Mastering Ubuntu Server: Administer, secure, automate, and scale Ubuntu Server 26.04 across on-premises, cloud, AI workloads

Go from Linux fundamentals to running production-grade Ubuntu Server 26.04 environments, covering networking, security, virtualization, containers, cloud, and self-hosted LLMs with hands-on, real-world examples

Key Features

• Get up to speed with the latest features and capabilities of Ubuntu Server 26.04
• Master installing, managing, securing, and troubleshooting Ubuntu Server
• Automate and scale Ubuntu across containers, Kubernetes, cloud, and AI workloads

Book Description

Ubuntu Server is a stable, flexible, and powerful Linux distribution used in environments ranging from individual servers to large-scale infrastructure. Mastering Ubuntu Server, Fifth Edition gives you the practical knowledge needed to administer real Ubuntu Server 26.04 deployments confidently.

Starting with installation, essential commands, users, permissions, packages, processes, storage, and networking, the book builds a strong foundation in everyday server administration. You will then configure DHCP, DNS, VPNs, file sharing, databases, Apache, NGINX, and Nextcloud, before working with KVM, LXD, Docker, and Canonical Kubernetes. This updated edition expands into modern infrastructure practices, showing you how to automate configuration with Ansible, provision cloud resources with Terraform, and deploy Ubuntu instances on AWS and Google Cloud. You will also run self-hosted large language models using Lemonade, manage Ubuntu fleets at scale with Landscape, and prepare for Canonical Academy certifications. Finally, you will apply practical security, vulnerability management, troubleshooting, backup, and disaster recovery techniques.

By the end of this book, you will be ready to manage secure, automated, production-grade Ubuntu Server environments across on-premises and cloud infrastructure.

What you will learn

• Install and configure Ubuntu Server 26.04 on multiple platforms
• Manage users, permissions, packages, processes, and storage
• Configure networking, SSH, VPNs, DNS, DHCP, and file sharing
• Deploy databases, web servers, virtual machines, and containers
• Automate infrastructure using Ansible and Terraform
• Run self-hosted LLMs with Lemonade and safely run AI Agents
• Deploy Kubernetes workloads and Ubuntu cloud instances
• Secure, troubleshoot, back up, and recover Ubuntu servers

Who this book is for

This book is for Linux system administrators, DevOps and cloud engineers, site reliability engineers, infrastructure professionals, and IT enthusiasts who want to build practical Ubuntu Server skills. It is also suitable for readers pursuing Canonical Academy certifications or moving into Linux administration. No previous Ubuntu Server experience is required, although familiarity with basic computing concepts is helpful. Prior Linux, IT administration, or shell experience will help readers progress through the advanced topics more quickly.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Ubuntu Server 26.04
2. Planning and Deploying Ubuntu Server
3. Managing Users and Permissions
4. Navigating and Essential Commands
5. Managing Software Packages
6. Managing Files and Directories
7. Boosting Your Command-line Efficiency
8. Controlling and Managing Processes
9. Monitoring System Resources
10. Managing Storage Volumes
11. Connecting to Networks
12. Setting Up Network Services
13. Sharing and Transferring Files
14. Managing Databases
15. Serving Web Content
16. Virtualization
17. Running Containers
18. Running LLMs
19. Container Orchestration
20. Deploying Ubuntu in the Cloud
21. Deploying applications using Juju

(N.B. Please use the Read Sample option to see further chapters)

Ken VanDine is an open source technologist with more than 30 years of experience building and optimizing Linux distributions. His Linux journey began with Slackware 1.0 in 1993 and later included architecting a globally distributed Linux cluster for high-performance scientific computing and creating purpose-built Linux systems for large-scale deployments. Ken has spent over 17 years at Canonical, working across GNOME, Ubuntu Desktop, and Snap integration. His extensive experience in Linux engineering, operating system optimization, and the Ubuntu ecosystem brings an authoritative, practitioner-led perspective to this book. Ken is also a leading contributor to the Lemonade project, furthering the integration of private, local AI into the Ubuntu landscape.

Jeremy "Jay" LaCroix is a technologist and open-source enthusiast, specializing in Linux. He has a net field experience of 20 years across different firms as a Solutions Architect and holds a master's degree in Information Systems Technology Management from Capella University. In addition, Jay also has an active Linux-focused YouTube channel with over 250K followers and over 20M views, available at LearnLinuxTV, where he posts instructional tutorial videos and other Linux-related content. He has also written Linux Mint Essentials and Mastering Linux Network Administration, published by Packt Publishing.