How to Install Fedora on an ExColo VPS

What you need

• An ExColo VPS with Fedora (or bring your own ISO if your plan allows reinstall)
• Root or sudo access via SSH
• A domain pointed at the server (optional for first boot)
• 20 minutes

ExColo provides ISPConfig-managed hosting with full root on VPS tiers — a natural fit for Fedora Server workloads (containers, web stacks, mail relay). Order at excolo.pl.

1. First login

ssh root@your-server-ip

Change the root password if the panel generated a one-time secret. Create a sudo user immediately — do not habitually SSH as root:

useradd -m -G wheel deploy
passwd deploy

Copy your SSH public key:

mkdir -p /home/deploy/.ssh
echo "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY" >> /home/deploy/.ssh/authorized_keys
chown -R deploy:deploy /home/deploy/.ssh
chmod 700 /home/deploy/.ssh
chmod 600 /home/deploy/.ssh/authorized_keys

2. Update the system

dnf upgrade -y
dnf install -y vim curl git htop

Reboot if the kernel updated:

systemctl reboot

3. Harden SSH

Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

PermitRootLogin no
PasswordAuthentication no

Then:

systemctl restart sshd

Confirm you can still log in as deploy in a second terminal before closing the root session.

4. Enable firewalld

systemctl enable --now firewalld
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
firewall-cmd --reload

Adjust services for your stack (e.g. postgresql only if needed and IP-restricted).

5. Optional: Cockpit web console

dnf install -y cockpit
systemctl enable --now cockpit.socket
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=cockpit
firewall-cmd --reload

Access https://your-server-ip:9090 — use sudo user credentials. Prefer SSH for daily ops; Cockpit helps for disk and service overview.

6. Install Docker (common next step)

dnf install -y docker docker-compose-plugin
systemctl enable --now docker
usermod -aG docker deploy

Log out and back in so deploy can run docker ps without sudo.

Why Fedora on a VPS?

DistroFight scores Fedora 7/10 and Ubuntu/Debian 10/10 for server use — Fedora wins when you want newer Podman/Docker, SELinux practice, and a direct line to RHEL skills. Ubuntu wins when your team expects apt and LTS support contracts.

For a personal VPS or homelab on ExColo, Fedora is an excellent choice. For multi-year unmanned production with third-party vendors, also evaluate Debian or Ubuntu.

Next steps

• Point a site at the VPS via ISPConfig or a reverse proxy
• Run the DistroFight server wizard path
• Read Ubuntu vs Debian if you are still choosing a server base