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.
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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.
How to Install and Configure fail2ban
fail2ban watches your logs and automatically bans IPs that fail to log in too many times. Here's how to install it and write custom jails.
How to Set Up a Vintage Story Server
Host a Vintage Story server the developer's way (no SteamCMD): download the server package, install .NET, open port 42420, configure the world, and run it as a service.
How to Create a Staging Subdomain for Your Site
Test changes safely on staging.yourdomain.com before they hit production. Here's the DNS, the web-server config, the SSL, and how to keep bots and Google out.
12 Best Self-Hosted Apps to Run on a VPS
A curated tour of the best self-hosted apps for a VPS — what each one replaces, what it needs, and where to start. Your roadmap to a private, self-run stack.
How to Self-Host a URL Shortener on a VPS
Branded short links on your own domain, with real analytics and no third-party shutting them down. Install Shlink on a VPS with Docker.
How to Self-Host a Password Manager on a VPS
Which self-hosted password manager should you run, and how? Compare Vaultwarden, KeePass sync and Passbolt, then deploy your pick on a VPS with HTTPS.
How to Self-Host Grafana and Prometheus for Monitoring
The classic open-source monitoring stack. Install Prometheus and Grafana on a VPS with Docker, collect server metrics, and build dashboards that actually help.
How to Self-Host Mastodon on a VPS
Start your own corner of the fediverse. This guide installs a Mastodon instance on a VPS with Docker and covers the email and storage decisions that trip people up.
How to Self-Host a Matrix/Synapse Chat Server
Own your chat with a Matrix Synapse homeserver. Install it on a VPS with Docker, wire up HTTPS and federation, and connect with the Element app.
How to Self-Host Home Assistant on a VPS
Home Assistant on a VPS gives you a cloud dashboard and secure remote access to your smart home. Here's how to install it with Docker — and what it can't do.
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