If you host a game server on a VPS or dedicated server, you will inevitably work with Linux. Most game servers run on Ubuntu or Debian. In this article, you learn the basic commands you need.
Connecting via SSH
SSH (Secure Shell) is how you log into your server. On Windows, use PuTTY or the built-in SSH client in PowerShell/Terminal:
ssh user@your-server-ip
On macOS and Linux, this works directly in the terminal.
Navigation and file management
pwd Show current directory ls List files ls -la List files with details and hidden files cd /path/to/dir Go to a directory cd .. Go up one directory mkdir new-folder Create a new directory cp file copy Copy a file mv file /target/ Move or rename a file rm file Delete a file rm -rf folder/ Delete a folder and everything in it (careful!)
Editing files
Nano is the easiest text editor:
nano file.txt Open a file for editing Ctrl+O Save Ctrl+X Close
For larger files or config edits, nano is sufficient. Experienced users prefer vim.
Managing processes
ps aux Show all running processes top Real-time process overview (press q to quit) htop Better process overview (must be installed) kill [PID] Stop a process by its process ID killall [name] Stop all processes with that name
Screen: background processes
Screen lets you run processes that continue after you close the SSH connection:
screen -S gameserver Create a new screen session
(start your game server here)
Ctrl+A, D Detach from the session (server keeps running)
screen -r gameserver Reattach to the session
screen -ls List all screen sessions
Alternative: tmux offers similar functionality with more options.
Downloading files
wget [URL] Download a file from the internet curl -O [URL] Alternative to wget unzip file.zip Extract a zip file tar -xzf archive.tar.gz Extract a tar.gz
System information
df -h Show disk usage free -h Show RAM usage uname -a Show system information uptime Show how long the server has been running
Installing packages (Ubuntu/Debian)
apt update Update the package list apt upgrade Install available updates apt install [package] Install a package apt remove [package] Remove a package
Permissions and ownership
chmod 755 file Set file permissions (rwxr-xr-x) chmod +x script.sh Make a script executable chown user:group file Change the owner of a file
Common combinations for game servers
# Start game server in screen screen -S mc java -Xmx4G -Xms4G -jar server.jar nogui Ctrl+A, D # Watch server log tail -f /path/to/logs/latest.log # Upload server files via SFTP # Use FileZilla or WinSCP
Which Linux distribution is best for game servers?
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Debian 12 are the most popular choices. Both are stable, well-documented, and have large communities. Ubuntu is slightly more user-friendly, Debian slightly more stable.
Should I install a GUI on my server?
No. A GUI (graphical interface) wastes RAM and CPU that your server could use. Everything you need can be done via the command line. If you want a visual management interface, use a web panel like Pterodactyl.
How do I upload files to my server?
Use SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) with a program like FileZilla or WinSCP. Connect with the same credentials as SSH (IP, user, password/key, port).
Get started with a VPS at HostValues and learn Linux in practice.
