First-Time Server Setup Checklist

Complete these steps after first logging into your server to ensure it is secure and up to date.

Step 1 — Update the Operating System

For Ubuntu/Debian:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

For CentOS/AlmaLinux/Rocky:

dnf update -y

Step 2 — Change the Root Password

passwd

Choose a strong, unique password and store it in a password manager.

Step 3 — Create a Non-Root User (Recommended)

adduser yourusername
usermod -aG sudo yourusername

Step 4 — Configure a Firewall

UFW (Ubuntu/Debian):

ufw allow ssh
ufw enable

Step 5 — Set the Hostname

hostnamectl set-hostname your-server-name

Step 6 — Set the Correct Timezone

timedatectl set-timezone America/New_York

Step 7 — Enable Automatic Security Updates

For Ubuntu:

apt install unattended-upgrades -y
dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades

Once complete, your server is ready for its intended workload.