Server management

In the context of PHP roles, server management refers to the ongoing maintenance, monitoring, and optimization of the server infrastructure that runs PHP applications. While similar to server administration, this skill emphasizes the continuous operational health of the system, ensuring reliability, scalability, and security over time.

Key Aspects of Server Management

A developer responsible for server management focuses on proactive and reactive tasks to keep services running smoothly. This includes responding to incidents, planning for capacity, and implementing strategies to prevent downtime. The goal is to create a resilient and efficient hosting environment.

Skills for Effective Server Management

Professionals in these roles need a combination of system administration and operational skills:

• Monitoring and Alerting: Setting up and using tools like Nagios, Zabbix, or cloud-based services like New Relic to monitor system health and application performance.
• Log Analysis: Aggregating and analyzing system and application logs (e.g., using the ELK stack) to troubleshoot issues.
• Backup and Recovery: Implementing and regularly testing automated backup and disaster recovery plans.
• Security Patching: Keeping the operating system and all installed software up-to-date with the latest security patches.
• Configuration Management: Using tools like Ansible, Puppet, or Chef to automate server configuration and ensure consistency.