Who This Is For (And The Exact Problem)

You just got access to a fresh Ubuntu 16.04 server.
Maybe from a VPS provider or a cloud host.

You have an IP address, maybe a root password, maybe an SSH key… and that’s it.
Now you’re staring at your terminal thinking:

• How do I actually log in?
• Why does everyone say “don’t use root”? That’s the account they gave me.
• What’s the safe way to set up a normal user I can use every day?

This guide walks you through:

• Logging in as root over SSH
• Understanding what the root account is and why it’s risky
• Creating a new, safer user for daily work

All of this is based directly on the “Initial Server Setup with Ubuntu 16.04” steps you’d typically do right after getting a new server.

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Step 1 – Log In As Root Over SSH

Before you do anything, you need to connect to the server.
For that, you need two things:

1. Your server’s public IP address
2. Either:
3. The root password, or
4. The private SSH key that matches the key you installed for root

On your local machine (Linux, macOS, or Windows terminal with SSH), run this command, replacing your_server_ip with your real server IP:

ssh root@your_server_ip

Example:

ssh [email protected]

What You’ll See

• The first time you connect, SSH will probably show a host authenticity warning.
• This is normal on first connect.
• Type yes and press ENTER to continue.
• Then it will ask for either:
• Your root password, or
• Use your SSH key automatically if it’s set up correctly.

If this is the first time you’re logging in with a password, the system may also ask you to change the root password.
Follow the prompts: enter the old password, then your new one twice.

That’s it.
If everything’s correct, you’ll end up at a prompt that looks something like this:

root@your-server:~#

When you see that # at the end, it usually means you’re root.

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Step 2 – Understand What Root Actually Is

Now that you’re in, let’s talk about who you are on this server.

The root user is the administrative account in Linux.
It has very broad privileges:

• It can read and write almost any file
• It can install and remove software
• It can change system settings
• It can delete pretty much anything

That power is useful, but also dangerous.
A single bad command as root can:

• Wipe important system files
• Break your services
• Make the server unbootable

And you can do it by accident.

That’s why you are discouraged from using root for day-to-day work.
Most of the time, you should:

• Use a normal user with limited privileges
• Temporarily get higher privileges only when needed

So your next move on a fresh server is not “install all the things as root”.
Your next move is to create a safer user account.

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Step 3 – Create a New User Account

You’re still logged in as root at this point.
Now you’ll add a new user account that you’ll use from now on.

In the original example, they create a user called ariana.
You should replace arianawith a username you like.

From your root shell, run something like this:

adduser ariana 

(Use your own username instead of ariana.)

What the System Will Ask You

When you run that command, it will ask you a series of questions.
The first one will be the account password.

Type a strong password:

• Longer is better
• Mix of letters, numbers, and symbols is good

After that, it will show you fields for extra info like:

• Full Name
• Room Number
• Work Phone
• Home Phone
• Other

These are optional.
You can just press ENTER at each one to leave it blank.

At the end, it will show you a summary of the info and ask you to confirm.
Type Y or press ENTER if the default is yes.

Now your new user exists.
You can log in as that user later instead of root.

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Step 4 – Why This New User Matters

Right now, this new user is just a normal account.
That’s exactly the point.

A normal user:

• Can’t freely modify core system files
• Can’t accidentally remove critical directories
• Is limited to its own stuff unless explicitly granted more access

This reduced scope is a safety net.

For tasks like:

• Editing your own project files
• Uploading content
• Basic command-line work

…you’ll use this new user.

For higher-privilege tasks (like installing packages or changing system settings), the usual pattern on Linux is:

• Log in as your new user
• Temporarily elevate privileges when needed

The source you’re following mentions that you’ll gain increased privileges during the times when you need them.
That’s typically done with a tool like sudo, but we’ll stay within what’s given: for now, just know that the new user is the safe daily driver, and root is your “power tools only when needed” account.

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Step 5 – Logging In Next Time (Using Your New User)

Once the user is created, your workflow changes slightly.
Instead of always SSH-ing in as root, you’ll normally log in as your new user.

On your local machine, that means next time you can do:

ssh ariana@your_server_ip 

Replace arianawith the username you actually created.

From there, you work as that user and only switch to higher privileges when you really need to.
That habit alone saves a lot of “oops” moments on servers.

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Safety Tips While You Do This

Even in this simple initial setup, a few safety habits help a lot:

• Keep your root password or SSH key private
  Anyone who gets it basically owns your server.
• Use a strong password for the new user
  Don’t reuse a weak or common password.
• Don’t stay logged in as root longer than needed
  Do the initial setup, create your normal user, and then start using that user.
• Be careful with copy–paste as root
  One wrong command from the internet, pasted as root, can break the system.

On a brand new server, you usually don’t have data to back up yet, but once you start deploying real projects, always think about backups before messing with users or permissions.

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Quick Recap

You started with just an IP address and root access on a fresh Ubuntu 16.04 server.
You:

1. Logged in as root over SSH with:
   bash
ssh root@your_server_ip
2. Understood that root has very broad privileges and is risky for daily use.
3. Created a safer user account with:
   bash
adduser ariana
   (Replacing ariana with your own username.)
4. Learned that you should use this new user for normal work and only rely on root when you really need that level of power.

If this worked for you, keep CrushEdge handy for the next fix.