Final project (eta ~ end of may/mid of june) nb

Final project (ETA ~ end of May/mid of June)
NB! you can do this work on virtual machines(in a class, or in AWS or in Azure) or physical hardware(like your own computer/laptop)
Title: Building a Secure and Scalable Web Application on a Linux Server
Description: In this project, you will design, implement, and deploy a web application on a Linux server. The web application will be based on the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP), and it will serve as a platform for online content management, collaboration, and e-commerce. The project will cover the following areas:
1. OS configuration: You will start by installing and configuring a Linux distribution on a virtual machine or a physical server. You will choose a minimalistic and secure distribution, and you will configure the basic settings, such as the hostname, the timezone, the language, the backups, the users and groups, and the firewall.
2. Networking: You will configure the network interfaces,( the DNS resolver -optional), the routing tables & loadbalacing. You will also secure the network traffic by (enabling SSL/TLS encryption-optional), configuring the firewall rules,( and setting up a VPN-optional).
3. Monitoring and alerting: You will set up a monitoring and alerting system to track the system performance, the resource usage, and the security events. You will use tools such as Nagios, Zabbix, or Prometheus, and you will configure them to send alerts via email(, SMS, or Teams-optional)
4. Crontab configuration: You will automate tasks using the crontab utility. You will create scripts to perform periodic backups, log rotations, database optimizations, and other maintenance tasks.
5. Malware prevention: You will secure the server against malware and other threats. You will check your server against vulnerabilities by using any tools you like (Kali toolsets etc) You will also apply the principle of least privilege by configuring user permissions and file permissions.
6. LAMP stack: You will install and configure the LAMP stack components: Apache, MySQL, and PHP. You will create a database schema, design a web interface, and implement the application logic. You will also optimize the performance and scalability of the application by using caching, load balancing, and other techniques.
Deliverables: The final deliverable of the project will be a fully functional and secure web application deployed on a Linux server. You will also provide a project report that includes the following sections:
• Introduction: A brief overview of the project and its goals.
• Design and implementation: A description of the system architecture, the network topology, the security measures, and the web application design.
• Testing and evaluation: A summary of the testing methodology, the test results, and the performance metrics.
• Conclusion and future work: A discussion of the project achievements, the limitations, and the opportunities for future improvement.
Assessment criteria: The project will be assessed based on the following criteria:
• Completeness and functionality of the web application
• Security and scalability of the system
• Use of best practices and industry standards
• Quality of the project report and presentation
• Creativity and innovation in the design and implementation