VMHeaven Blog
Guides, fixes and comparisons
Things we end up explaining often, written down properly, so you can fix it yourself at three in the morning without opening a ticket.
Latest articles
How to generate an SSH key (ssh-keygen) and use it to log in
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 creates a key pair in minutes. Why ed25519 over RSA, setting a passphrase, copying the key with ssh-copy-id, and loading it into ssh-agent.
~9 min22 Oct 2026ReadGuidesHow to secure SSH access on a public server
Port 22 gets brute-forced within minutes. Key-only auth plus fail2ban and a firewall removes almost all the risk. The practical, in-order setup.
~6 min22 Oct 2026Guidesopenssl commands: checking certificates, generating keys and random values
OpenSSL commands with real output: s_client to test a server's TLS, x509 to read a certificate, req for a CSR or self-signed certificate, rand for secrets.
~7 min22 Oct 2026GuidesBest offshore VPS hosting in 2026: seven providers side by side, and a buyer's checklist
Seven offshore VPS hosts side by side (jurisdiction, KYC, Monero, DMCA scope, entry price), each fact sourced and dated, then the checklist for any host.
~12 min22 Oct 2026GuidesHow to make a Minecraft server on a VPS: Java, RAM, ports and a systemd service
Run a Minecraft Java server on a Linux VPS: the right Java version, enough RAM, port 25565 (no router forwarding needed), a systemd service and backups.
~11 min22 Oct 2026Windows and RDP
Connect to a Windows server, fix Remote Desktop errors and run Windows Server day to day.
36 articles
Connecting over RDP
Fixing Remote Desktop problems
Setting up and securing RDP
- How to enable RDP on Windows Server
- RDP port
- How to change the RDP port (3389) on Windows Server without locking yourself out
- How to secure a Windows RDP server
- Open a port in Windows Server Firewall (GUI, PowerShell and netsh)
- Use a VPN on a Windows RDP server without locking yourself out
- xrdp on Ubuntu and Debian
- Ubuntu Server GUI
Running Windows Server
Software and trading on Windows
SSH and file transfer
Log in with keys, fix SSH errors and copy files with scp, rsync and SFTP.
22 articles
Connecting with SSH
Configuring and securing SSH
Fixing SSH errors
Copying files to a server
Linux commands
The everyday shell commands for files, text, permissions and terminal sessions, with real examples.
36 articles
Files and folders
Finding and reading text
Permissions and archives
Shell and scripting
Linux server administration
Users, services, cron, processes, memory, disks and upgrades on a running server.
39 articles
First steps on a new server
- Initial server setup
- Create a sudo user on Ubuntu, Debian and Rocky Linux
- Add a user to a group in Linux
- How to list users and groups in Linux (and see who is logged in)
- Change the hostname on Ubuntu (and Debian or Rocky Linux) without a reboot
- Linux date and timezone
- How to check your Linux version
- Ubuntu system requirements
Services, cron and logs
Processes, CPU and memory
Disks, files and limits
Packages and command not found
Missing commands, apt and dpkg errors, and installing software the right way.
34 articles
Why a command is not found
apt and dpkg errors
Installing packages
Missing system tools
Web servers and HTTP errors
nginx, Apache and Caddy setups, redirects, WordPress, and the HTTP status codes from 301 to 504.
32 articles
Setting up a web server
nginx errors
4xx client errors
5xx server errors
Redirects and caching
SSL and browser errors
Cloudflare 52x errors, certificate warnings and the connection errors Chrome and Firefox show.
23 articles
Cloudflare 52x errors
Certificates and TLS
Networking and DNS
DNS, ports, IP addresses and the tools that test a connection from end to end.
39 articles
How DNS works
DNS problems and tools
Ports and protocols
Testing a connection
IP addresses
Security and privacy
Firewalls, VPNs and Tor, pentesting from a VPS, and paying for a server privately.
24 articles
Hardening a server
VPNs, Tailscale and Tor
Pentesting
Privacy and crypto payments
Docker, databases and apps
Docker, MySQL, PostgreSQL and Redis, language runtimes, and apps you can host yourself.
41 articles
Docker basics
Docker errors and alternatives
Installing a database
Database users, backups and errors
Languages and Git
- How to install Node.js on Ubuntu, Debian and Windows
- How to install Python on Ubuntu and Debian
- How to check the Python version on Windows, Linux and macOS
- How to install pip on Windows, Linux and macOS
- How to install Go (Golang) on Linux and Windows
- How to install Java on Windows and Ubuntu
- How to create a new branch in Git
- How to rename a Git branch
Self-hosted apps
Game servers
Dedicated servers for Minecraft, Palworld, Valheim, ARK, Rust and more, plus voice and bots.
19 articles
Minecraft and sandbox games
Survival games
- Palworld dedicated server on Linux
- Valheim dedicated server hosting on Linux
- Enshrouded dedicated server
- Satisfactory dedicated server on Linux
- ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server on a Windows VPS
- Rust server hosting on your own VPS
- 7 Days to Die dedicated server on Linux
- Project Zomboid dedicated server hosting on Linux
Hosting basics and providers
What a VPS, KVM and bare metal are, the hardware behind them, and how hosts compare.
30 articles
VPS and server basics
Virtualization
Storage and hardware
Choosing a host
Articles by type
Troubleshooting
Errors on a fresh server, fixed
Shell errors, missing packages and PATH problems on Linux servers: what causes them and the exact command that fixes each one.
Browse237 articlesGuides
How to set things up properly
Step-by-step guides for running a VPS: base setup, hardening, payments and privacy, written for people who administer their own servers.
Browse37 articlesComparisons
Hosts and hardware, side by side
Honest comparisons of hosting providers, CPU lines and plan types, with the numbers that actually decide which one fits your workload.
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