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Server Management

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brwinnov edited this page Mar 14, 2026 · 2 revisions

Server Management — Hetzner Cloud Toolkit

Detailed guide for creating, configuring, and managing Hetzner Cloud servers.

Creating a Server

The extension provides a 7-step wizard for creating servers with all options available.

Launch the Wizard

Choose one of:

  1. Click the ＋ button in the SERVERS panel
  2. Run Hetzner Cloud Toolkit: Create Server (Ctrl+Shift+P)
  3. Right-click in the SERVERS panel and select Create Server

Step 1: Basics

Input:

  • Server Name: Unique identifier (alphanumeric, hyphens, underscores)
  • Location: Choose a region
    • 🇩🇪 Germany (Falkenstein, Nuremberg)
    • 🇫🇮 Finland (Helsinki)
    • 🇸🇪 Sweden (Stockholm)
    • 🇸🇬 Singapore
    • 🇺🇸 USA (Virginia, Oregon)
    • 🇯🇵 Japan (Tokyo)

Pricing: Extension shows hourly/monthly pricing for your location choice.

Tips:

  • Choose the location closest to your users
  • Finland/Germany have the most availability zones
  • Different zones may have different prices

Step 2: Server Type

Choose the right server size for your workload.

Available Types:

Type CPU RAM Storage Price
CX11 1 (shared) 1 GB 25 GB SSD ~€3/mo
CX21 2 (shared) 4 GB 40 GB SSD ~€6/mo
CX31 2 8 GB 80 GB SSD ~€12/mo
CX41 4 16 GB 160 GB SSD ~€24/mo
CX51 8 32 GB 240 GB SSD ~€48/mo
CPX11 2 (dedicated) 4 GB 40 GB SSD ~€8/mo
CPX21 4 (dedicated) 8 GB 80 GB SSD ~€16/mo
CPX41 8 (dedicated) 16 GB 160 GB SSD ~€32/mo

Key Differences:

  • CX = Shared CPU (good for burstable workloads)
  • CPX = Dedicated CPU (for consistent high performance)

Tips:

  • Start with CX11 or CX21 for testing
  • Scale up as needed (resize available)
  • Dedicated CPU (CPX) best for databases, APIs
  • Shared CPU (CX) best for web servers, cron jobs

Upgrade/Downgrade:

  • Upgrades requires a reboot (can be resized with servers running)
  • Downgrades require server shutdown

Step 3: OS Image

Select your operating system.

System Images:

  • Ubuntu (22.04 LTS, 20.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS)
  • Debian (12, 11)
  • CentOS (7, 8, Stream)
  • Fedora (latest)
  • Rocky Linux (9, 8)
  • AlmaLinux (9, 8)
  • Arch Linux
  • Windows Server (2022, 2019)

Snapshots:

  • Custom images created from your existing servers
  • Useful for golden images, pre-configured setups
  • Shows creation date and size

Tips:

  • Ubuntu 22.04 LTS is most popular + best supported
  • Debian for minimal/lightweight setups
  • CentOS/Rocky for RHEL-compatible systems
  • Snapshots great for multi-server deployments

First-Time Setup:

  • All images come with cloud-init support
  • Root user enabled by default
  • APT/YUM package manager ready

Step 4: SSH Keys

Configure authentication for the root user.

Options:

Choice Behavior
Select SSH Key Root login limited to key holders
No SSH Key Random root password generated (shown after creation)

Security Recommendations:

  • ✅ Always use SSH keys (more secure than passwords)
  • ✅ Use passphrases with your local SSH key
  • ❌ Don't share root passwords
  • ❌ Don't use password authentication for production

Add New Key:

  • Click Add One link to jump to SSH Key Management
  • Generate a new key or import existing .pub file
  • Return to wizard and select it

Multiple Keys:

  • Select multiple keys to add them all (multi-select available)
  • Any key can be used for root login

Tips:

  • Store passphrases securely (use ssh-agent for convenience)
  • Keep private keys safe (local machine only)
  • Backup key files to secure location

Step 5: Network

Add server to a private network.

Options:

Option Benefit
No Network Server gets public IP only
Existing Network Server joins internal network + gets public IP
Create New Network Define new network inline

Why Use Private Networks?

