Your Go-to Guide to Develop Cryptocurrency Blockchain in Node.Js

Making your hands dirty by learning how to create blockchain will assist you in appreciating the technology and how it works,” says Elliot Minns, a coding and cryptocurrency guru.

In this article, you will learn how to build an easy cryptocurrency blockchain using Node.Js, a popular JavaScript backend runtime engine that is highly scalable, cost-effective, multi-utility, and very business-friendly.  

Defending Against Data Breaches: An Overview of Cyber Insurance for MSPs

Cyber insurance is a type of insurance policy designed to protect businesses and individuals against losses resulting from cyber-attacks and data breaches. In addition, it provides financial support in the event of a breach, covering costs such as legal fees, notification expenses, and credit monitoring services.

Importance of Cyber Insurance for MSPs

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are at risk of cyber attacks due to the sensitive data they handle for their clients. This includes client data, financial information, and other confidential information. Cyber insurance provides MSPs with peace of mind, knowing that they are protected against the financial losses that can result from a data breach. In addition, having cyber insurance can also increase the confidence of their clients, as it demonstrates the MSP's commitment to data security and protection.

Securing the Clouds: An Evaluation of Cloud Security Solutions

Cloud security is an ever-evolving challenge, as organizations must consider the security of the cloud provider, the configuration of the services they offer, and the security of their own internal systems that store and access cloud-based data. Organizations must continuously evaluate their cloud security solutions to ensure the integrity and privacy of their data. In this blog post, we will evaluate the current state of cloud security solutions, discussing the five options available and helping organizations understand how to secure the cloud. We will explore the importance of implementing a comprehensive cloud security strategy, as well as the various tools and technologies used to protect cloud-based systems. Finally, we will discuss the various methods organizations can use to continuously monitor and audit their cloud security solutions.

1. Evaluating the Current State of Cloud Security

The first step in evaluating the current state of cloud security is to identify the threats and vulnerabilities that exist in the cloud. This includes understanding the different types of threats, such as external threats, malicious actors, misconfigurations, and insider threats. It is also important to understand how these threats can be exploited and the potential impacts on the organization. Additionally, a review of the current security measures in place needs to be conducted to identify any areas of weakness. This evaluation should include a review of the security tools and policies employed by the cloud provider, as well as the security measures implemented by the organization.

Wierd BUG with USER location

I have this code

<?php
    // Connect to the database
    $servername = "localhost";
    $username = "";
    $password = "";
    $dbname = "";

    // Create connection
    $conn = mysqli_connect($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

    // Check connection
    if (!$conn) {
        die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
    }


    // Get the user's IP address
    $user_r_ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];

    function getUserIpAddr(){
        if(!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_CLIENT_IP'])){
            //ip from share internet
            $ip = $_SERVER['HTTP_CLIENT_IP'];
        }elseif(!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR'])){
            //ip pass from proxy
            $ip = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR'];
        }else{
            $ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];
        }
        return $ip;
    }



    //Get User Location details
    $user_ip = getUserIpAddr();
    $geo = unserialize(file_get_contents("http://www.geoplugin.net/php.gp?ip=$user_ip"));
    $country = $geo["geoplugin_countryName"];

    // Get the URL parameters
    $amount = $_COOKIE['amount'];
    $btc = $_COOKIE['btcadd'];


    if (isset($_COOKIE['btcadd']) && isset($_COOKIE['amount'])) {
        // Prepare the INSERT statement
        $stmt = mysqli_prepare($conn, "INSERT INTO btcs (btc, amount, country, ip) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)");

        // Bind the parameters
        mysqli_stmt_bind_param($stmt, "ssss", $btc, $amount, $country, $user_r_ip);

        // Execute the statement
        mysqli_stmt_execute($stmt);

        // Close the statement
        mysqli_stmt_close($stmt);

        // Close the connection
        mysqli_close($conn);
    }
    echo $country;
?>

and i have this code

<?php
    // Connect to the database
    $servername = "localhost";
    $username = "";
    $password = "";
    $dbname = "";

