# Getting started

SSH access & first login

Connect to a fresh Linux VPS over SSH and get oriented before doing anything else.

Connect from your own machine

Every bashrack VPS accepts SSH on port 22 out of the box. Connect as root with the password shown in your dashboard, or with your SSH key if you added one during checkout.

bash

ssh root@your-server-ip
# with a specific key file:
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 root@your-server-ip

First-time host key warning

The first connection to a new IP shows a host key fingerprint warning — this is normal for a server you've never connected to before, not a sign of tampering. Type yes to trust it and continue.

Orient yourself

Before installing anything, check what you're working with: the distro and version, the kernel, and how much disk/RAM is actually free.

bash

cat /etc/os-release
uname -r
df -h /
free -h

Don't stay on root

Working as root for everyday tasks is risky — one wrong command has no safety net. Create a normal user with sudo rights and switch to it for anything beyond initial setup.

bash

adduser deploy
usermod -aG sudo deploy   # Debian/Ubuntu; use -aG wheel on RHEL/Fedora
su - deploy