Why Self-Host Your Online Courses?

Generating Test Student and Course Data with the Moodle Development Kit

This tutorial walks you through using the Moodle Development Kit, a tool for automating tasks like creating test/fake students, courses, and forums for testing.

Launching a Containerized Moodle Instance with Docker

Launch a containerized Moodle test instance by mounting MoodleHQ Docker images in Docker Compose. The very fastest way to launch Moodle!

Registering a Domain Name for your LMS

Register a domain name for your website or LMS! We explain relevant concepts like IP addresses, domain names, and DNS records.

Scheduling Automated Moodle Backups

Better safe than sorry! Backup and archive your Moodle directories and MySQL database with a customizable cron script.

Upgrading Moodle on Ubuntu Server

If you're running Moodle live, it's important to keep up-to-date with a recent release for security reasons.

Collaborative Writing with Moodle Wikis

Forge student agency and communities of practice with Moodle wikis. We install and customize the OU Wiki module.

Choosing the Right Self-hosted LMS

There are a few LMS options out there: Moodle, Open edX, Canvas, etc. Which is right for you? This article discusses the advantages of each.

Remote Server Access with SSH

Connect to your LMS server remotely using Secure Shell (SSH). We also create two handy shortcuts: enabling SSH "key" access and creating a server alias.

Using the Linux Command Line

Familiarize yourself with some of the basic Linux commands that are used in the instructional tutorials on this site.

Adding the Stripe Payment Method to Moodle

Monetize your excellent course materials by charging for course access! Stripe features include subscriptions and trial periods.

Embedding Chess Analysis with ChessTempo PGN Viewer

A tutorial for embedding the ChessTempo PGN viewer on your LMS pages.

Setting Up Email in Moodle with SendGrid

A tutorial for how to set up SMTP email services on Moodle with SendGrid.

Installing Open edX with Tutor

An overview of installing Open edX with Tutor on Ubuntu Server.

Installing Moodle 4.4 on Ubuntu Server

A walk-through tutorial of installing Moodle 4.4 on Ubuntu Server.

Installing Ubuntu Server on a VPS

In order to host an LMS, you'll need a server! A step-by-step set up of Ubuntu Server.

Authenticating your LMS with SSL Certification

Nobody visits an unsecured site -- Serve your LMS over HTTPS (and get that padlock icon!)

UTM Virtual Machines

Sometimes you may want to demo LMS installations on a "blank" computer. Do so with a VM instance with UTM!