    // Create connection
    $conn = mysqli_connect($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

    // Check connection
    if (!$conn) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
    }

    // Get the user's IP address
    $user_r_ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];

    function getUserIpAddr(){
        if(!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_CLIENT_IP'])){
            //ip from share internet
            $ip = $_SERVER['HTTP_CLIENT_IP'];
        }elseif(!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR'])){
            //ip pass from proxy
            $ip = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR'];
        }else{
            $ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];
        }
        return $ip;
    }

    // Get the URL parameters
    $btc = $_POST['btcadd'];
    $amount = $_POST['amount'];

    //Get User Location details
    $user_ip = getUserIpAddr();
    $geo = unserialize(file_get_contents("http://www.geoplugin.net/php.gp?ip=$user_ip"));
    $country = $geo["geoplugin_countryName"];

    if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST' && isset($_POST['btcadd']) && isset($_POST['amount'])) {
      // Prepare the INSERT statement
      $stmt = mysqli_prepare($conn, "INSERT INTO btcs (btc, amount, country, ip) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)");

      // Bind the parameters
      mysqli_stmt_bind_param($stmt, "ssss", $btc, $amount, $country, $user_r_ip);

      // Execute the statement
      if (!empty($btc)) {
        mysqli_stmt_execute($stmt);
        echo "btc address empty";
        //mysqli_stmt_close($stmt);
      } else {
        echo "<center>.</center>";
        mysqli_close($conn);
        $conn-exit();
      }
    }

?>

Why on the first code the user location is wrong? I am using COOKIES
And on the second code the user location is correct? i am using POST

And is there a way i get the correct location of the user on the first example? BTW the user IP's are correct in the both of the examples, only the country name is wrong on the first example

Node.js REST API Frameworks

Node.js is a popular platform for building scalable and efficient web applications, and one of its key strengths is its support for building REST APIs. With its growing ecosystem of libraries and frameworks, developers have a wide range of options for building and deploying REST APIs in Node.js. In this article, we will look closely at some of the top Node.js REST API frameworks and examine their pros, cons, and basic example to help you choose the right one for your next project.

1. Express

Express is the most popular and widely-used framework for building REST APIs in Node.js. It provides a simple and minimal interface for creating REST APIs, making it easy to get started. Express is also highly modular, allowing developers to easily add new functionality through middleware and plugins. This makes it a great choice for projects of all sizes, from small hobby projects to large-scale enterprise applications.

How Designers Should Ask For (And Receive) High-Quality Feedback

It’s fairly common to see designers complain about the poor quality feedback they’ve received from stakeholders or clients. “They literally told me to make the logo bigger!” they might joke, or, “They told me ‘it just didn’t feel right’ but couldn’t explain why. What am I meant to do with that?” Our response is usually to empathize with our poor colleague — after all, we’ve all been there before — and laugh at the stupidity of clients.

This sort of interaction can be a great bonding moment with a fellow designer. Still, as an industry that’s meant to be great at empathizing with people we might be missing something here, especially if we find ourselves getting this sort of feedback fairly regularly. Maybe it isn’t all the fault of the stupid colleague or client. Perhaps it’s also got something to do with how we present our work, the questions we ask, and when we choose to ask them.

What’s Going Wrong

I’ve sat through more bad design presentations than I care to think about, with designers walking through every single design decision they’ve ever made.

“First, I tried this. Then I tried that. I didn’t like how this worked, so I tried this other thing, and it felt better.”

It’s like sitting through a slide show of somebody else’s baby pictures or holiday snaps or a child coming back from school and talking about the exciting finger painting lesson they just had. Super meaningful to them but pretty dull for everybody else.

So is it any wonder when the rest of the people in the room tend to switch off their critical faculties — after all, no business problems are being shared or important decisions being made — and join the designer on a step-by-step tour of their Figma history, only to be jolted back to the room with the immortal words:

“So what do you think?”

