Where do I find the root password?
When you create a server, a long random root password is set automatically. Click the server in your account's server list to open the server page, which has a root password field; click Show to see the password. Copy it as is with the copy button next to it and paste it into your SSH login.
The password is shown for 7 days after it is set and then deleted on our side. We keep it encrypted and only briefly, so save it in a password manager on your first login. To delete it sooner, click Delete now and it is removed at once. The password on the server stays the same; only the copy kept for display is deleted.
If you created the server with the API, the same password is included once in root_password in the create response, and you can also see it on the server page for 7 days.
Two ways to change the root password
Method 1. Create a new password on the server page
Click Create new root password on the server page and a new random password is set on the server and shown on screen for another 7 days. It is the fastest way if you forgot the password or it disappeared from the screen after 7 days. You can use it while the server is running or stopped, and the files and settings on the disk stay as they are.
Method 2. Change it yourself on the server
If you are already logged in, change it to a password of your choice with the passwd command. Enter the new password twice and you are done. A password changed this way is not shown on the server page, so be sure to save it separately.
passwdDay to day, connecting with an SSH key and keeping the password for emergencies is the most secure. To add a key, follow the SSH key guide, or on Windows the Windows SSH guide.
When should I reinstall?
Reinstall wipes the disk and installs a new operating system or app image while keeping the server itself. The server name, price and billing date carry on as before, at no extra charge. It is useful in situations like these.
- When you have changed a lot of settings and want a clean fresh start
- When you want to switch from Ubuntu to another operating system such as Debian or AlmaLinux
- When you want to switch to an app image such as Docker, WordPress or LEMP and use it right away
- When you are unsure about the server's state and want to rebuild it on a clean system
A reinstall rewrites the whole disk, so all files, databases and settings on the server are erased. Be sure to move any data you need to your PC or other storage first. The next step shows easy ways to do this.
Move your data before reinstalling
Bundle website files and server settings into a single archive, and save databases as dump files. For MySQL and MariaDB, export all databases to one file as below.
mkdir -p /root/keep
tar czf /root/keep/files.tar.gz /var/www /etc/nginx
mysqldump --single-transaction --all-databases | gzip > /root/keep/db.sql.gz
ls -lh /root/keepIf you use PostgreSQL, export with sudo -u postgres pg_dumpall | gzip > /root/keep/pg.sql.gz. Once everything is bundled, download it to your PC with scp. The command is the same on Windows PowerShell, Mac and Linux.
scp -r root@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/root/keep ./keepIf you want to keep the whole server disk exactly as it is at that moment, you can also order a snapshot before reinstalling. The difference between automatic backups and snapshots is explained in the backups and snapshots guide.
Reinstall steps
Step 1. Open Reinstall on the server page
Click the server in your account's server list and go to the Reinstall section. Reinstall is available while the server is running or stopped. If the server is suspended for an overdue payment, first bring it back with Pay one more month now in the Renewal section, then reinstall.
Step 2. Choose an image
Choose what to install from operating systems such as Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS Stream and FreeBSD, or app images such as Docker, WordPress, LEMP and Node.js. You can see what each operating system offers in the operating system list.
Step 3. Confirm by typing the server name
To prevent wiping the wrong server by mistake, the Reinstall button turns on only after you type the server name exactly in the confirmation field. Type it exactly as it appears in the server list, down to the last character, and click Reinstall.
Step 4. Wait for the install to finish
The server status changes to installing and returns to running when the install finishes. The server page shows the status automatically, so just leave it open. A new root password is created for the new system and shown in the root password field for another 7 days.
Reconnect after a reinstall
The new system also creates a new SSH server fingerprint. So on a PC that connected before, you see the message REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED. This always appears after a server is freshly installed; just remove the old saved fingerprint and connect again.
ssh-keygen -R YOUR_SERVER_IP
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IPConnect to the reinstalled system with the new root password. If you used to connect with an SSH key, log in once with the password and add the key again. On Mac and Linux, the single command below does it. On Windows, use the one-line command in the Windows SSH guide.
ssh-copy-id root@YOUR_SERVER_IPOnce connected, update the system following the first login guide, and open only the ports you use again with the basic firewall guide. Upload the data you saved with scp and restore it with commands such as tar xzf and gunzip < db.sql.gz | mysql.
Reinstall versus deleting a server
Reinstall keeps using the same server and only replaces the system, while deleting a server removes the server and its disk completely. If you plan to keep using the server, reinstall is the right choice. Deleting a server, just like reinstalling, requires typing the server name before the button turns on.
Even when you want to change the operating system, there is no need to delete the server and create a new one; just reinstall. The server code and billing date stay the same, so there is nothing to change in the server details registered in your API or monitoring tools.
Use delete when you no longer need the server. The remaining time of a month already paid is not refunded, so cleaning up right before the billing date saves the most. Billing and renewal are explained in detail on the pricing page and in the refund policy.