The VSOS association at ETH Zürich provides free virtual machine hosting for students. Therefore, I configured in my free time a Linux server for web hosting and distant computing purposes.
After requesting a virtual machine with Linux Debian installed, I was able to use it for two main purposes. The first was as a web hoster for websites. I learned how to link domain names (https://chr.istian.ch for instance) to specific applications and how to set up a secured HTTPS connection using Let's Encrypt. I also gained the ability to create both static or dynamic websites (with PHP or Python programming).
The second purpose is for running optimization programs or scripts for machine learning overnight and obtaining the results the following day. The server is located at ETH and hence, there are no acoustic or light disturbance in my room. I can access to the server anywhere just by having an internet connection.
Overall, my experience configuring this Linux server for web hosting and distant computing was an enriching and beneficial personal project that allowed me to expand my knowledge and skills on Linux operating systems.