How to configure VPS
Your website is finally ready, your VPS provider and pricing plan are selected, domain and hosting are paid for - and you are about to launch your project? Take your time: there is one more important step in the virtual dedicated server setup process. Without it, you simply can't talk about full-fledged and secure work with the website! In order to make the VDS configuration easier for you, we recommend that you follow the practical tips and brief instructions provided by the HostZealot specialists in this article.
What is a basic VDS/VPS setup?
Whether it's Linux or Windows - whichever operating system is used on your VPS, you need to run an essentially identical script for the initial debugging of the virtual private server (learn more about this technology in this article). The scenario on how to configure a VPS is actually contained in a few steps. Each of them we describe separately.
Connecting to virtual private server
The first step is to establish connection to your VDS. This requires the guarantee of a stable, convenient and, most importantly, secure channel. There are different ways of solving this task for each of the mentioned OS:
- Linux. The most successful, according to experts, technology is Secure Shell, briefly SSH. This protocol has the advantage of functionality, security and easy connection. If you have a Unix based system, all you need is one command from the command line, but if you have a Windows based system, you will need a special client (like PuTTY).
- Windows. The answer to the question of how to configure a VPS in terms of connecting to it is the Remote Desktop Protocol, or RDP, for managing a server with the Microsoft operating system. To enable it in desktop Windows there is Connection to Remote Desktop; for Linux you need Remmina program; for Android and iOS - a proprietary application learn more here.
Enhancing initial VDS security
One can talk about fine-tuning of virtual private server protection from unauthorized access for a long time - it all depends on the specific project. But in order to start secure operation, it is worth to carry out a certain universal package of actions:
- Linux. First of all, you need to change the password, which is provided with a login and IP-address of the hosting company, as well as the port (by default 22, we have it originally 56777 - for the convenience of customers). Then you need to check and, if necessary, update the kernel. In all these cases to set up a VDS you need your own commands, slightly different for Debian, CentOS, etc.
- Windows. When working with this operating system, you must also be sure that its version is up to date - in this case you should not just update it, but make such a process automatic. Then we advise you to work on firewall with ports: for RDP, FTPS, DNS, etc.. Another good idea for VPS is to secure your RDP connection with SSL/TLS (if you don't have VPN) and running the Security Configuration Wizard.
New users on VPS
By default, on the virtual dedicated server there is one user - the so-called root, the Administrator, with maximum permissions. For ease of operation and increased security, it is better to add others, more limited in the adjustments of settings and content. It is not difficult to do this in any of the operating systems:
- Linux. Depending on the installed versions of this Unix-system, you need to set a specific command to create a new user with a name convenient for you. After that you should add it with another command to the sudo group (it has rights to make changes on the server) and give it a password (either with another command or the first time you log in on its behalf).
- Windows. When asked how to configure the UPU Windows Server, it depends even more on the OS version - in almost every case a different way to create users. This is done through Server Manager, Control Panel, Options, etc. Eventually you need Accounts, where you can add a new account and specify a name, description, username, password and hint.
Initial software
This is the final stage of configuring the servers - and it will be followed by the installation of specialized software, selected for the individual characteristics of the project:
- Linux. A simple, responsive to most tasks and therefore a popular stack for VDS - a package called LAMP (from Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP). He deploys a web server, connects the language interpreter, puts the panel phpMyAdmin, etc. And to install it, even one command is enough, creating a number of passwords and a simple adjustment of the configuration file.
- Windows. In these operating systems there is a similar package - IIS, Internet Information Services. And he is actually a component of the systems themselves (even in the version of the "server" Windows 7), and it should actually be included through a standard control operating system, and then add to it MySQL and PHP. And for more details on configuring IIS, see this article from our blog.
Instead of an afterword
If you have noticed, this text does not contain detailed instructions on how to set up a VPS - we have limited ourselves to describing only general scenarios. This is a deliberate step because, on the one hand, we wanted to give an idea of the scope of the work, and on the other hand, we already have quite detailed articles on the subject - and for each operating system! You can read about setting up a virtual dedicated server with Linux at this link and about Windows in this article.
But you can do something even simpler: contact HostZealot - and order a VPS rental from us. We offer a wide range of pricing plans, servers with Linux or Windows in different configurations, reliable and stable hardware in data centers around the world, a variety of "features", affordable prices and 24/7 technical support. She will always help you to set up a VDS quickly and competently!