How do I get started learning how to host my own VPS?

Question

I am about to roll out a webapp that I developed in Rails, and am at the hosting decision stage. I am trying to figure out how to proceed. i.e. do I go Heroku or manage my own VPS. I like having maximum control, but I have lots of learning to do.

My app will accept images uploaded by users, so Heroku would force me to store all images on S3 from the get-go. I am not TOOO keen on that, mainly because I wanted to store all the files on the local server, and then have 2 'hot copies' (for backup purposes) on S3 and CloudFiles.

So what do I need to read to get up to speed quickly with managing my own VPS for my Rails app? Including things like implementing monitoring, notifications, security, etc.

I have no extensive experience with Linux distros, but I am a BIT familiar with the command-line in OS X, and am just as familiar with Git.

Thanks

Answer 1

You will find a ton of information here that can be useful for you: http://articles.slicehost.com/rails

Answer 2

You could try out linode too. They have pre-built stacks shared by other users to get you started with VPS alongwith a startup/setup script. They're awesome at support and are infact a bit cheaper than slicehost. linode.com.

As for setting up the VPS. I seriously suggest that you have a look at sprinkle or some other provisioning system to automate the setup process. It might be fun to do it the first time. But in production you need to have a way to quickly and programmatically setup new servers quickly.