I Finally Got My Own Website Up and Running
From buying a server and a domain to deploying with the BT Panel, this is how I got my first website running—and what I learned about taking code online.
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Abin’s Notes · May 7, 2026, 18:09
Recently, I completed a small but meaningful project from start to finish: from buying a server and completing the domain’s ICP filing to deploying the project, I finally got my own website up and running.
It was more than putting a page on display or trying out some technology. For me, it was a complete exercise in putting what I had learned into practice.
My understanding of “launching a website” used to be vague. I thought that once the code was written and the pages looked right, the work was more or less done. Only after going through the entire process myself did I realize how much goes into making a website accessible to other people:
A server, a domain, an ICP filing, DNS records, deployment, a runtime environment, and the project code.
None of these steps is particularly difficult on its own. Learning to connect them is where practical ability begins.
01 Buying a Server: Giving the Project Somewhere to Run
I started by buying a server on Alibaba Cloud.
You can think of a server as a website’s “home.” A project on my local computer is something only I can see; deploying it to a server gives it a place from which other people can access it.
After buying the server, I began setting up the environment, opening ports, and preparing for deployment. For the first time, I clearly understood that writing the code is not the end of the work. Getting it to run reliably is where things really begin.
When I watched tutorials before, terms like servers, ports, and environments felt abstract. Once I started doing the work myself, they became specific problems with specific solutions.
02 Buying a Domain: Giving the Website an Address
With the server ready, I bought my own domain.
If the server is the website’s “house,” the domain is its street address.
A domain feels more established than a bare IP address and is better suited to long-term use. Whether I use the site for a personal introduction, to present my services, or to collect my projects, the domain can serve as a consistent point of entry.
I felt a real sense of anticipation the first time I typed my own domain into a browser. It meant I was building an online space of my own, beyond a project on my computer.
03 Completing the ICP Filing: Preparing for an Official Launch
An ICP filing is a required step when launching a website in mainland China.
I followed the process and submitted the required details about the registrant, the website, and the domain. Waiting for the review was not complicated, but it made the whole thing feel official.
Eventually, I received confirmation from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology that the filing had been approved.
At that moment, the project seemed to shift from “giving it a try” to “this is really going online.”
For me, approval was more than another step in a process. It confirmed that the website had the basic regulatory foundation for public access. From that point on, I took the project even more seriously.
04 Deploying with the BT Panel: Putting the Project Online
Once the filing was complete, the next step was deployment.
I used the BT Panel (宝塔面板) to manage the server and my projects. Its visual interface was more approachable for a beginner than working entirely through the command line. It also gave me a clearer view of website directories, project status, port settings, and runtime environments.
I uploaded the code files I had written using VS Code and Cursor to the server, then deployed:
- A Python project
- An HTML page project
This was also the stage that taught me the most.
Code that runs locally will not necessarily run smoothly on a server. Along the way, I encountered issues with paths, dependencies, ports, permissions, and configuration. It seemed a little messy at first, but following each problem step by step eventually led to its cause.
My biggest takeaway was this: AI can help me write code faster, but getting a project working still requires me to understand the process.
AI-assisted coding improved development efficiency, and the BT Panel made deployment easier to approach. Still, every step between writing code and accessing the site online needed to be checked and worked through.
05 Going Live: Finally Accessing the Site Through My Domain
After a series of adjustments, the website was finally accessible through its domain.
I opened my browser and typed:
guofengbin.xyz
Seeing the page load successfully gave me a real sense of accomplishment.
I knew that page had not appeared out of nowhere. Behind it were the server purchase, domain setup, ICP filing, project development, file uploads, environment configuration, and deployment troubleshooting.
These had once been disconnected terms to me. Now they formed a complete sequence that I understood.
That was the most valuable part of the experience: I had taken an idea all the way through to a working website online.
06 Three Things I Took Away from the Experience
Looking back, launching the website taught me three main lessons.
Finishing the Whole Process Matters More Than Studying Alone
Watching tutorials, taking notes, and learning concepts are all useful. But completing something yourself is often where the fastest growth happens.
Servers, domains, ICP filings, deployment, and access are not especially complicated when considered separately. Being able to connect them into a complete process is a practical skill in itself.
AI Improves Efficiency, but Understanding Still Matters
AI tools can help us generate code, change pages, and troubleshoot more quickly. They cannot do the work of understanding why a project runs on our behalf.
Encountering problems, locating their causes, and solving them are the experiences that become our own abilities.
Having an Online Space of Your Own Is Valuable
After launching the website, I felt more strongly that owning a domain and a website is worthwhile.
They can hold a personal introduction, service descriptions, project work, and content built up over time. A personal website feels more like an asset of my own than relying entirely on accounts on other platforms.
This was just the first step. I will continue improving it.
07 A Final Thought
This experience made one thing clearer to me:
Many skills are built by doing, beyond simply understanding what you read.
Doing the work brings you into contact with real problems. Solving those problems gives you real experience. Completing the whole process builds confidence.
From buying a server and a domain to completing the filing, deploying the project, and finally accessing it through the domain, this process gave me a complete understanding of what it means to launch a website.
It is a new beginning.
Next, I will continue documenting my practical work with AI tools, productivity, and personal projects.
Less empty talk. More hands-on work.
Turn ideas into projects, get those projects online, and build the results into lasting assets of my own.