Ubuntu Server Initial Configuration

Change Hostname

Set a descriptive hostname:

sudo hostnamectl set-hostname myserver

Verify:

hostnamectl

Configure Timezone

List available timezones:

timedatectl list-timezones | grep Europe

Set your timezone:

sudo timedatectl set-timezone Europe/Madrid

Verify:

timedatectl

Enable Automatic Security Updates

Configure unattended upgrades:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades

Select Yes to enable automatic security updates.

Set Default Editor

Choose your preferred editor:

sudo update-alternatives --config editor

Enable Root Access Without Password

Warning: Only do this on secure, isolated systems.

Edit sudoers file:

sudo visudo

Add this line:

yourusername ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL

Or for a group:

%sudo ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL

Disable Root SSH Login

Edit SSH config:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Set:

PermitRootLogin no
PasswordAuthentication no

Restart SSH:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

Set Up Swap

For servers with limited RAM:

sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile

Make permanent:

echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab