VPS documentation

How to connect to a VPS via SSH

SSH gives you encrypted terminal access to your VPS. You need the server IP, a username, and either a password or SSH key.

1. Open your terminal client

   Use Terminal on macOS or Linux, Windows Terminal or PowerShell on Windows, or PuTTY if you prefer a graphical client.

2. Run the SSH command

   Replace the example IP and username with the details from your CapybaraHost service panel or welcome email.

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   ssh root@203.0.113.10

3. Confirm the fingerprint

   The first time you connect, SSH asks whether you trust the host key. Type yes only after confirming the server IP is correct.

4. Authenticate and verify the host

   Enter the password or let your SSH key sign the session. After login, run a few quick checks so you know you are on the intended machine.

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   whoami
   hostnamectl
   ip a

Basic Ubuntu setup

Fresh VPS instances should be updated immediately before installing game servers, control panels, or web software.

1. Update package metadata and upgrade packages

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   apt update && apt upgrade -y

2. Create a normal sudo user

   Using a named account for daily administration gives you better auditability than logging in as root all the time.

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   adduser deploy
   usermod -aG sudo deploy

3. Set timezone and useful packages

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   timedatectl set-timezone Europe/Berlin
   apt install -y curl wget unzip htop git

Security basics

A brand-new VPS is reachable from the public internet. Before you deploy workloads, apply a few protective defaults.

Enable a simple UFW firewall

ufw allow OpenSSH
ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp
ufw enable
ufw status

Use SSH keys when possible

Key-based authentication is safer than password-only access. Generate a key locally, add the public key to the VPS user, and test a second login before removing passwords.

Be careful with root login

Optional hardening ideas

• Install Fail2ban to reduce repeated brute-force attempts.
• Keep services patched and remove packages you no longer use.
• Run game servers or bots under separate users when possible.