Script to run on a first ubuntu server boot setup

server_setup.sh

#!/bin/bash

# Update the package lists for upgrades and new package installations
sudo apt update

# Upgrade all installed packages to their latest versions
sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install essential packages
sudo apt install -y curl wget git vim build-essential ufw

# Set the timezone (replace 'America/New_York' with your desired timezone)
sudo timedatectl set-timezone America/New_York

# Enable the UFW firewall
sudo ufw enable

# Allow SSH connections through the firewall
sudo ufw allow ssh

# Optionally, allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic
# sudo ufw allow http
# sudo ufw allow https

# Add a new user (replace 'username' with your desired username)
# sudo adduser username

# Grant sudo privileges to the new user (replace 'username' with the username)
# sudo usermod -aG sudo username

# Disable password authentication for SSH (enhances security, especially if using SSH keys)
sudo sed -i 's/PasswordAuthentication yes/PasswordAuthentication no/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
sudo systemctl reload sshd

# Enable automatic security updates (recommended for critical security patches)
sudo apt install -y unattended-upgrades
sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

# Clean up package lists to free up space
sudo apt autoremove -y
sudo apt autoclean -y

# Reboot the system to apply any changes
sudo reboot