Which Tools Does Create a Secure Website Recommend for Building a Secure Site?

Create a Secure Website recommends a free, open-source stack built in layers: a Debian Linux VPS as the hosting base, Hestia Control Panel to manage the server, and Joomla with the Helix Ultimate template to build and style the site. The course also starts one step earlier, suggesting learners use a Linux computer (including a bootable Linux USB stick) for their own day-to-day work. This stack suits beginners building a first site and people rebuilding after a hack, but it assumes you are willing to learn server and CMS administration rather than rely on a fully managed, drag-and-drop platform.

The Recommended Stack at a Glance

Why Each Tool Is Chosen

Debian VPS as the hosting base

The course treats the virtual private server as the foundation and walks through choosing a VPS host before installing anything. A VPS gives you full control over the server environment, which is the point: the course frames security as something you configure yourself rather than something a shared hosting plan does for you. The trade-off is that you are responsible for the server, so the course pairs this step with its own guidance on choosing a host and on real website security tips.

Hestia Control Panel for server management

Hestia sits between the raw server and the website. In the course sequence it is installed on the VPS, used alongside Midnight Commander for file operations, and then used to install Joomla. That order matters: you learn to manage the server before you put a site on it. If you have only used cPanel-style hosting, the course includes a section on moving a cPanel website to Hestia, which is a useful signal that Hestia is meant to replace that kind of panel rather than sit beside it.

Joomla with Helix Ultimate for the site itself

Joomla handles content structure and the Helix Ultimate template handles presentation. The course splits these cleanly:

• Joomla first steps and extensions, then a better editor and a welcome article.
• Helix first steps, then menus and mega menus, then typography customisation.
• Content workflow: categories and folders, writing and posting articles, creating featured images in LibreOffice Draw and attaching them to articles.
• Navigation: menu item links for categories and articles, plus dividing and linking pages.
• Custom modules: styling with inline CSS, internal and external CSS, preset classes and "Rainbow" presets.

Later sections cover promotion (a home page slideshow, informational videos, a free email newsletter, a free download manager) and management (search engine optimisation, migrating from cPanel, WordPress or Wix, and updating Joomla 3 to Joomla 4).

Who This Stack Fits, and Who Should Choose Differently

This stack fits you if:

• You want to own the whole stack and are willing to learn server administration.
• You have been hacked before, or you want to avoid the common failure modes of plug-in-heavy, managed setups.
• You are comfortable with a course format that moves step by step through Linux, VPS, panel, CMS and template.
• You want free open-source tools with no licence cost for the software itself.

Choose a different approach if:

• You need a site live this week and cannot spend time on VPS and panel configuration.
• You have no interest in managing a server; a managed CMS host removes that layer but also removes much of the control this course is built around.
• You need a specific platform ecosystem (for example, an existing WordPress workflow). The course does address moving a WordPress or Wix site to Joomla, so migration is covered if you want to switch rather than avoid the stack.

Practical Notes Before You Start

• Follow the order. The course deliberately puts Linux and VPS setup before Joomla. Installing Joomla first and retrofitting server security is the pattern the course is designed to prevent.
• Expect a version gap. The outline includes updating a Joomla 3 site to Joomla 4, so some material reflects Joomla 3. Check current Joomla version guidance when you install, and treat the update section as a migration reference.
• Budget time, not licence fees. The tools named are open source, but a VPS is a paid service. The course materials do not state VPS pricing, so compare hosts directly.
• Use the demo pages. The site links module demo, Rainbow module and video background module pages, which let you see styling results before reproducing them in your own Joomla install.

The shortest path through the course for a first site is: set up a Linux working environment, choose and configure a Debian VPS, install Hestia, install Joomla through Hestia, apply Helix Ultimate, then work through content, navigation and modules before touching promotion and SEO.