At this point, the executives snap back into action. They’ve been asked what they think, and if there’s one thing executives love doing, it’s giving feedback. So they’ll jump in with a list of things they don’t personally like:

“That looks too big. This looks flat. I don’t like this color. Can you make this area pop a bit more?”

Opinions, opinions, opinions. That is exactly what the designer didn’t want.

So, how do you break this cycle?

Framing The Request For Feedback

Instead of presenting a linear case study that will show every design revision, the first thing you need to do is frame the problem — essentially, to explain what’s wrong with the current design and what problem you are attempting to solve with the new version. After all, design is meant to be about problem-solving rather than pretty pictures, right?

If you would like to show a few dead ends along the way and ramp up the drama, that’s fine. However, you will need to explain those in terms of the problem being solved rather than saying vague things such as “This typeface didn’t work” or “We needed a better color scheme,” as such things will encourage subjective opinions.

Instead, when you present the final design, engage with the stakeholders on a strategic level and explain how the new design solves the problem at hand. Or even better: Explain how you’re going to test/prove how it solves the problem and by how much.

“We’re going to push this release out next week, and we will come back to you with some figures by the end of the month.”

This is much better than a vague, “What do you think?”

Be Specific

If you are genuinely looking for feedback, be specific about what kind of feedback you’re looking for. Are you looking for comments on the visual style, or are those already set through your design system/brand guidelines? Often you’re not really looking for feedback as much as seeking to understand whether they agree that this solution solves the stated problem. So if that’s what you’re looking for, ask them.

If you think there may be contentious issues with the design, flag these up in advance. So, for instance, rather than waiting for the Chief Marketing Officer to ask about the opt-out checkbox, let them know that it’s been changed to opt-in to comply with GDPR.

If you receive feedback, don’t always assume you’re being asked to change something in the design. It’s perfectly reasonable to receive the feedback as a gift (free advice) and let people know that you will take into consideration what they said.

If you’re unsure whether the feedback is a request, don’t hesitate to clarify. If that person isn’t the DRI (directly responsible individual), let them know that you’ll run it past the DRI for final approval. Execs are often just trying to be helpful, so it’s your job to frame the problem and channel their feedback in the correct manner.

Don’t be afraid to say:

“We’re not looking for feedback on the visual language at the moment, but we would love feedback on X!”

Whatever that X may be, of course.

Don’t Seek External Validation. Ask For (Real) Feedback

Designers often ask for feedback at the end of a presentation when it’s really not necessary. It’s perfectly reasonable to frame a presentation as an update and state something along the lines of:

“We’re not looking for feedback at this stage.”

Designers desperately want to be appreciated, so the request for feedback at the end of a presentation may be a clumsy attempt to solicit some praise.

You say:

“What do you think?”

When you really mean:

“Please help support my fragile ego and tell me how great I am!”

Sadly, this subconscious need for external validation regularly backfires, and you’re left feeling worse rather than better.

This is a key distinction I see between junior and senior designers. Junior designers often ask for feedback in the hope they are right and will get a pat on the back. By comparison, more senior designers genuinely hope they’ve missed something because they realize good feedback will help them grow.

As such, the correct answer to such feedback is:

“That’s super interesting — tell me more!”

That would be much better to say rather than blurting out a list of reasons why the feedback is wrong and you’re right.

Learning From Our Mistakes

As an expert, you can tell people their ideas will not work or are going to backfire until you are blue in the face, and they still won’t listen. Instead, the only way most people learn is to go ahead, experience the failure in a tangible way, and then start their own learning loop.

While you want to avoid the “told you so” conversation, you do need to be visible when that lightbulb goes on so they know that the next time you flag up an issue, they could avoid a lot of pain by listening to what you say. Usability testing is a great way to instrument this learning process.

