Debian VPS setup
Set a strong root password
passwd
Run updates
apt-get update && apt-get upgrade
Install your favorite editor, I like nano.
apt-get install sudo nano
Make your preferred editor the default
sudo update-alternatives --config editor
Create a non-root user for general system operations
adduser sysop
Add the new user to the sudoer group
adduser sysop sudo
Switch users
su sysop
install the apache2 package
sudo apt-get install apache2 -y
Coming soon: hardening the system and updating the default Apache configuration.