Step 4: Configure Cherokee Web Server

Cherokee's configuration is done through its web-based interface, which is accessible by default at http://your_server_ip:9090.

1. Access the Cherokee web interface: Open a browser and go to http://your_server_ip:9090. You’ll be greeted with a login page. The default credentials are:

   • Username: admin
   • Password: cherokee

   After logging in, you’ll have access to the Cherokee management interface, where you can configure the web server, set up virtual hosts, enable modules, and more.

2. Set up your website: To serve your website, create a directory where your web files will be stored (e.g., /var/www/html).

    

   sudo mkdir -p /var/www/html sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html

   Then, go to the Cherokee interface, create a virtual host, and set the document root to /var/www/html. You can also set up other parameters such as log files, SSL, and more.

Step 5: Secure Your Website with HTTPS

Cherokee provides support for SSL/TLS, and it’s recommended to secure your website with HTTPS.

1. Obtain an SSL certificate: You can use Let’s Encrypt to get a free SSL certificate or use your own certificate.

2. Configure SSL in the Cherokee web interface: In the Cherokee web interface, navigate to the SSL section. Enable SSL and either upload your SSL certificate or configure Cherokee to use Let’s Encrypt for automatic certificate management.

3. Enable HTTPS on your website: In the virtual host configuration, ensure that both HTTP and HTTPS are enabled. The interface allows you to set up port 443 for HTTPS.

4. Restart Cherokee: After making changes to the configuration, restart Cherokee to apply the changes:

    

   sudo systemctl restart cherokee

Step 6: Accessing Your Website

Once you have completed the configuration, you should be able to access your website by visiting:

• HTTP: http://yourdomain.com
• HTTPS: https://yourdomain.com

If you’ve successfully configured everything, your website should now be running securely with SSL.

Step 7: Monitor and Manage Cherokee

Cherokee offers a number of ways to monitor its performance and logs:

1. Access Cherokee Logs: Logs can be accessed in the default location, typically at /var/log/cherokee/. You can view them with:

    

   tail -f /var/log/cherokee/access.log

2. Check Cherokee status: To check whether Cherokee is running or to troubleshoot, you can use:

    

   sudo systemctl status cherokee

3. Restart or stop Cherokee:

   • Restart Cherokee to apply configuration changes:
      

     sudo systemctl restart cherokee
   • To stop the server:
      

     sudo systemctl stop cherokee

Step 8: (Optional) Configure Cherokee as a Reverse Proxy

Cherokee can act as a reverse proxy for other applications, like a backend application running on another port.

1. Configure the reverse proxy in the Cherokee web interface: Go to the Reverse Proxy section in the Cherokee interface. Set up the proxy settings to forward requests to your backend application (e.g., localhost:3000).

2. Apply changes: Save your configuration and restart Cherokee to apply the reverse proxy settings.

Conclusion

You’ve successfully installed and configured Cherokee Web Server on your AnonVM server. Cherokee offers a lightweight and fast web server solution that can serve static files, proxy requests, and handle high traffic efficiently. Whether you're hosting a simple website or complex applications, Cherokee is a robust choice for anyone looking to manage web traffic with minimal resource usage.

With Cherokee's built-in SSL support, easy configuration through its web interface, and ability to reverse proxy, you can quickly deploy and manage your websites and web applications securely.