Quickstart: Launch a VPS (Ubuntu 22.04)

This quickstart guide will get you up and running with a new server in minutes. We will deploy an Ubuntu 22.04 server, connect to it using SSH, and apply basic security measures.

Step 1: Deploy Your Server

First, you'll need to create the VPS instance from your Simbavault dashboard.

From your dashboard, click "Select a New Service" and choose a Virtual Private Server (VPS) plan.
During the configuration process, select "Ubuntu 22.04 LTS" as the operating system.
Choose your server location and complete the checkout process.
After a few minutes, your new VPS will be provisioned. You can find its IP address and root password in the "My Services" section of your dashboard. Keep these details handy.

Step 2: Connect via SSH

SSH (Secure Shell) is the standard protocol for securely connecting to and managing your Linux server. You can use a terminal on macOS/Linux or an SSH client like PuTTY or Windows Terminal on Windows.

Open your terminal and use the following command, replacing your_vps_ip with the IP address from your dashboard:

ssh root@your_vps_ip

The first time you connect, you will be asked to verify the host's authenticity. This is normal. Type yes and press Enter. Then, when prompted, enter the root password provided in your dashboard.

Step 3: Perform Initial Security Hardening

Once you are logged in as the root user, it's crucial to perform some basic security tasks to protect your new server.

Update Your System

First, ensure all installed packages are updated to their latest versions to patch any known vulnerabilities.

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Configure a Basic Firewall

We'll use UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) to control which ports are open to the internet. By default, UFW denies all incoming connections, so we will explicitly allow the services we need.

# Allow SSH connections (so you don't lock yourself out!)
ufw allow ssh

# Allow web traffic (HTTP and HTTPS)
ufw allow http
ufw allow https

# Enable the firewall
ufw enable

When prompted to proceed with the operation, type y and press Enter. Your basic firewall is now active and protecting your server.

Create a Non-Root User (Recommended)

For day-to-day operations, it's a security best practice to use a non-root user with `sudo` privileges instead of logging in as `root` directly.

# Create a new user (replace 'simba' with your desired username)
adduser simba

# Add the new user to the 'sudo' group
usermod -aG sudo simba

You can now log out and log back in as your new user: ssh simba@your_vps_ip.

Your Ubuntu 22.04 VPS is now launched, connected, and has basic security in place. You're ready to start installing your applications!

Sarabi