Spinning up a new Ubuntu server is only the first step — a few basic configuration tasks up front will make your server more secure and easier to manage long-term. Here’s a straightforward walkthrough for getting a fresh Ubuntu VPS ready for real use.<\/p>\n
Connect to your server over SSH using its public IP address and your root password or private key:<\/p>\n
ssh root@your_server_ip<\/code><\/pre>\nAccept the host authenticity prompt if it appears, then authenticate with your password or SSH key.<\/p>\n
The root account has unrestricted privileges on the system, which also makes it dangerous for everyday use — a single mistyped command can cause serious damage. The next step is to set up a regular user account for day-to-day work.<\/p>\n
2. Create a New User<\/h2>\n
While logged in as root, create a new user account (replace sammy<\/code> with whatever username you prefer):<\/p>\nadduser sammy<\/code><\/pre>\nYou’ll be prompted to set a password and, optionally, fill in a few extra details — feel free to leave those blank.<\/p>\n
3. Grant Administrative (sudo) Privileges<\/h2>\n
Rather than switching back and forth between your new user and root, add the new account to the sudo<\/code> group so it can run privileged commands when needed:<\/p>\nusermod -aG sudo sammy<\/code><\/pre>\nFrom now on, prefixing a command with sudo<\/code> runs it with administrative rights.<\/p>\n4. Set Up a Basic Firewall<\/h2>\n
Ubuntu ships with UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall), which makes it easy to restrict incoming connections to just the services you actually need. Check which application profiles are registered:<\/p>\n
ufw app list<\/code><\/pre>\nMake sure SSH stays allowed before you enable the firewall, or you’ll lock yourself out:<\/p>\n
ufw allow OpenSSH\nufw enable<\/code><\/pre>\nConfirm the rule is active:<\/p>\n
ufw status<\/code><\/pre>\nAny additional services you install later (a web server, a database, etc.) will need their own ufw allow<\/code> rule before traffic can reach them.<\/p>\n5. Enable SSH Access for Your New User<\/h2>\n
Stay logged in as root until you’ve confirmed the new account works — that way you can troubleshoot from root if something goes wrong.<\/p>\n
If your root account uses password login<\/strong>, just SSH in with the new username from a separate terminal session:<\/p>\nssh sammy@your_server_ip<\/code><\/pre>\nRun sudo<\/code> before any command that needs elevated privileges; you’ll be prompted for your regular user’s password. For better security long-term, consider switching to SSH key authentication instead of passwords.<\/p>\nIf your root account uses SSH keys<\/strong>, copy the authorized keys into the new user’s home directory so key-based login works for them too:<\/p>\nrsync --archive --chown=sammy:sammy ~\/.ssh \/home\/sammy<\/code><\/pre>\nBe careful not to add a trailing slash after ~\/.ssh<\/code> — that changes what rsync copies. Once done, you should be able to log in as the new user without a password:<\/p>\nssh sammy@your_server_ip<\/code><\/pre>\nWhere to Go From Here<\/h2>\n
With a non-root user, sudo access, and a basic firewall in place, your server has a solid foundation. From here you’re ready to install whatever software your project needs.<\/p>\n