---
title: "Deploy a web server"
sidebarTitle: "Deploy a web server"
description: "Provision a compute instance with Terraform, then install Nginx and serve a page — end to end."
---

A complete walkthrough: define a compute instance in Terraform, apply it, connect over SSH, and serve a web page with Nginx.

<Note>
  New to the provider? Run through the [Quickstart](/terraform/quickstart) and [Authentication](/terraform/authentication) first — this guide assumes Terraform is installed and `STRETTCH_CLOUD_API_KEY` is set.
</Note>

## What you'll build

- A compute instance with a public IP
- SSH access with your own key
- Nginx serving a page over HTTP

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set up the project">
    Create a new directory with three files:

    <CodeGroup>
    ```hcl main.tf
    terraform {
      required_providers {
        strettchcloud = {
          source  = "strettch-cloud/strettchcloud"
          version = "~> 1.0"
        }
      }
    }

    provider "strettchcloud" {
      # api_key is read from STRETTCH_CLOUD_API_KEY
    }

    resource "strettchcloud_compute" "web" {
      host_name      = "web-01"
      image          = "UBUNTU-24.04"
      region         = "KGL-1"
      specification  = "S-1C-1G"
      public_keys    = [var.ssh_public_key]
      with_public_ip = true
      tags           = ["web", "demo"]
    }
    ```

    ```hcl variables.tf
    variable "ssh_public_key" {
      description = "Your SSH public key (contents of e.g. ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub)."
      type        = string
    }
    ```

    ```hcl outputs.tf
    output "public_ip" {
      value = strettchcloud_compute.web.ipv4
    }
    ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Provide your credentials">
    Set your API key and keep your SSH public key handy:

    ```bash
    export STRETTCH_CLOUD_API_KEY="<your api key>"
    ```

    <Tip>
      Don't have an SSH key yet? Generate one with `ssh-keygen`, then your public key is at `~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub`. See [SSH Keys](/services/compute/ssh-keys) for the full walkthrough.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Initialize and apply">
    Download the provider and create the instance, passing your public key in:

    ```bash
    terraform init
    terraform apply -var="ssh_public_key=$(cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub)"
    ```

    Review the plan, type `yes`, and Terraform prints the `public_ip` when the instance is up.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect over SSH">
    Strettch Cloud exposes SSH on port **222**. Connect as `root`:

    ```bash
    ssh root@$(terraform output -raw public_ip) -p 222
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install Nginx">
    On the instance, install and start Nginx:

    ```bash
    apt update && apt install -y nginx
    ```

    Replace the default page with your own:

    ```bash
    echo "<h1>Hello from Strettch Cloud 🚀</h1>" > /var/www/html/index.html
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify">
    Open `http://<your-public-ip>` in a browser — you'll see your page. Your web server is live, defined entirely in Terraform.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tear it down">
    When you're finished, destroy everything you created:

    ```bash
    terraform destroy -var="ssh_public_key=$(cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub)"
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

---

## Make it repeatable

Because the whole server is now described in code, you can:

- **Version it** — commit `main.tf`, `variables.tf`, and `outputs.tf` to Git.
- **Review changes** — run `terraform plan` before every change to see exactly what will happen.
- **Reproduce it** — apply the same files to stand up an identical instance any time, or for a second environment.

<Tip>
  Avoid hardcoding `image`, `region`, or `specification`. Look them up as data sources instead — see [Look up catalog values](/terraform/quickstart#look-up-catalog-values) in the Quickstart.
</Tip>

---

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Resources & data sources" icon="layer-group" href="/terraform/resources">
    The full catalog of what the provider can manage.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Full reference" icon="book-open" href="https://registry.terraform.io/providers/strettch-cloud/strettchcloud/latest/docs">
    Every argument and attribute on the Terraform Registry.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>