Hi all I've been tinkering with Linux for awhile and have started to convert an old desktop that was just sitting about into a low spec server. I will probably use it for web hosting but I want to keep the setup as flexible as possible so I could use it for other projects in the future. I've been considering the follow OS's:
Ubuntu server Alpine Linux Debian stable Cent OS Fedora server
Choosing in each case the lightest possible install with long term support. I am looking for a lightweight distro that is still secure, reliable, has a good community and Dev support. The system in question has 2gb of memory, 160gb of slow HDD storage and has a Intel core 2 duo inside clocked at 3Ghz. I'll probably upgrade these with cheap parts off AliExpress. The bottle neck for the server will be the network as I don't have access to a wired access point. In addition to WiFi being slower than wired it will also be limited by the WiFi dongle I'll have until I upgrade to a proper card because the unit doesn't have onboard WiFi.
Considering all of the above have I missed any key details when considering a server? Have I missed a good distro for this scenario?
