---
created: 2026-08-06T14:36:00
tags:
  - thestateofshit
  - reference
updated: 2026-08-06T14:46:00
---

# **Ubuntu VPS & AWS Configuration Reference Guide**

# server
export AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK=ABSKQmVkcm9ja0FQSUtleS03OG9pLWF0LTgxODU2NjgyOTQzNjpmWVZnSkUweDFMaHBFdkw3ZXJzV08xaEl6R1UyOEdYY3pidXU2bGpGTkNWcS9DYytpOVhZa21RVFpoWT0=

instancenamei-082dd7b58310155c4
Host dashit
    HostName 3.23.239.121
    User ubuntu
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/dashit.pem
    ServerAliveInterval 60





This document serves as your complete operational checklist and command reference for setting up, securing, and managing your Ubuntu ARM64 VPS paired with AWS tools.

## **1\. System Baseline & Core Utilities**

Always start by ensuring your system packages are completely up to date and equipped with essential administration utilities.

### **System Updates**

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade \-y

### **Essential Utilities Installation**

sudo apt install \-y curl git ufw htop ncdu unzip

* **curl**: Downloads files from the web, tests APIs, and pulls install scripts.  
* **git**: Clones and synchronizes code repositories.  
* **ufw**: Configures your firewall to block unauthorized inbound connections.  
* **htop**: Interactive, color-coded CPU and RAM process monitor.  
* **ncdu**: Terminal disk space analyzer to visually track and clean up large files.  
* **unzip**: Extracts .zip installation packages and configuration archives.

### **Architecture Verification**

Always confirm your server chip architecture before downloading pre-compiled binaries:

uname \-m

* *Note:* If it outputs aarch64 or arm64, always pull ARM64/AArch64 binaries. Avoid x86\_64/amd64 builds to prevent Exec format error.

## **2\. Firewall Lockdown (UFW)**

Secure your server immediately before exposing it to the public internet.

\# Set strict default rules  
sudo ufw default deny incoming  
sudo ufw default allow outgoing

\# Allow necessary traffic ports  
sudo ufw allow ssh  
sudo ufw allow http  
sudo ufw allow https

\# Enable the firewall  
sudo ufw enable

## **3\. Docker & Docker Compose Engine**

Docker runs applications safely inside isolated containers, protecting your host operating system.

### **Installation via Official Repository**

\# 1\. Add Docker's official GPG key:  
sudo apt-get install \-y ca-certificates curl  
sudo install \-m 0755 \-d /etc/apt/keyrings  
sudo curl \-fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg \-o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc  
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

\# 2\. Add repository to Apt sources:  
echo \\  
  "deb \[arch=$(dpkg \--print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc\] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \\  
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION\_CODENAME") stable" | \\  
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list \> /dev/null

sudo apt-get update

\# 3\. Install Docker Engine and Compose plugin:  
sudo apt-get install \-y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

\# 4\. Allow your user to run Docker commands without 'sudo':  
sudo usermod \-aG docker $USER

> *Important:* After running the last command, log out of your SSH session and log back in for group changes to take effect.

### **Daily Docker Quick Commands**

* **Test installation:** docker run hello-world  
* **Clean up test container:** docker rm $(docker ps \-a \-q \-f ancestor=hello-world)  
* **Delete test image:** docker rmi hello-world  
* **List active containers:** docker ps  
* **List all containers (including stopped):** docker ps \-a  
* **List downloaded images:** docker images

## **4\. AWS CLI (v2) Setup for ARM64**

Because your VPS operates on an ARM64 processor, you must explicitly fetch the ARM-compatible binary bundle.

### **Installation Procedure**

\# Download the ARM64/AArch64 package  
curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-aarch64.zip" \-o "awscliv2.zip"

\# Unzip and install system-wide  
unzip awscliv2.zip  
sudo ./aws/install

\# Clean up installer files  
rm \-rf awscliv2.zip aws

### **Verification**

aws \--version

### **Configuration & Testing**

\# Run configuration wizard (Input your region, e.g., us-east-2)  
aws configure

\# Test API connectivity and verify authentication  
aws sts get-caller-identity

## **5\. Development Workspace Guidelines**

* **Python Environments:** Always run python projects inside virtual environments (python3 \-m venv venv && source venv/bin/activate). Avoid sudo pip install.  
* **Manual Binaries:** Always check download targets for arm64 or aarch64 tags.