Servers
This page explains the servers and online services that FRC Team 201 uses to run our non-robot software, such as the Returnables Website. It is meant to give new programmers a map of what each service does, how they connect, and where to log in to look at them.
Getting Access
Most of these sites need a login. If you want an account, ask a programming lead or a mentor. You can also search the Business Drive for the student version of the team account passwords sheet.
Please do not share these logins outside the team, and do not change settings unless you know what you are doing. A wrong change can take our websites offline.
How It All Fits Together
When someone visits one of our websites, the request usually travels like this:
- The domain name (for example
feds201.com) is managed in Squarespace. - The domain points to one of our Linode servers, or to a site hosted on Vercel.
- On our servers, Nginx Proxy Manager receives the request and sends it to the right app.
- The apps themselves (like n8n) run in Docker containers that we manage with Portainer.
The sections below follow that order.
1. Squarespace (Domain)
Link: squarespace.com
Squarespace is where our domain, feds201.com, is registered and managed. This is where DNS records live. DNS records tell the internet which server or service a name like n8n.dev.feds201.com should point to.
You will mostly come here to:
- Renew the domain
- Add or change DNS records (for example, when a new subdomain is created)
2. Linode (Servers)
Link: cloud.linode.com/linodes
Linode (now part of Akamai) is a cloud hosting company. It rents us virtual computers that run 24/7 in a data center. We use these instead of a computer at the shop so our tools stay online all the time.
We currently have 2 servers:
| Server | Description |
|---|---|
| Main_Server | Our primary server |
| second_server | Our secondary server |
From the Linode dashboard you can see whether a server is running, check its resource usage, and reboot it if something is stuck.
3. Portainer (Docker Management)
Link: portainer.feds201.com
Our apps run inside Docker containers. A container is a packaged app that includes everything it needs to run, so it behaves the same everywhere.
Portainer is a web dashboard for Docker. Instead of typing commands into a server, you can use Portainer to:
- See which containers are running on each of our 2 servers
- Start, stop, and restart containers
- View container logs when something is broken
- Manage stacks (groups of containers defined together)
4. Nginx Proxy Manager (Reverse Proxy)
Link: nginx1.dev.feds201.com
Nginx Proxy Manager is a reverse proxy with a simple web interface. One server can run many apps, so the proxy acts like a receptionist. It looks at the address the visitor typed and sends them to the correct app.
It also handles SSL certificates, which give our sites the padlock and https://.
You will come here to:
- Add a new subdomain and point it to an app
- Check or renew SSL certificates
5. n8n (Automation)
Link: n8n.dev.feds201.com
n8n is a workflow automation tool. You build workflows by connecting blocks together, and they run automatically when something happens (like a form submission) or on a schedule.
This is where you can view and edit our workflows, including the ones behind the Returnables Website.
6. Vercel (Website Hosting)
Link: vercel.com
Vercel is a hosting platform for websites. It connects to a GitHub repository and automatically rebuilds and publishes the site every time new code is pushed. We use it for sites that do not need to run on our own servers.
From the Vercel dashboard you can see which sites we host, check deployment history, and look at build logs if a deploy fails.