How to Rebuild (Reinstall) Your Self-Managed VPS

This article explains how to rebuild your Self-Managed VPS from the GreenGeeks dashboard. Use a rebuild to start over with a fresh operating system, switch to a different OS or app such as Docker Host, or recover a server you can no longer repair.

Table of Contents

• Before You Rebuild
• What a Rebuild Keeps and Erases
• How to Reinstall the Current Operating System
• How to Install a Different Operating System or App
• After the Rebuild

Before You Rebuild

A rebuild permanently erases everything on your server’s disk and cannot be undone. GreenGeeks does not keep backups of Self-Managed VPS data and cannot restore it.

• Copy any files, databases, and configuration you want to keep to a location outside the server.
• Try the Terminal or Console (VNC) first if you are rebuilding only because you cannot log in. Most lockouts can be fixed without erasing the server.

What a Rebuild Keeps and Erases

Kept	Erased
IP address	All files, databases, and installed software
Server region	Users and settings inside the server
Hostname	Docker containers, images, and volumes
SSH keys saved to your GreenGeeks account	Firewall rules in the dashboard
	The server’s SSH host keys

Firewall rules are deleted by a rebuild. Write down your rules before you rebuild so you can add them again.

How to Reinstall the Current Operating System

1. Log in to your GreenGeeks dashboard.
2. Select Servers in the left menu.
3. Click Manage next to your Self-Managed VPS.
4. Select Settings in the left menu.
5. Select Rebuild.

6. Confirm Reinstall the current OS is selected.
7. Select the SSH keys to install on the rebuilt server under SSH Keys.
8. Click Rebuild Server.
9. Type REBUILD in the confirmation field.

10. Click Rebuild Now.

The rebuild usually takes a minute or two. The page updates automatically when the server is ready.

How to Install a Different Operating System or App

1. Open the Rebuild page by following steps 1 to 5 in How to Reinstall the Current Operating System.
2. Select Install a different OS or application.

3. Select the Operating System tab or the Application tab.
4. Click the OS or app you want to install, such as Docker Host.

5. Click Use This.

6. Check the Domain field. Apps require a domain, which is used for the app’s address and HTTPS certificate. Keep the existing free domain, enter your own, or click Generate to create a new free subdomain.
7. Select the SSH keys to install on the rebuilt server under SSH Keys.
8. Click Rebuild Server.
9. Type REBUILD in the confirmation field.
10. Click Rebuild Now.

The available templates are:

Template	Type	Includes
Ubuntu	Operating System	Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS
Docker Host	Application	Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with Docker Engine and Docker Compose, plus the Docker app catalog in your dashboard

To deploy apps such as WordPress on a Docker Host server, see How to Deploy Apps on a Docker Host Self-Managed VPS

After the Rebuild

• Log in again: use the root password on the Overview page or one of the SSH keys you selected.
• Clear the SSH warning: your computer shows a REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED warning the first time you connect. See How to Connect to Your Self-Managed VPS
• Restore your data: copy your backups back to the server.
• Add your firewall rules again: the rebuild deletes them. See How to Manage the Self-Managed VPS Firewall
• Secure the server: install updates.

If the rebuild does not finish or the server does not come online afterward, open a support ticket. Failed rebuilds are covered by GreenGeeks support.