What Topics and Skill Level Does the Create a Secure Website Course Cover?

Updated

Create a Secure Website is a free, step-by-step course that teaches you to build and run a website using open-source tools: a Debian VPS, the Hestia Control Panel, the Joomla content management system, and the Helix Ultimate template. It is written for beginners, including people whose sites have already been hacked and first-time builders who want a more secure starting point. The lessons assume no prior server or coding experience, but they do expect you to follow a long sequence in order, from installing Linux to managing a finished site.

Who the Course Is For

The course states three audiences directly:

  • People whose websites have already been hacked and who want a more secure way to rebuild.
  • First-time website builders who want to learn a better approach from the start.
  • Anyone who helps others build more secure websites.

The framing is practical rather than theoretical. The introduction warns that a site someone spent years building can be destroyed quickly, which is the problem the course is designed to prevent.

Course Outline

The curriculum is organized into numbered sections that move from the operating system up to site promotion and long-term management.

Section What it covers
1. First Steps Why replace Windows with Linux, creating a secure Linux computer, running Linux from a USB stick, and initial laptop configuration
2. Create a Secure VPS Choosing a VPS host, installing Hestia, using Midnight Commander, and installing Joomla through Hestia
3. Site Setup Joomla first steps, adding extensions, adding a better editor and welcome article, and real website security tips
4. Site Appearance Helix template basics, menus and mega menus, and customizing typography
5. Site Content Categories and folders, writing and posting articles, creating featured images in LibreOffice Draw, and attaching them to Joomla articles
6. Site Navigation Menu item links, category and article menu items, and dividing and linking pages
7. Create Custom Modules Styling modules with inline, internal, and external CSS, plus preset classes and "Rainbow" presets
8. Site Promotion Home page slideshow, informational videos, a free email newsletter, and a free download manager
9. Site Management Search engine optimization, moving a cPanel site to Hestia, moving a WordPress or Wix site to Joomla, and updating Joomla 3 to Joomla 4
10. More Web Tips A Joomla module with a video background, cropping and resizing videos with OpenShot, and a search engine tip

There are also demo pages for modules, Rainbow modules, and video background modules, plus free downloads and a contact page.

Skill Level in Practice

The course is beginner-friendly in the sense that each step is broken into a short lesson with a stated action. It is not a quick start. Reaching a live site means working through Linux installation, VPS provisioning, control panel setup, CMS installation, template configuration, and content creation before you touch promotion or SEO.

Two parts raise the practical bar:

  • Section 7 (custom modules and CSS) introduces inline, internal, and external CSS and preset classes. You can follow along without prior CSS knowledge, but this is where the course moves beyond clicking through menus.
  • Section 9 (management) covers migrations and a Joomla 3 to Joomla 4 update. These are useful for people inheriting an existing site, but they assume you have already completed the earlier setup lessons or have an equivalent environment.

What the Course Does Not Cover

Based on the published outline, the course does not present itself as covering:

  • Hosting costs or plan comparisons. No pricing information is provided on the site.
  • Alternative stacks such as WordPress-first builds. WordPress appears only as a source for migration to Joomla.
  • Advanced development topics like custom Joomla extensions or PHP programming.

How to Decide If It Fits You

Choose this course if you want a single guided path from a bare Linux machine to a managed Joomla site, and you are willing to invest time in the full sequence. It suits someone rebuilding after a hack or starting fresh with security as a priority.

Look elsewhere if you need a site live within days, if you are already comfortable with servers and only want Joomla template or SEO guidance, or if you plan to stay on WordPress or Wix. For those readers, the migration lessons in Section 9 may still be useful as a standalone reference.