How to reinstall the operating system on your Ex2 VPS
Reinstalling gives you a clean server. It destroys all data on the VPS — there is no undo, so back up first.
Before you start:
- Back up everything you need off the VPS: website files, databases (export with
mysqldump), and any config files you customized (/etc/nginx,/etc/apache2, firewall rules, cron jobs). Verify the backups open correctly on your own computer.
The reinstall:
- Log in to your Ex2 account → Services → your VPS → open the VPS management panel.
- Find Reinstall (sometimes labeled Rebuild) and choose the operating system and version you want.
- Confirm — the panel will warn you that all data will be erased. The reinstall typically takes a few minutes.
- When it finishes, note the new root credentials (shown in the panel or emailed to you). Your IP address and plan stay the same.
After the reinstall:
- Connect via SSH with the new credentials and immediately run the OS updates.
- Re-harden the server: change the SSH port or disable password login in favor of SSH keys, enable the firewall, and install fail2ban or equivalent.
- Restore your data from the backups and test every service before pointing production traffic at it.
Good to know: if you only need to fix a broken config, a snapshot restore (see article 5) is faster and safer than a full reinstall. Reinstall when you want a genuinely clean slate — a different OS, a compromised server, or configuration drift you can't untangle.
Updated on: 07/10/2026
Thank you!