VPS Hosting Server is one of the most secure and flexible web hosting servers that offer much more reliable web hosting features and services than Shared Hosting at a much affordable and reasonable price than Dedicated Hosting.
One of its most fundamental and critical features is the full root access that requires a hands-on approach to configure and customize your VPS Hosting Server per your specific business needs and requirements to enhance your website performance and security.
You can perform many actions, including installing third-party software and applications, configuring settings, setting up firewalls, etc. This article will guide you to set up a firewall on your VPS Server to ensure the utmost website security and protection.
Importance of a VPS Firewall
A firewall is one of the initial steps to ensure network security when setting up your new Windows or Linux VPS Hosting Server.
It’s used to filter unwanted incoming and outgoing website traffic—especially to fight against and prevent DDoS and Brute force attacks.
A properly set up and configured firewall blocks all the port connections not used for any specific purpose. It also comes with strict rules on how you can use the services.
While there are several Linux VPS firewalls available, such as Nftables, Iptables, ConfigServer Firewall, UFW, pfSense, etc., today, we’ll show you how to set up CSF or ConfigServer Firewall on your VPS Server.
Setting Up CSF Firewall on your VPS Server
CSF is a robust firewall suite for Linux VPS Servers that comes with Login Failure Daemon (LFD) to regularly scan failed login attempts on your VPS Server and take necessary actions against the suspicious and offending IP addresses. Hence, it significantly enhances your VPS Security.
Here are the necessary steps to install, configure, and set up this secure firewall on your VPS Server:
- Change the present working directory using the command shown below:
cd /usr/local/src
You may choose the directory of your specific choice to download the installation script.
- Download the archive file by running the following command to the present working directory:
wget http://configserver.com/free/csf.tgz
- Next, use this command to extract the files:
tar xfz csf.tgz
- Use the command cd csf to go to the CSF directory.
- You can install CSF by either of the following methods:
- Install CSF on your Virtual Private Server without any hosting panel by running the general installation script: ./install.generic.sh.
- Install CSF on your VPS Server with DirectAdmin or cPanel:
- Run the following installation script to install CSF on your VPS Server with cPanel
./install.cpanel.sh
- Run the following installation script to install CSF on your VPS Server with DirectAdmin.
./install.directadmin.sh
Your CSF firewall will be installed in the /etc/csf directory.
- Restart the firewall using the following command
/etc/init.d/csf restart
Conclusion
Even if the task of installing and setting up a firewall on your VPS Server may seem daunting, it’s one of the most critical steps to make the most out of your VPS Server’s full root access and ensure utmost security against online attacks.
If you follow the steps outlined above, you’re unlikely to get wrong with setting up a firewall on your VPS Server.
So, ensure to buy VPS Server from a reliable and reputed web hosting company that offers full root access and other services—so you can easily set up a firewall and perform other necessary VPS configurations for your business protection and security.
