When creating a new CentOS 7 server, there are some basic tasks that you should take to ensure that your server is secure and configured properly. This tutorial series will go over connecting to your server and general security best practices, and will also provide links to articles that will help you to start running your own web server or application.

This tutorial explains the first steps you need to take after creating your CentOS 7 server, including how to login with root, change the root password, create a new user, give the new user root privileges, change the SSH port, and how to disable root login in.

After setting up the bare recommended configuration for a new server, there are often some additional steps that are highly recommended in most cases. In this guide, we’ll continue the initial configuration by tackling some recommended, but optional procedures.