Reinstall the operating system

When to reinstall

Consider reinstalling the OS when:

• The server is compromised and you can't clean it
• You want to change distribution (e.g., Ubuntu to Debian)
• The system is so broken it's faster to start fresh
• You want a clean environment for a new project

Before reinstalling: Backup

Reinstalling erases ALL data on the disk. Back up:

# Important configuration files
tar -czf /tmp/config-backup.tar.gz /etc/nginx /etc/ssh /etc/fail2ban

# Application data
tar -czf /tmp/www-backup.tar.gz /var/www

# Database
mysqldump -u root -p --all-databases > /tmp/all-databases.sql

# List of installed packages
dpkg --get-selections > /tmp/packages.list

Download backups to your local machine before proceeding.

Reinstallation process

1. Log in to the client area: billing.baires.host
2. Go to Services → Your VPS
3. Find the Reinstall OS or Rebuild option
4. Choose the operating system
5. Confirm you understand all data will be erased
6. Wait 2-5 minutes for completion

Available operating systems

• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS - Recommended for most users
• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS - Latest LTS version
• Debian 12 - Stable and minimalist
• AlmaLinux 9 - CentOS alternative
• Rocky Linux 9 - RHEL compatible
• Windows Server - Available on select plans

Post-install steps

After reinstalling:

# 1. Update the system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# 2. Create non-root user
adduser deploy
usermod -aG sudo deploy

# 3. Configure secure SSH
# (see hardening guide)

# 4. Install firewall
sudo apt install -y ufw
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw enable

# 5. Install fail2ban
sudo apt install -y fail2ban
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban

Recommendations

• Always backup before reinstalling (there's no going back)
• Choose the latest LTS version for maximum support
• After reinstalling, apply basic hardening immediately
• Document your configuration to reproduce it quickly
• Consider using provisioning scripts (Ansible, shell scripts) to automate setup