Ubuntu Server Setup Script

This script automates the initial configuration and hardening of a fresh Ubuntu server.

It was built for personal use with a focus on security, best practices, and future expandability.

Features

• System update and upgrade
• User creation with sudo access
• Timezone and locale configuration
• SSH hardening:
  • Disable root login
  • Disable password authentication
  • Change SSH port
  • Restrict SSH login to a specific user
• UFW firewall installation and configuration
• Fail2Ban installation and custom configuration
• Automatic security updates
• Tailscale installation
• Docker and Docker Compose installation

Variables

Variable	Purpose
SSH_PORT	New SSH port (default: 2222)
USERNAME	New user to create (default: nathan)
USER_SHELL	Shell for the user (default: /bin/bash)
TIMEZONE	System timezone (default: Europe/London)
LOCALE	System locale (default: en_GB.UTF-8)

How to Use

1. SSH into your fresh server as root.

2. Copy the script to the server.

3. Edit the script variables at the top if needed (e.g., USERNAME, SSH_PORT).

4. Make the script executable:

   chmod +x setup.sh

5. Run the script:

   sudo ./setup.sh

Important

• Always keep your existing SSH session open when making SSH-related changes (in case you need to fix connection issues).
• After running the script, log out and log back in to apply group changes (especially for Docker access).

Requirements

• Ubuntu Server (fresh install recommended)
• SSH access with a key pair already set up (password login disabled during setup)