vps_skill

Overview

This skill helps you provision, secure, and operate virtual private servers with practical, battle-tested hosting guidance. It focuses on fast, repeatable setup, ongoing maintenance, and cost-aware decisions. Use it to reduce downtime, harden SSH and firewall rules, and implement reliable backups and monitoring.

How this skill works

The skill inspects common VPS choices and recommends configuration steps for initial boot, SSH hardening, firewall setup, and resource management. It outlines backup strategy, networking checks, and provider-specific considerations so you deploy securely and cost-effectively. Actionable checks and priorities help you avoid common mistakes and automate repeatable tasks.

When to use it

• Provision a new VPS for production or staging
• Harden SSH and firewall on any public-facing server
• Design backups and snapshot strategy for critical data
• Optimize cost and instance type for long-term hosting
• Audit an existing VPS for missing basics (updates, swap, monitoring)

Best practices

• Update system packages immediately after first boot
• Create a non-root sudo user and test access before changing root settings
• Enforce SSH key authentication, change the SSH port, and disable root login
• Use default-deny firewall rules and open only required ports (allow SSH first)
• Enable swap, monitor disk/memory, and set up basic uptime/health alerts
• Automate offsite backups and regularly test restore procedures

Example use cases

• Quickly boot and lock down a web server (HTTP/HTTPS + minimal services)
• Migrate a small app to an ARM instance after compatibility checks to save cost
• Set up private networking for multi-tier services and document IP assignments
• Implement daily automated backups with an offsite copy and periodic restore tests
• Audit multiple small VPS instances to reduce oversized bills and unused servers