How to manage your Cloud VPS
Reboot, reinstall, and access the console for your UnderHost Cloud VPS. Connect over SSH, monitor resources, and understand the basics of VPS administration.
UnderHost NOC
Network Operations
On this page
Your UnderHost Cloud VPS gives you full root access to a virtual server. This guide covers the essentials: accessing your VPS through CustomerPanel and SSH, rebooting and reinstalling, monitoring resources, and keeping your server secure.
UnderHost Cloud VPS plans are self-managed by default-you have root access and full control, but server administration is your responsibility. If you need server management, monitoring, and support included, see our Server Management add-on.
CustomerPanel VPS controls
Log in to CustomerPanel and go to Services → My Services → [your VPS]. From the service page you can:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| View server details | IP address, hostname, data center, plan specs |
| Reboot | Soft reboot (graceful shutdown and restart) |
| Emergency console | Out-of-band web console-accessible even if SSH is down |
| Reinstall OS | Wipe and reinstall a fresh operating system |
| Power on/off | Force-start or hard-shutdown the VPS |
| Change root password | Reset the root password from the panel |
The reinstall option erases the disk and installs a fresh OS. Take a backup or snapshot before using it. There is no recovery after a reinstall.
Connecting via SSH
SSH is the primary way to manage a Linux VPS. Your root credentials and server IP are in your welcome email.
# Connect as root
ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP
# Connect on a custom port (if changed from default 22)
ssh -p PORT root@YOUR_VPS_IPSet up SSH key authentication
Password authentication is convenient but less secure. SSH keys are strongly recommended:
# Generate an SSH key pair (if you don't have one)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your@email.com"
# Copy the public key to your VPS
ssh-copy-id root@YOUR_VPS_IPReboot & reinstall
To reboot gracefully over SSH:
reboot
If the VPS is unresponsive (SSH won't connect), use the Emergency Reboot option in CustomerPanel. This sends a hardware-level reset signal-equivalent to pressing the power button on a physical machine.
If the OS is beyond repair, use Reinstall from CustomerPanel to get a fresh system. Choose your preferred OS from the available templates.
Monitoring resources
Basic commands to check resource usage on your VPS:
# CPU and memory usage (press q to exit)
top
# More readable-install htop first
htop
# Disk usage
df -h
# Memory usage
free -h
# Top 10 processes by CPU
ps aux --sort=-%cpu | head -11Basic firewall setup
A firewall is essential. On Ubuntu/Debian use ufw; on AlmaLinux/CentOS use firewalld.
# Allow SSH, HTTP, HTTPS before enabling
ufw allow 22/tcp
ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp
# Enable the firewall
ufw enable
# Check status
ufw statusAlways allow port 22 (SSH) before running ufw enable. If you enable the firewall without allowing SSH, you'll lock yourself out of the server. Use the CustomerPanel emergency console to recover if this happens.
Keeping packages updated
Security patches should be applied regularly. Update your system with:
apt update && apt upgrade -ydnf update -yFAQ
systemctl status sshd via the console.Related: How to connect to your VPS via SSH | How to use the VPS emergency console in CustomerPanel | Setting up a firewall on your VPS | VPS resource monitoring and usage tracking
Need server-level help?
Our team offers managed server support for VPS and dedicated servers. Open a ticket for technical assistance.