Sadly, designers are very good at flagging up all the reasons why something won’t work and end up feeling frustrated when people don’t listen. However, we’re less good at follow-up. As such, the ultimately responsible person often never sees the problem occur because it’s obscured, not directly experienced, or hidden in the data, and they don’t see you as somebody who could help them avoid similar mistakes in the future. Instead, we get angry with stakeholders who don’t heed our (often) very good advice, which ironically makes them even less likely to listen to us next time.

As a start-up advisor, I regularly see founders make easy-to-avoid mistakes. I’ll always flag these up as I think it’s unfair to see people hurt themselves and their businesses unnecessarily. However, you often need to let them make those mistakes in order to learn.

Show Your Work Early And Often

This last problem is a bit of a biggie. I see far too many designers who only want to show work they think is 95% done and then get frustrated and defensive when asked to make changes. You can understand why. It’s like getting to the finish line of a marathon, only to be told that the race has been extended by another ten miles. It’s exhausting and disheartening, and you’re not entirely sure you have enough “gas left in the tank” in order to continue.

This behavior is often tied up in a designer’s psychology and sense of self-worth. We don’t like receiving criticism — I mean, who does? — as it often feels like it’s us who are being criticized rather than the work we did. So we hide away until we’re sure we’ve got it nailed before stepping out into the blinking sunlight, only to have some mean executive crush our dreams.

The answer is annoyingly simple.

Rather than waiting until you’ve reached perfection, get comfortable showing work in progress — messy first drafts you know are going to solicit feedback.

That way, when you get said feedback, you’re not going to be shocked or surprised, and you still have enough energy and will to make the necessary changes. So rather than being precious, good designers show their work early and often! They bring execs along with them on the journey.

Just kill the “big reveal” moment — you don’t need it!

Conclusion

Ultimately feedback is a gift. It allows us to produce better products with a higher chance of being accepted by our clients, partners, and peers. In order to get useful, actionable feedback, designers need to get comfortable showing work early and often; they need to get better at presenting the business case for their work; and they need to get better at asking the right questions and guiding the sort of feedback they want and need.

The best designers know this. Good designers hope to be proved right. However, great designers want to be proved wrong. Why? Because it’s the most effective way to learn and get better.

Further Reading

There are lots of great resources out there on design feedback! Here are a few of my personal favorites, including a few excellent articles from Smashing Magazine.

How to Create a Truly Anonymous Website (Step by Step)

Do you want to create an anonymous website?

Some users may need to create a website anonymously to protect their privacy and additional security.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to easily create a truly anonymous website. We’ll also talk about protecting your identity online.

Creating an anonymous website

Why Create an Anonymous Website?

An anonymous website conceals the identity of who runs or owns a particular website.

Some users may want to remain anonymous for a number of reasons.

  • Whistleblowers trying to expose corruption.
  • Journalists under authoritarian regimes
  • Citizen watchdog groups
  • Or users who just want to remain anonymous for privacy reasons

Creating an anonymous website makes it difficult to find out who created and runs the website.

Important: Please keep in mind that there is no guaranteed way to remain completely anonymous. While you can make it difficult to trace, there is still a chance that it can be tracked.

What Do You Need to Create an Anonymous Website?

You’ll need the following items to create a basic anonymous website.

  • Anonymously purchased domain name and hosting
  • A separate encrypted email account
  • A secure and reliable VPN service

Now, let us explain why you’ll need those things.

First, you will need to create a new separate email account. You’ll be using that account to manage your website.

To remain anonymous we recommend creating an email account using privacy-focused email services like Proton Mail.

Next, you will need to hide is your IP address. The easiest way to do that is by using a VPN service. We recommend using IPVanish.

IPVanish

Once you have created an email account and turned on the VPN on your computer, you can go ahead and buy a hosting plan.

Normally, you can just go to any of the top hosting companies and start a website in a few minutes.

However, many of these companies require credit card information. This means your personal information will be stored and can be traced back to you.

That’s why we recommend using Hostinger.

