Sun-hee P.
Sample From VPS owner to confident admin
I run a small business site on a VPS and finally understand what I am doing on it.
Ubuntu Server administration: run and secure Linux servers
Install, configure and maintain Ubuntu LTS servers: users, SSH, packages, networking, firewall, services, storage, web hosting and backups
Created by Sofia Marchetti
- Updated September 2026
- English
- Intermediate
What you will learn
- Install and perform a secure initial setup of an Ubuntu LTS server
- Manage users, sudo rules and key based SSH access
- Keep servers patched with apt and unattended upgrades
- Configure networking, DNS and a ufw firewall
- Run and troubleshoot services with systemd and journalctl
- Manage disks with LVM and set up tested backups
Course content
The first hour on a new server
Packages and updates
- Video: apt in depth 10 min
- Video: Automatic security updates 9 min
- Article: Snaps, PPAs and other sources 8 min
- Video: Release upgrades between LTS versions 10 min
Networking
- Video: netplan and network configuration 11 min
- Article: DNS resolution and systemd-resolved 9 min
- Video: Inspecting connections with ss and ip 9 min
Services and logs with systemd
- Video: Managing services with systemctl 10 min
- Article: Writing your own service unit 11 min
- Video: Reading logs with journalctl 10 min
- Video: Scheduled jobs with timers 8 min
Storage
- Article: Disks, partitions and file systems 10 min
- Video: LVM: flexible volumes 12 min
- Video: Growing a cloud disk 8 min
Web hosting and backups
- Article: nginx as a reverse proxy 11 min
- Video: HTTPS with Let's Encrypt 10 min
- Video: Backups you have tested 11 min
- Article: Basic monitoring and a maintenance routine 9 min
- Quiz: Final check 6 min
Requirements
- Comfortable with basic Linux shell commands
- A computer able to run a virtual machine, or a small cloud server
Description
Running your own Linux server is still one of the most useful skills in tech, whether it hosts a company application, a build machine or your side project. This course teaches you to administer Ubuntu Server LTS the way experienced administrators do: carefully, repeatably and with security built in from the first login.
What you will learn
- Installing Ubuntu Server and doing the first hour of setup properly
- Users, groups, sudo and SSH key authentication with a hardened configuration
- Packages with apt, automatic security updates and safe release upgrades
- Networking with netplan, DNS resolution and a host firewall with ufw
- systemd services, timers and logs with journalctl
- Storage: partitions, LVM, file systems, mounting and growing disks
- Hosting a web application behind nginx with HTTPS from Let's Encrypt
- Backups you have actually tested restoring
How the course works
You build one server from scratch, either a local virtual machine with Multipass or VirtualBox, or a small cloud server. Each section adds a layer and ends with a checklist you can reuse on real servers. Examples use Ubuntu 24.04 LTS; the same commands work on later LTS releases, and I note differences for Debian and RHEL based systems where they matter.
Who this course is for
- Developers who deploy to their own servers
- Junior system administrators and support engineers
- Anyone running a VPS for a project or small business
Instructor
Sofia Marchetti
Linux systems engineer teaching the shell, Ubuntu servers and calm troubleshooting
- 4.4 instructor rating
- 22 reviews
- 8,330 students
- 3 courses
- Sample
I have administered Linux servers for web applications, build machines and databases. What I enjoy most is the moment a confusing system starts to make sense, and that is what I try to recreate in my lessons.
I begin with the shell and the file system, then move to users, permissions, packages, services and logs. The later courses focus on troubleshooting with systemd, journalctl, and performance tools such as top, vmstat, iostat and ss.
I teach on Ubuntu LTS because it is common and well documented, but I point out where Debian, Fedora and RHEL based systems differ so the skills travel with you.
Student reviews
Victoria H.
Sample Exactly how a server should be set up
The first hour section is now my checklist for every new server. Users, SSH and firewall in the right order.
Ali R.
Sample The Docker and ufw warning was crucial
We had a database container exposed despite ufw showing it closed. This course explained why and how to fix it.
Zara M.
Sample Backup lesson is the best part
Actually restoring the backup during the course showed me our old backups were incomplete.
Nina O.
Sample Clear explanations of systemd
Writing my own service unit with sandboxing options was very useful. The LVM lesson needed a second watch.
Andres C.
Sample Strong networking section
netplan try is a great tip I did not know. Would like a little more on IPv6.
Patrick E.
Sample Practical and careful
I appreciated the constant advice about keeping a second SSH session open. It saved me once already.
Edward L.
Sample Good but Ubuntu only
Accurate content. Our servers run Rocky Linux, so I had to translate some commands, although differences are mentioned.
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