Getting started with a Hetzner dedicated server

A dedicated server is a real computer in a datacenter that is only yours. You get the whole CPU, RAM, and disks. Hetzner manages the hardware. You manage Linux.

Dedicated vs VPS vs cloud

A VPS is a slice of a bigger machine. A Hetzner dedicated server (also called a root server) is the whole box. That is why RAID, partitioning, and the Rescue System matter: there is no hypervisor in front of you unless you install one later, such as Proxmox or Incus.

Kind	What you get	Who partitions disks
Cloud VPS	A virtual machine	Usually the provider
Dedicated	Physical CPU, RAM, NVMe/SSD/HDD	You, often via Rescue + installimage

Hetzner Robot

Robot is the control panel for dedicated servers: robot.hetzner.com. After the server is ready, Hetzner emails you the main IP and login details. In Robot you will use these tabs a lot:

Server — IP addresses, product name, datacenter.
Rescue — boot a live Linux system in RAM.
Reset — power-cycle the machine if SSH is dead.
Linux — some servers can be reinstalled from Robot. Auction / marketplace servers often only have Rescue, so you install the OS yourself.

Tip

Upload an SSH public key in Robot. Then Rescue (and later the installed OS, if you add the key) can log you in without typing a password.

First SSH login

On macOS or Linux, Terminal already has SSH. On Windows use Windows Terminal or PowerShell. Replace the IP with yours:

Connect from your laptop

you@laptop ~ % ssh root@YOUR.SERVER.IP

The first time, SSH asks you to trust the host key. Type yes. After a reinstall the host key changes, so remove the old one:

Forget an old host key after reinstall

you@laptop ~ % ssh-keygen -R YOUR.SERVER.IPyou@laptop ~ % ssh root@YOUR.SERVER.IP

Note

Rescue SSH also works on port 222 as well as 22. The Rescue password is shown in Robot when you activate Rescue. After installimage, the new OS root password starts as that same Rescue password until you change it.

What “root” means

root is the superuser. Every command in this site assumes you are root, which is normal on a fresh dedicated box. That also means a typo can wipe disks. Read warnings before wipefs, installimage, or mdadm --create.

Ubuntu vs Debian

Both are excellent on Hetzner. Debian is what the Rescue System itself is based on. Ubuntu Server is Debian-based with a faster release cycle and more packages in the default repos. For a first install, pick one and stay there. Proxmox later is closest to Debian. Incus runs well on both.

See which OS is running

root@server ~ # cat /etc/os-releaseroot@server ~ # hostnamectl

A safe first checklist

Log in with SSH.
Run lsblk and free -h so you know the hardware.
If this is a new auction server, boot Rescue and use installimage instead of guessing partitions.
Change the root password after the OS is installed.
Add your SSH key and consider disabling password login later, once key login works.