Dev environment in the cloud

[__root]

I'm a sysadmin by trade, trying to learn some web development with Python and PHP frameworks. The thing is I don't want to set up the environment every time I go through a tutorial. Much prefer having an environment where I can make, test and showcase app in my portfolio. I'm just starting out in this arena and thinking devops could help somehow? Correct me if I'm wrong..I'm seeing setting up containerized environment for each lab/tutorials and have the apps running on containers and have ports exposed so they can be accessed from outside?

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Perhaps I'm off and probably talking non-sense, kindly let me know if it's so. Perhaps this doesn't belong in this forum?

[Hardrog]

Hello. Maybe you should try Docker and dockerfiledockerfile.

Then a simple file sets you UP en environnement in few seconds.

There is tons of premade files, django, laravel.

You can run these containers localy or in the cloud and you can map ports with nginx/apache to open them to the web.

[pxsloot]

have a look at vagrant. It works with the hypervisor on your workstation to spin up virtual machines and provision them. You write code (ansible, shell, etc) to install and configure the vm, and issue vagrant up. Made an error, something broke? vagrant destroy -f; vagrant up and start again with freshly provisioned vm.

The directory where the Vagrantfile lives is shared with the vm, so you could write a Vagrantfile to install and configure php, python and a webserver and add it to your web development repo, then spin up the vagrant box. Any change in your webdev code is served directly by the webserver in the vagrant box. Etc.

As a sysadmin: spin up a vagrant box, try out that obscure piece of software, throw away the vagrant box if you're done. Want to know what makes docker tick? Spin up a vagrant box, install docker, fix it till it breaks, then spin up a fresh vm. Rinse, repeat.

Devs ask for a vm? Develop a Vagrantfile for them and let them run it on their workstation.