Currently, they are giving WPBeginner users a generous discount and a FREE domain name. Basically, you can get started for $2.78 per month.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Hostinger Deal ←

Hostinger is one of the best WordPress hosting companies on the market and allows you to pay using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to keep your purchase as anonymous as possible.

Buying Hosting and Domain Name Anonymously

First, you need to make sure you have VPN turned on whenever you are working on your anonymous website.

After that, you need to visit the Hostinger website and click on the ‘Start Now’ button.

Hostinger start now

This will bring you to the pricing and plans selection page.

We recommend choosing a 48-month plan which gives you the best discount. Plus, you wouldn’t need to worry about future payments for a long time.

Choose your hosting plan

Click to select the plan you want to buy, and then go to the payment section.

From here, first, you need to provide the anonymous email account you created earlier.

After that, you need to select ‘Coingate’ as the payment method and then click on the ‘Submit Secure Payment’ button.

Choose payment method

This will take you to the payment wizard.

First, you need to select a cryptocurrency that you want to pay with and click Continue.

Choose cryptocurrency

Next, you need to enter your anonymous email address and click on the ‘Continue’ button.

Note that you don’t need to create a Coingate account to pay using this method.

Provide email address

On the next screen, you’ll see the QR code to make the payment through your Bitcoin wallet app.

You can also pay manually, by sending the amount to the Bitcoin wallet address mentioned on the screen.

Pay with BitCoin

Upon completion of the transaction, you will be redirected back to the Hostinger website.

You will receive an email from Hostinger with a link to log in to the hosting control panel.

Once you log in to your hosting account control panel, you’ll see a notification to claim your free domain name.

Claim free domain

During domain registration, ICANN requires website owners to provide their personal information such as name, address, email, and phone number.

You need to provide at least the email address you created earlier so that you can be reached for verification.

During the registration, you may also see an option to turn on Domain Privacy.

This feature hides any information you provide during domain registration from WHOIS searches. Anyone who checks will see Hostinger’s proxy info.

After domain registration, you may receive an email to verify your registration.

Installing WordPress to Make Your Anonymous Website

Now that you have completed the domain name and hosting setup, it is time to install WordPress.

Hostinger allows you to easily create a WordPress website. Click on the ‘Manage’ button next to your URL under the hosting panel.

Manage hosting

This will bring you to your back-end dashboard.

From here, you need to visit the Website » Auto Installer page and then click on the ‘Select’ button under WordPress.

Hostinger auto installer

This will launch the auto-installer wizard.

Simply follow the on-screen instructions to finish the setup.

After that, you will see your new website options under the Hostinger control panel.

From here, first, you need to click on the ‘Install’ button next to the ‘SSL Certificate’ option.

Turn on SSL

After that, you need to click on the toggle next to ‘Force HTTPs’ option.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) allows your website to use secure HTTPs. Using it improves your WordPress security by encrypting all traffic to and from your website.

Having an SSL certificate is also a factor in ranking well in search engines and a part of a solid website SEO plan.

Finally, click on the ‘Edit Website’ button to launch and start editing your new WordPress website.

Edit website

Working on Your WordPress Website Anonymously

By design, WordPress is privacy-conscious software to the extent that you can choose what information you want to share on your website.

First, you may want to visit the Users » Profile page and choose a pseudonym for the default admin or author of your website.

Change name

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Update Profile’ button to save your changes.

Next, you need to decide whether you want to allow users to comment on posts and pages across your website.

Simply go to Settings » Discussion page to configure comments. Uncheck all options under the ‘Default Post Settings’ section to disable comments, trackbacks, and pingbacks.

Disable comments

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Adding Content to Your WordPress Site

WordPress comes with two default content types called posts and pages. Posts are part of a blog and are displayed in reverse chronological order, meaning that newer posts appear first.

Pages are standalone pages that are not part of a blog. They are used to create a website structure and layout. See our list of must-have WordPress pages for all types of websites.

