To set up UFW safely on a remote Ubuntu server, first allow SSH on the port the server actually uses, then add only the application rules it needs, enable UFW, and verify the resulting rules and a fresh connection. Before changing an established firewall, check whether another tool—especially native nftables—is already managing network rules.
Before enabling UFW, identify how you access the server
UFW is Ubuntu’s command-line firewall configuration tool for common host-based rules. On a remote machine, allowing SSH before enabling the firewall helps preserve access. For a standard OpenSSH profile, run:
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sudo ufw allow OpenSSHIf SSH uses a different port or a customized profile, allow that actual service instead. Ubuntu documents rules by port number or by service name from /etc/services. Canonical’s Kubernetes guide also demonstrates allowing OpenSSH before enabling UFW, but its Kubernetes-specific ports and forwarding rules are not general server settings: Canonical Kubernetes: How to configure UFW.
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Confirm the application’s listening port and whether it should be reachable from the whole network or only from known sources. For a TCP service that should accept connections on port 443, for example:
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sudo ufw allow 443/tcpUFW can also use application profiles, if one is installed on the host. Check available profiles and their port definitions before allowing one:
sudo ufw app list
sudo ufw app info <profile>
sudo ufw allow <profile>Profiles are stored in /etc/ufw/applications.d, but not every application provides one. For a service that should accept SSH only from a particular host, a source-restricted rule can look like this:
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sudo ufw allow proto tcp from 192.0.2.10 to any port 22192.0.2.10 is an example documentation address; replace it with the intended source host or subnet. Ubuntu’s UFW guide documents port, profile, and source-restricted rules.
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Enable UFW and verify access
Once the required access rules are in place, enable UFW and inspect its status:
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sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status verboseOn a remote server, keep the current management session open while applying the change. Then test a new SSH connection using the intended access path; an existing session alone does not confirm that new connections are allowed. The status output helps check the active policy and rules, but the connection test checks the route you actually rely on.
Review, test, or remove rules deliberately
For a proposed rule, UFW’s dry-run option shows the rules it would generate without applying them:
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sudo ufw --dry-run allow httpTo inspect rule numbers and remove an unwanted rule, use the current ruleset as your reference:
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sudo ufw delete deny 22The delete command is an example, not a universal cleanup command. Confirm that the rule you intend to remove is actually present; deleting the wrong rule can change access unexpectedly. Ubuntu documents dry runs and numbered rule management in its firewall instructions.
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Use logging to investigate, not to validate policy
Enable UFW logging when investigating unexpected traffic or rule behavior:
sudo ufw logging onUbuntu notes that logs can help with troubleshooting and identifying unusual activity, and that log handling depends on the host’s surrounding logging setup. Logs can show observed traffic; they do not prove that the firewall allows exactly the intended services. Turn logging off when it is no longer needed if that fits the host’s operational policy.
Check for another firewall manager before changing an established host
UFW is stateful and suits many common host-firewall cases, but it is not a complete interface for every firewall design. Ubuntu says more granular rules or custom chains may call for direct iptables or nftables configuration: Ubuntu Security: Firewall.
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There is also a backend compatibility concern. Ubuntu’s security documentation says UFW invokes the legacy iptables and ip6tables utilities and should not be used concurrently with native nftables rules. Before changing a machine that already has firewall rules, identify which tool manages them and avoid mixing management approaches unless their interaction has been deliberately designed: Ubuntu Security: nftables.
There is no single port list that is correct for every Ubuntu server. Required rules depend on the services installed, their configuration, the machine’s network exposure, and whether it routes traffic. Add only rules justified by that host’s role.
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