Reboots, Reinstalls & Console

Rebooting Your VPS

By the Domain India teamPublished 5 min read
Knowledge base article
Contents (5 sections)

You reboot a Domain India VPS from inside the server, over SSH, with sudo reboot. There is no reboot or power button in the client area, so if the server has stopped responding, or you need it started or force-restarted, you open a ticket and support does it. This page covers the safe way to reboot and what to check afterwards.

Key takeaways

Connect over SSH and run sudo reboot after checking that your services are enabled to start at boot. Try restarting the single service that is misbehaving first. Never run poweroff or shutdown -h unless support asks you to, because a VPS you switch off from inside stays off. For a frozen server, a start or a force restart, open a ticket with the VPS IP address.

For the full guide, see Managing your VPS

Stopping, starting, health checks and what to do when the server stops answering are covered in Managing your VPS (start, stop, reboot, etc.).

1. Restart a service before the server

Most problems come from one service. Restarting it is faster and interrupts nothing else:

bash
sudo systemctl restart nginx       # or apache2, httpd, mariadb, mysql, php8.3-fpm
sudo journalctl -u nginx -n 50     # why it failed

Reboot the whole VPS for a kernel update, or when several services or the system itself are stuck. On Ubuntu or Debian a reboot is needed if /var/run/reboot-required exists; on AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux, run sudo dnf needs-restarting -r.

2. Reboot safely over SSH

  1. Check services start at boot.
    Run systemctl is-enabled nginx mariadb (use your services) and sudo systemctl enable name for any that say disabled.
  2. Check containers and apps.
    Docker containers need a restart policy such as --restart unless-stopped; PM2 apps need pm2 startup and pm2 save.
  3. Reboot.
    Run sudo reboot. To warn logged-in users, schedule it instead: sudo shutdown -r +5 "Rebooting for updates", and cancel with sudo shutdown -c.
  4. Reconnect and check.
    Most servers are back within a few minutes. Run uptime, systemctl --failed, df -h and sudo journalctl -b -p err, then open your websites.
Don't power off your VPS from inside

sudo poweroff, sudo halt and sudo shutdown -h now switch the VPS off completely. It then stays off, with your sites and email down, until support starts it again. Use reboot unless support has asked you to shut down.

3. Soft reboot and force restart

TypeHow on a Domain India VPSUse it when
Soft rebootsudo reboot over SSHThe server still answers SSH
Force restartOpen a ticket; support restarts the VPSThe server is frozen and SSH doesn't answer
Start after power-offOpen a ticket; support starts the VPSThe VPS was switched off from inside

A force restart is like pulling the power cord, so services don't shut down cleanly. The filesystem check usually runs by itself on the next boot.

4. If the VPS doesn't come back

  • Try SSH from another network, such as a mobile hotspot. If that works, your own IP address may be blocked by the server's firewall or Fail2ban.
  • Check whether the website loads even though SSH doesn't. If it does, the server is up and one service is the problem.
  • If nothing answers, open a ticket with the VPS IP address, when it stopped responding and what you changed last. For more on lockouts, see connecting to a VPS when SSH is broken.

5. Domain India VPS

Domain India VPS plans are self-managed KVM servers with full root access. You handle routine reboots; support handles starts, stops and force restarts on request. Support is available by 24/7 live chat and by ticket, and tickets get a first response within 15 minutes.

How do I reboot my Domain India VPS?

Connect over SSH and run sudo reboot, after checking that your services are enabled to start at boot. There is no reboot button in the client area. If the VPS doesn't respond to SSH, open a support ticket with its IP address and support will restart it.

Is there a hard reboot option in the client area?

No. A force restart is done by support. Open a ticket with the VPS IP address, when it stopped responding and what you changed last.

I ran poweroff and now my VPS is down. What do I do?

A VPS switched off from inside stays off until it is started from outside. Open a support ticket with the VPS IP address and support will start it.

My website did not come back after a reboot. What should I check?

Run systemctl --failed to list services that didn't start, then systemctl status and journalctl -u with the service name to see why. Use systemctl enable for services that should start automatically.

How do I know whether my VPS needs a reboot after updates?

On Ubuntu or Debian, a reboot is needed if the file /var/run/reboot-required exists. On AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux, run sudo dnf needs-restarting -r.

Ready to reboot with confidence? Keep this checklist handy, read the full VPS management guide, or open a ticket if your VPS needs a start or force restart from our side.

VPS not responding?

Give us the VPS IP address, when it stopped responding and what changed last, and support will check the server.

Open a ticket

Ready when you are

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How to Reboot Your VPS Safely | Domain India