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Ubuntu Server

Package management, updates, release upgrades, and firewall setup on an Ubuntu VPS.

Our Ubuntu image is the official Ubuntu Server cloud image, provisioned with cloud-init. We offer Ubuntu’s long-term support (LTS) releases. For help deciding whether Ubuntu is right for you, see Choosing a Linux distribution.

What’s in the image

  • Packages: a minimal Ubuntu Server install with apt, snap, OpenSSH, and cloud-init.
  • Networking: configured by cloud-init at boot through Netplan. See VPS networking for how your addresses are assigned.
  • Firewall: UFW is installed but not enabled. See Set up a firewall.
  • Automatic updates: security updates are installed automatically by unattended-upgrades.

To check which Ubuntu release you’re running:

Shell
lsb_release -a

Install packages

Ubuntu uses apt to install packages. Refresh the package lists first, then install:

Shell
sudo apt update
sudo apt install htop

Some software is only distributed as a snap. You can install snaps with sudo snap install <name>.

Update your system

To install the latest updates:

Shell
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade

Reboot if the update installed a new kernel. If a reboot is needed, Ubuntu shows a message when you log in, and the file /var/run/reboot-required exists.

Upgrade to a new LTS release

A new LTS release comes out every two years, in April of even-numbered years. Each LTS release gets five years of standard support.

To upgrade, fully update your current release, reboot, and then run:

Shell
sudo do-release-upgrade

By default, do-release-upgrade only offers the next LTS release once its first point release (for example, 26.04.1) is out. Follow the prompts, and reboot when it finishes.

The upgrader may start a second SSH server on another port as a fallback. Keep your current session open until the upgrade is complete.

Set up a firewall

Our hardening guide walks through setting up UFW on Ubuntu. Make sure to allow SSH before running ufw enable.

Next steps