Linux

The ss command (short for socket statistics) is a fast, feature-rich replacement for the older netstat utility. It allows administrators to inspect and manage network sockets on a system — whether they’re TCP, UDP, RAW, or UNIX domain sockets. Compared to netstat, ss runs faster and provides more filtering options, making it invaluable for network diagnostics and system monitoring.

Show All TCP, UDP, RAW, and UNIX Sockets

ss -a -t -u -w -x

Motivation: Network administrators often need a complete snapshot of all active sockets — to check which services are listening, what connections are established, or to detect unusual activity.

When deploying a new Ubuntu server there are a few steps that should be taken in order to make sure it’s secure. This should provide a fairly secure default setup. However, as more software is added further measures will need to be taken in order to secure the server.

Bare Metal Installations

Note: It is now an option to install openssh during installation.

Originally I wrote this tutorial for setting up a new server on a cloud hosting provider. Those already come setup with an ssh server; but if you’ve downloaded your Ubuntu from the site and are setting it up on a bare metal server, it needs an extra step.