When you host your website on a VPS Server, there are several maintenance tasks that you need to perform to ensure its optimal performance. You can buy a VPS Server Hosting plan from a company offering web hosting services to leverage the benefits of a virtual server. While buying the plan, you can choose between Managed VPS and Unmanaged VPS services and Windows and Linux VPS Hosting services.
Today, we are going to talk about preventive maintenance tasks for your VPS Server and list seven essential ones.
1. Check your backups
Before running any maintenance tasks, it is important to ensure that you have the latest backups in place. Also, just taking backups is not enough. Try running some test recoveries to ensure that your backups work fine. Also, crosscheck your backup location to ensure that everything is in place.
2. Keep the control panel updated
When you buy a VPS Hosting service, the provider offers a control panel to help run and manage your VPS Hosting setup. However, the control panel needs to be updated regularly to ensure that it keeps performing optimally. Also, you must update all the software controlled by it like PHP or Apache manually.
3. Check disk usage
Keeping a close tab on the disk usage is essential to keep your server working efficiently. Many site owners use the VPS Hosting Server as an archival system too and store old emails, logs, and software versions that are no longer needed. Ensure that you keep your VPS Server clutter-free to boost its performance and minimize potential security issues. Also, if your disk usage has touched 90%, then you need to make some space by deleting unwanted files or add more resources to avoid abrupt crashing of the server.
4. Password management
Most websites get hacked because the site owners used easy-to-crack passwords and/or didn’t change them regularly. As a practice, it is recommended to change server login passwords once every six months. This is more important if you have shared the password with a service provider for maintenance purposes. Also, choose complex passwords that have no relevance to your life or personal details.
5. Update your OS regularly
This is one of the most important preventive maintenance tasks for every VPS Hosting user. In recent years, hacking attempts have increased, and websites with vulnerabilities are constantly in danger of being attacked. Operating systems release regular updates to patch any vulnerabilities and keep your VPS Server secure. You have the choice of updating the OS manually or automatically. Many site owners prefer automatic updates as it ensures that they never miss any crucial one.
6. Check for any hardware errors
Despite all the software used, the server hardware is critical for the performance of your VPS Hosting Server. Run a health-check by looking for signs of overheating, network failures, read/write errors, etc. This can help you avoid potential problems if your server crashes suddenly due to hardware failure.
7. Uninstall unused software or services
Many site owners use their VPS Hosting Server to test various new software and services. Hence, at any time, multiple services run on the VPS, including the ones that are obsolete. If you have such services running, then ensure that uninstall any service that you no longer use using the distribution package manager.
Summing Up
Remember, every VPS Server has a unique maintenance requirement based on the applications and software. While these tips can help, ensure that you create a similar checklist based on your specific usage, and keep problems at bay. Also, make sure to choose the best VPS provider for your VPS Server Hosting plan. Good Luck!