VPS

Manage your VPS

Start, stop and restart your VPS, see how busy it is, change its root password, and reinstall it from scratch. All of this is on your VPS's page in the Portal.

Start, stop and restart #

The buttons at the top of the page work whichever tab is open.

Button What it does
Start Turns on a stopped VPS.
Restart Restarts a running VPS. Use it when it stops answering.
Stop Turns the VPS off. Nothing on it is erased, and it stays off until you start it.

Tip

When the server answers SSH, restarting from inside it (sudo reboot) is gentler: programs get the chance to save their work first.

A stopped VPS is still billed. To stop paying, cancel the service.

See how busy it is #

The Overview tab shows, while the VPS is running:

  • CPU, Memory and Disk: how much is in use. A bar turns red at 90%.
  • Network: traffic in and out right now.
  • This month: the total traffic your VPS has sent and received since the start of the calendar month (UTC). It is updated every few minutes, and a restart of your VPS can leave a few minutes uncounted.
  • Uptime: how long since it last started.

It also lists the hostname, IP address, system, size and location of your VPS.

If memory or disk stays close to full, give it more room: see upgrades and extras.

See what has been done to it #

The Activity tab lists every start, stop, restart, reinstall and password change, newest first, and says whether it was done by you, by support or automatically.

Change the root password #

  1. Go to the Login details tab and press Change password….
  2. Type a new password of at least 12 characters with no spaces, or leave it empty to get a random one.
  3. Confirm with your account password (and your two-factor code, if you use one).

Nothing is erased and the VPS keeps running. The VPS must be running for this to work.

Note

We do not keep a password you choose, so it is not shown under Login details afterwards. A random one is.

Reinstall #

A reinstall erases the whole disk and installs a fresh system with a new root password. Use it to start over, or to change the operating system.

Caution

Everything on the VPS is erased, and it cannot be undone. Copy off anything you want to keep first.

  1. Go to the Manage tab and press Reinstall….
  2. Pick the system to install.
  3. Type the VPS's name to confirm, and your account password (and two-factor code, if you use one).
  4. Press Erase and reinstall.

The new root password shows under Login details when it is done. Your IP address stays the same.

The systems you can choose:

  • Ubuntu 24.04 (command line only)
  • Ubuntu 24.04 with desktop
  • Ubuntu 22.04
  • Debian 12

Tip

After a reinstall, your computer may refuse to connect with a warning that the server's identity has changed. That is expected. Run ssh-keygen -R followed by your IP address, then connect again.

Backups #

The Portal does not back up a VPS. Keep your own copies of anything that matters; see back up your data.