u/DenilsonShi

I've been setting up VPSes for side projects for a few years now, and I still find myself Googling the same hardening steps every time — SSH key setup, disabling root login, firewall rules, fail2ban, unattended upgrades...

Every time I spin up a new Hetzner/DO/Linode box, I spend 1-2 hours doing what should take 30 minutes, because I'm paranoid about missing something.

Curious what your workflow looks like:

1. Do you have a personal checklist or script you run?
2. What's the one step most people skip that you think is critical?
3. How do you verify you actually got everything right? (I always worry I forgot something)

Bonus: if you had to explain your setup to a junior dev who just bought their first VPS, what would you hand them?