Bluehost Self-Managed VPS and VDS: How to Update Your OS

Keeping your Bluehost Self-Managed VPS or Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS) updated is essential for security, performance, and access to the latest features. This guide walks you through updating your server on the Linux distributions offered with both products: AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS Stream, Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora.

General Tips

Regularly update your server to patch security vulnerabilities and bugs.
Always back up your important data before performing major updates.
You'll run these commands by connecting to your server via SSH.
If you're logged in as root, you can leave off sudo in the commands below.

Note: This guide covers updating the operating system only. These commands update packages from your OS's own repositories. They don't update apps or containers you installed separately, such as n8n, and a restart briefly interrupts anything running on your server. Update those apps separately, following each app's own update instructions.

Note: The -y option automatically answers "yes" to prompts. Remove it if you want to review the list of packages before confirming.

AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and CentOS Stream

The instructions below apply to AlmaLinux 8, 9, and 10, Rocky Linux 8, 9, and 10, and CentOS Stream 9 and 10. All of these distributions use dnf to manage updates.

1. Check for Updates

sudo dnf check-update

Example Output:

Last metadata expiration check: 0:12:33 ago on Fri 09 Oct 2026 01:23:45 AM UTC. openssl.x86_64 1:3.2.2-6.el9_5.1 baseos python3.x86_64 3.9.21-1.el9_5 baseos

Package names and version numbers on your server will differ.

2. Install Updates

sudo dnf update -y

Example Output:

Dependencies resolved. ================================================================================ Package Arch Version Repository Size ================================================================================ Upgrading: openssl x86_64 1:3.2.2-6.el9_5.1 baseos 1.4 M python3 x86_64 3.9.21-1.el9_5 baseos 26 k Transaction Summary ================================================================================ Upgrade 2 Packages ... Running transaction Upgrading : openssl-1:3.2.2-6.el9_5.1.x86_64 Upgrading : python3-3.9.21-1.el9_5.x86_64 Verifying : openssl-1:3.2.2-6.el9_5.1.x86_64 Verifying : python3-3.9.21-1.el9_5.x86_64 Complete!

3. Check Whether a Restart Is Needed

A restart is needed after the kernel or core system libraries are updated. To check:

sudo dnf needs-restarting -r

Example Output:

Core libraries or services have been updated since boot-up: * openssl-libs Reboot is required to fully utilize these updates.

If the command isn't found, install the package that provides it, then run the check again:

sudo dnf install -y dnf-utils

4. Restart if Needed

Warning: Restarting ends your SSH session and briefly takes your server, and anything running on it, offline. Wait a minute or two, then reconnect. After the restart, confirm that any apps you run are working again.

sudo reboot

Ubuntu

Ubuntu uses apt for package management. The release codename in your output will match your Ubuntu version.

1. Update the Package List

sudo apt update

Example Output:

Get:1 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-security InRelease [126 kB] Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble InRelease [256 kB] Fetched 382 kB in 1s (537 kB/s) Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done Reading state information... Done 2 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them.

If no updates are available, the last line reads All packages are up to date.

2. Upgrade Packages

sudo apt upgrade -y

Example Output:

Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done Reading state information... Done Calculating upgrade... Done The following packages will be upgraded: openssl python3 2 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded. Need to get 2,345 kB of archives. After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used. Fetched 2,345 kB in 0s (8,214 kB/s) Preparing to unpack ... Unpacking ... Setting up ...

3. Clean Up (Optional)

Remove packages that were installed as dependencies and are no longer needed:

sudo apt autoremove -y

Example Output:

Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done Reading state information... Done 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

4. Check Whether a Restart Is Needed

Ubuntu creates a file when an update requires a restart. Check for it with:

cat /var/run/reboot-required

Example Output:

*** System restart required ***

If the file doesn't exist, the command returns No such file or directory and no restart is needed.

5. Restart if Needed

sudo reboot

Debian

Debian 12 (Bookworm) and Debian 13 (Trixie) use apt for package management, just like Ubuntu. The release codename in your output will match your Debian version.

1. Update the Package List

sudo apt update

Example Output:

Hit:1 http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm InRelease Hit:2 http://security.debian.org/debian-security bookworm-security InRelease Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done Reading state information... Done 2 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them.

If no updates are available, the last line reads All packages are up to date.

2. Upgrade Packages

sudo apt upgrade -y

Example Output:

3. Clean Up (Optional)

Remove packages that were installed as dependencies and are no longer needed:

sudo apt autoremove -y

Example Output:

Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done Reading state information... Done 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

4. Restart if Needed

Debian doesn't include a built-in restart notice. Restart your server if the upgrade included a new kernel (a package name starting with linux-image) or core system libraries such as libc6 or systemd.

sudo reboot

Fedora

Fedora also uses dnf for updates.

1. Upgrade Packages

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh -y

Example Output:

Updating and loading repositories: ... Repositories loaded. ... Transaction Summary: Upgrading: 2 packages ... Complete!

The packages listed on your server will differ.

2. Restart if Needed

Restart your server if the upgrade included a new kernel or core system libraries, such as kernel, glibc, or systemd.

sudo reboot

Quick Reference Table

Update command and sample output key line for each operating system
OS	Update Command	Sample Output Key Line
AlmaLinux 8/9/10, Rocky Linux 8/9/10, CentOS Stream 9/10	`sudo dnf update -y`	`Complete!`
Ubuntu, Debian	`sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y`	`All packages are up to date.` or a list of upgraded packages
Fedora	`sudo dnf upgrade --refresh -y`	`Complete!`

Summary

Updating your Bluehost Self-Managed VPS or Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS) regularly is one of the most important steps you can take to keep your server secure, stable, and performing at its best. Whether you're using AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS Stream, Ubuntu, Debian, or Fedora, always check for updates, install them promptly, and restart your server when an update requires it. Keep in mind that these steps update the operating system only, not apps you installed separately. Back up your data before major changes and keep your system documentation handy. Keeping your operating system up to date helps keep your server secure and stable.

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