  • Security: Internal traffic stays private
  • Multi-server apps: Databases talk to apps privately
  • Cost: Reduce public IP usage
  • Organization: Group related servers

Network Details:

  • Each network has CIDR range (e.g., 10.0.0.0/8)
  • Server assigned IP within range
  • Multiple servers can join same network
  • Subnets organized by zone

Creating a Network:

  1. Choose Create New Network
  2. Enter network name
  3. Confirm CIDR range
  4. Server joins upon creation

Tips:

  • Use descriptive names: staging-db-network, prod-app-tier
  • Standard private ranges: 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16
  • Don't use overlapping ranges across projects

Step 6: Cloud-Init

Custom startup script (optional).

What is Cloud-Init?

  • Scripts running as root on first boot
  • Good for:
    • Installing packages (apt-get install, yum install)
    • Setting environment variables
    • Creating users
    • Starting services

Pre-filled Content:

  • You can edit before confirming creation

Common Commands:

#cloud-config
packages:
  - nginx
  - curl
  - git

runcmd:
  - systemctl start nginx
  - echo "Hello from $(hostname)" > /var/www/html/index.html

Reserved Keywords:

  • #cloud-config — Format indicator (must be first)
  • packages — List of packages to install
  • runcmd — Shell commands to run

Tips:

  • Start simple; test on small server first
  • Use Ubuntu/Debian for best cloud-init support
  • Avoid blocking operations (keep scripts fast)
  • Log output to check results: cloud-init status --long

Step 7: Review

Final confirmation before server creation.

Review Shows:

  • ✅ Server name
  • ✅ Type (CPU, RAM, storage)
  • ✅ OS image
  • ✅ Location
  • ✅ SSH keys (if any)
  • ✅ Network (if any)
  • ✅ Total monthly cost estimate

After Create:

  • Server appears in SERVERS panel within seconds
  • Status starts as 🟡 Initializing
  • Changes to 🟢 Running once ready (~30 seconds)
  • Cloud-init runs in background

Managing Existing Servers

Open Server Details

Click on any server in the SERVERS panel to open the Server Detail view.

Shows:

  • Server name and status
  • Public IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
  • Private IP (if in network)
  • Server type specs (CPU, RAM, storage)
  • Labels and metadata
  • Root password (if generated)

Actions Available:

  • 📋 Click IP to copy
  • 🔓 Copy root password to clipboard
  • 🟢 Power On
  • 🔴 Power Off
  • 🔄 Reboot
  • 🗑️ Delete

Power Management

Right-click any server in the SERVERS panel:

Power On

  • Starts a powered-off server
  • Takes 10-30 seconds
  • Status changes to 🟡 then 🟢
  • SSH access restored

Power Off

  • Graceful shutdown (OS signal)
  • Server takes time to shut down cleanly
  • Status changes to 🟡 then 🔴
  • Data preserved on storage

Reboot

  • Restarts the server
  • Status goes 🟡 → 🔴 → 🟡 → 🟢
  • Services restart
  • Cloud-init doesn't re-run

Deleting a Server

⚠️ Destructive action — cannot be undone

  1. Right-click server → Delete Server
  2. Confirm the action
  3. Server is deleted immediately
  4. All data is lost
  5. Backups aren't kept (unless you have snapshots)

Before Deleting:

  • Back up important data
  • Export snapshots if needed
  • Confirm no production traffic
  • Note IP addresses if needed

Advanced: SSH Terminal Access

If SSH key is configured on server:

  1. Right-click server in SERVERS panel
  2. Choose Open SSH Terminal (if available)
  3. Terminal opens with SSH connection
  4. Root login via your SSH key

Requirements:

  • SSH key installed locally
  • Server has SSH key in Step 4
  • ssh command available in PATH
  • Public IP accessible from your network

Monitoring & Automation

The extension updates server status every few seconds.

Status Indicators:

  • 🟢 Running — Server is online and ready
  • 🔴 Off — Server powered down
  • 🟡 Initializing — Starting up or provisioning
  • ❌ Error — Something went wrong (rare)

Manual Refresh:

  • Right-click SERVERS panel
  • Choose Refresh to force update

Cost Optimization Tips

  1. Right-size instances — Start small, upgrade as needed
  2. Use snapshots — Clone from golden images vs. rebuild
  3. Power off unused servers — Keep snapshots, delete instances
  4. Location choice — Farther = sometimes cheaper
  5. Monthly billing — Commit to better rates

Next: Learn about Network Management 👉

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