How to find all the modifications in the configuration of a server

I manage a virtual web server in the cloud (https://l10n.org.al) where I have made lots of configurations over time: installing new packages, tweakings for optimization, changes related to security, etc. Now, if I want to build another server that has the same function and purpose as the first one, I don't remember all the things that I have touched and changed. The long and tedious way would be to go over all the installations and configurations again, and still I may miss something.

How to set up a chroot environment for testing

Recently I have suffered a total system destruction in one of my computers. It happened while I was testing a software that I am developing, due to a simple bug. It helped me realize my lack of caution while testing unstable things, and I learned that it is always better to do the testing inside a chroot environment. Chroot’s provide isolation from the rest of the operating system, so that in case of severe errors damage can be mitigated.