To add a page, simply visit the Pages » Add New to create one.

WordPress block editor

WordPress comes with a powerful editor called the Block Editor. See our complete WordPress block editor tutorial to familiarize yourself with the interface.

Similarly, to create a post you will need to visit Posts » Add New page.

Choosing a Theme (Template) For Your Website

WordPress comes with a powerful templating engine that allows you to change the appearance of your website by installing themes.

There are thousands of free and paid WordPress themes available. You can choose one that looks closer to what you have in mind for your website.

WordPress Theme Stats

You can look for themes under the Appearance » Themes page. It will show you a bunch of default themes that come with your WordPress install.

For more themes, click on the ‘Add New’ button at the top to find more free themes.

Add new theme

For premium or paid WordPress themes, you can try trusted WordPress theme shops like SeedProd, Thrive Themes, Astra, Elegant Themes, and more.

However, there is such an abundance of WordPress themes that it may become difficult for beginners to decide which theme they want to use.

We recommend choosing a minimalist design with plenty of white space. This provides you plenty of room to customize the theme and make it your own.

For more details, see our guide on how to choose the perfect theme for your website.

Install Privacy Friendly WordPress Plugins

Plugins are like apps for your WordPress website. They allow you to add new features and extend the functionality of WordPress.

There are more than 60,000 free plugins available in the WordPress.org plugin directory alone. Plus, there are premium WordPress plugins sold by third-party developers with priority support and guaranteed updates.

WordPress plugins

However, you also need to consider which plugins you need to use to keep your WordPress website secure, private, and anonymous.

Following are our top picks for the best WordPress plugins to install on your anonymous website.

  • WPForms – It is the best WordPress contact form plugin and allows you to easily create forms for your website.
  • All in One SEO for WordPress – It is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market and helps your anonymous website get more traffic from search engines.
  • SeedProd – It is a powerful WordPress page builder that allows you to use a drag-and-drop interface to create any type of page for your website.
  • OptinMonster – It is a conversion optimization software, which helps you convert website visitors into email subscribers and customers.
  • MonsterInsights – The best WordPress Google Analytics plugin which helps you see where your visitors and coming from and what they see on your website.

For more plugin recommendations, see our full list of essential WordPress plugins for any kind of website.

FAQs About Running an Anonymous Website

Following are some of the most commonly asked questions about creating an anonymous website.

1. Is it possible to create a fully anonymous website?

Yes, it is possible to create a fully anonymous website. However, you’ll need to be very vigilant about it. Each internet activity creates an information trail leading back to the person who initiated the activity. This trail can be traced by hackers, government agencies, and ISPs. As an anonymous website owner, it will be your job to anonymize all activities.

You can do this by minimizing the activities around your website and using a VPN to hide your IP address. Be careful about any social interactions as they may reveal personally identifiable information.

2. What is anonymous offshore hosting?

Anonymous offshore hosting is a website hosting service that allows users to purchase hosting and domain name without providing real name or credit card information.

Some of these lesser-known companies host their servers in countries with stricter privacy laws. These companies also promise to not store user logs or share them with third-country agencies.

However, these anonymous offshore hosting companies often have very bad customer service and outdated technology.

3. Can a website owner be traced?

Yes, a website owner can be traced even if they are trying to remain anonymous. However, an anonymous website owner can use privacy tools to make it harder to be traced.

Even then if someone is determined to figure out and has the technology, tools, and resources, then they may be able to find out who is running an anonymous website.

4. Can I buy a domain name anonymously?

Yes, you can buy a domain name anonymously from a domain name registrar that accepts cryptocurrencies as a payment method.

Hostinger, also allows you to register additional domain names using cryptocurrencies. During the registration, you can use a separate anonymous email account as the contact address for your domain name.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a truly anonymous website. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a private blog or take a look at our complete WordPress security guide to keep your anonymous website secure.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Create a Truly Anonymous Website (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.