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Initial Server Setup with Ubuntu on a Noiz VPS

This guide walks you through the first things to do on a brand-new Noiz VPS running Ubuntu, in the order that makes the server safe to work on. It is the foundation every later guide assumes: an updated system, a non-root user you will actually log in as, SSH key access, and a firewall.

Last reviewed: 1 August 2026, against the current Ubuntu LTS releases Noiz provisions. It complements the official Ubuntu documentation; the recovery notes are Noiz-specific.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • A Noiz VPS with Ubuntu installed, and its root password (from your welcome email or the VPS control panel).
  • A way to reach the server: SSH from your computer, or the VNC console in your VPS panel (SolusVM or Virtualizor) as a fallback.

Work through these steps as root the first time, then switch to your new user.

1. Update the system

Section titled “1. Update the system”

Connect as root and bring the package lists and installed packages up to date:

Terminal window
apt update && apt upgrade -y

This can take a few minutes on a fresh image and may ask to restart services; accept the defaults. If the kernel was updated, reboot:

Terminal window
reboot

2. Create a non-root user

Section titled “2. Create a non-root user”

Working as root all the time is risky: one mistyped command can break the whole system, and running everything as root is what attackers hope for. Create a normal user and give it sudo so it can run administrative commands when needed:

Terminal window
adduser sammy
usermod -aG sudo sammy

Replace sammy with your own username. The adduser command asks for a password and some optional details.

3. Set up SSH key access

Section titled “3. Set up SSH key access”

Log in with a key instead of a password. It is both more convenient and far more secure, and it lets you disable password login later. From your own computer (not the server), copy your public key to the new user:

Terminal window
ssh-copy-id sammy@your_server_ip

If you do not have a key yet, or want a fuller walkthrough including doing it by hand, see How to Set Up SSH Key-Based Authentication on a Linux Server. Test that it works before going further:

Terminal window
ssh sammy@your_server_ip

You should get in without a password. Stay logged in as root in your other session until you are sure the new user works.

4. Switch on the firewall

Section titled “4. Switch on the firewall”

Ubuntu ships with ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall). Allow SSH first, then enable it:

Terminal window
ufw allow OpenSSH
ufw enable
ufw status

Confirm OpenSSH shows ALLOW before you enable, or you will lock yourself out. Add rules for whatever the server runs as you go, for example ufw allow 80/tcp and ufw allow 443/tcp for a website.

Section titled “5. Harden SSH (recommended)”

Once key login works, you can reduce the attack surface further: disable root login over SSH and, optionally, disable password login entirely so only keys are accepted. This is covered, with the exact recovery path if you lock yourself out, in the SSH guide linked above. Do this only after your non-root user can log in with a key.

If you lock yourself out

Section titled “If you lock yourself out”

Do not panic, and do not reinstall. Open the VNC console from your VPS panel (SolusVM or Virtualizor) — it works even when SSH does not — log in as root, and fix whatever broke (a firewall rule, a typo in the SSH config). Only as a last resort, reinstall the OS from the panel.

What next

Section titled “What next”

Your server now has a safe base. Common next steps: install a web server and your application, point a domain at it, and set up backups. The rest of the How to Linux section builds on this guide.