The Nxeon Blog
Guides for people who run their own servers.
Straight-talking tutorials and comparisons on VPS hosting, game servers, Linux and security. No fluff, just what actually works. 346 guides from the team that runs the servers.
Security guides
34 guides · newest first
How to Set Up a Firewall for a Game Server
Game servers need specific ports open and everything else shut. Configure UFW to expose only your game's ports, protect RCON, and cut attack surface.
How to Scan a Linux Server for Malware (rkhunter, ClamAV)
Even hardened servers get probed. Learn to scan for rootkits and malware with rkhunter and ClamAV, read the results, and respond to a real detection.
How to Manage Secrets and Environment Variables on a VPS
Hardcoded API keys and passwords in code are a breach waiting to happen. Learn to store secrets in env files, systemd, and vaults — the right way.
How to Secure Docker Containers
Containers aren't secure by default. Run as non-root, drop capabilities, limit resources, scan images and lock down the daemon on your VPS.
How to Secure a Self-Hosted WordPress Site
WordPress powers a huge share of the web, which makes it a huge target. Harden your self-hosted install at the server, app, and login layers.
How to Secure a MySQL Database
An exposed or default-configured database is a breach waiting to happen. Lock down MySQL/MariaDB: bind to localhost, strong users, least privilege and TLS.
How to Set Up Automatic Security Updates on Ubuntu
Unpatched software is the top cause of server compromise. Configure unattended-upgrades so security patches install themselves — safely and unattended.
DDoS Protection Basics for a VPS
What a DDoS attack actually is, what you can mitigate at the server level, and where you genuinely need upstream protection. A realistic primer.
How to Protect a VPS from Brute-Force Attacks
Bots relentlessly guess logins against every public server. Here's a layered playbook — keys, firewall, rate limits and bans — to make brute-forcing pointless.
How to Add Two-Factor Authentication to SSH
Add a time-based one-time code on top of your SSH key for defence in depth. Set up Google Authenticator PAM without locking yourself out.
How to Disable Root Login on a VPS
The root account is every attacker's first guess. Learn to create a sudo user and disable direct root login over SSH — safely, without locking yourself out.
How to Set Up a UFW Firewall on Ubuntu
UFW makes Linux firewalling approachable. Learn to allow only the ports you need, set default-deny, rate-limit SSH, and verify your rules.
Deploy your first server in under a minute.
Creating an account is free and takes no card details. Every guide here runs on a Nxeon VPS or game server.