Getting Started with Your Linux VPS
Congratulations! You've just received your AtmosNode Linux VPS. This guide walks you through the first steps to get your server up and running.
📋 Prerequisites
✅ Welcome email received with your credentials ✅ Your VPS IP address ✅ Root password or SSH key ✅ SSH client installed on your computer
Connect via SSH
The first step is to remotely connect to your server using SSH (Secure Shell).
On Windows
Option A: PowerShell / Windows Terminal (Recommended)
ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP
💡 Tip: Replace YOUR_VPS_IP with the IP address from your welcome email.
Option B: PuTTY
- Download PuTTY from putty.org
- Enter your VPS IP in "Host Name"
- Port:
22 - Click "Open"
On macOS / Linux
Open your Terminal and run:
ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP
First Connection
On your first connection, you'll see this message:
The authenticity of host '123.456.789.0' can't be established.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?
✅ Type yes and press Enter. This is normal for a first connection!
Update the System
First security rule: always update the system before any configuration.
apt update && apt upgrade -y
yum update -y
ℹ️ This command updates all installed packages. It may take a few minutes.
Create a Secure User
⚠️ Security Best Practice
Never work directly with the root account! Create a dedicated user for daily operations.
# Create a user (replace 'yourname' with your name)
adduser yourname
# Add admin privileges (sudo)
usermod -aG sudo yourname
Disconnect and reconnect with your new account:
# Type 'exit' to disconnect
exit
# Reconnect with the new user
ssh yourname@YOUR_VPS_IP
Configure the Firewall
Protect your VPS by enabling a firewall to block unauthorized connections.
With UFW (Ubuntu/Debian)
# Install UFW
sudo apt install ufw -y
# Allow SSH (IMPORTANT: Do this BEFORE enabling!)
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
# Enable firewall
sudo ufw enable
# Check status
sudo ufw status
⚠️ Warning: Always allow SSH (port 22) BEFORE enabling the firewall, or you'll lock yourself out!
With FirewallD (CentOS/Rocky)
# Start firewalld
sudo systemctl start firewalld
sudo systemctl enable firewalld
# Allow SSH
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
# Verify
sudo firewall-cmd --list-all
Secure SSH
Strengthen your SSH access security by modifying the configuration.
sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
# Disable direct root login
PermitRootLogin no
# Disable password authentication (after setting up SSH keys)
# PasswordAuthentication no
# Change SSH port (optional but recommended)
# Port 2222
💡 Tip: Keep password authentication enabled until you've set up SSH key authentication!
sudo systemctl restart sshd
Install Essential Tools
Install basic utilities to make server administration easier.
sudo apt install -y curl wget git vim htop net-tools unzip
sudo yum install -y curl wget git vim htop net-tools unzip
Installed tools:
- curl/wget → Download files from the internet
- git → Version control system
- vim → Advanced text editor
- htop → Interactive system monitor
- net-tools → Network utilities (ifconfig, netstat...)
- unzip → Extract compressed files
Configure the Hostname
Give your server a custom name to easily recognize it.
# Set hostname
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname my-atmos-vps
# Verify configuration
hostnamectl
Enable Automatic Updates
Enable automatic security updates to keep your system protected continuously.
On Ubuntu/Debian
# Install unattended-upgrades
sudo apt install unattended-upgrades -y
# Enable automatic updates
sudo dpkg-reconfigure --priority=low unattended-upgrades
On CentOS/Rocky
# Install yum-cron
sudo yum install yum-cron -y
# Enable and start
sudo systemctl enable --now yum-cron
Monitor the System
Learn essential commands to monitor your VPS.
Disk space used
df -h
RAM usage
free -h
Interactive system monitor
htop
List of processes
ps aux
Service status
systemctl status
Monitoring commands:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
df -h | Available disk space (human-readable) |
free -h | RAM usage and available memory |
htop | Interactive process monitor |
uptime | System uptime and load |
top | Real-time system statistics |
systemctl status | Status of all services |
💬 Need Help?
If you encounter difficulties, our team is here to help:
🎉 Congratulations!
Your Linux VPS is now properly configured and secured. Explore our other tutorials to install your applications and services!
