🧱 Hostinger KVM 1 VPS Setup Guide (Complete Beginner Walkthrough)

If you’re moving from shared hosting to VPS for the first time, the Hostinger KVM 1 VPS plan is one of the best beginner-friendly choices.

It gives you:

✔ Dedicated CPU resources
✔ Dedicated RAM
✔ Full server control
✔ Better performance than shared hosting

But unlike shared hosting, VPS requires manual setup.

👉 Don’t worry — in this guide, I’ll show you every step clearly.

🧠 What is KVM 1 VPS?

KVM stands for Kernel-based Virtual Machine.

The KVM 1 plan is an entry-level VPS that gives you:

✔ Virtual dedicated server
✔ Root access
✔ Ability to install anything you want

👉 Ideal for:

• Medium WordPress sites
• WooCommerce stores
• Developers
• Learning VPS hosting

⚠️ Before Starting (IMPORTANT)

With VPS:

✔ You control the server
✔ You manage security
✔ You install software manually

👉 This guide uses:

✔ Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
✔ NGINX
✔ WordPress

🛒 STEP 1: Buy Hostinger KVM 1 VPS

1. Visit Hostinger website
2. Click VPS Hosting
3. Choose KVM 1
4. Click Add to Cart
5. Use Coupon Code For Saving Some Money – Use Our Highly Discount Codes here – Redeem KVM 1 Coupon Code

👉 During Checkout:

✔ Select 12/24 months
✔ Choose nearest server location
✔ Create account
✔ Apply coupon code
✔ Complete payment

⚙️ STEP 2: Open VPS Dashboard

After payment:

1. Login to Hostinger
2. Go to:

👉 VPS → Manage

You’ll now see:

✔ VPS IP Address
✔ Root username
✔ Root password
✔ Server status

🖥️ STEP 3: Install Operating System (Ubuntu)

1. Click Operating System
2. Select:

👉 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

3. Click Change OS

⏱️ Wait 2–5 minutes

🔐 STEP 4: Connect to VPS via SSH

👉 Windows Users

Use:

✔ PuTTY
OR
✔ Windows Terminal

👉 Mac/Linux Users

Open Terminal

Run:

ssh root@your_server_ip

Example:

ssh root@185.xxx.xxx.xxx

Press Enter

👉 First Login

Type:

✔ yes

Then enter VPS password

👉 You are now connected to your server

🔄 STEP 5: Update Server Packages

First thing you should always do:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

👉 This updates all server software and security patches.

🧱 STEP 6: Install NGINX Web Server

NGINX is lightweight and fast.

Install it:

apt install nginx -y

👉 Test NGINX

Open browser:

http://your_server_ip

✔ You should see:

👉 “Welcome to NGINX”

🐘 STEP 7: Install PHP

WordPress requires PHP.

Run:

apt install php-fpm php-mysql php-cli php-curl php-zip php-mbstring php-xml -y

👉 Check PHP Version

Run:

php -v

🗄️ STEP 8: Install MySQL Database

Install database server:

apt install mysql-server -y

👉 Secure MySQL

Run:

mysql_secure_installation

👉 Recommended Answers

✔ Remove anonymous users → Yes
✔ Disable remote root login → Yes
✔ Remove test database → Yes

🌐 STEP 9: Create WordPress Database

Login:

mysql -u root -p

👉 Create Database & User

Run:

CREATE DATABASE wordpress;
CREATE USER 'wpuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'StrongPassword123!';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wordpress.* TO 'wpuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

📦 STEP 10: Download WordPress

Move to web directory:

cd /var/www/

Download WordPress:

wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz

Extract:

tar -xvzf latest.tar.gz

Rename folder:

mv wordpress yourdomain

🔑 STEP 11: Set Correct Permissions

Run:

chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/yourdomain
chmod -R 755 /var/www/yourdomain

👉 Important for security and WordPress functionality.

⚙️ STEP 12: Configure NGINX for Your Domain

Create config file:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;

    root /var/www/yourdomain;
    index index.php index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
    }

    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }
}

🔗 STEP 13: Enable Website Configuration

Run:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Test config:

nginx -t

Restart NGINX:

systemctl restart nginx

🌍 STEP 14: Connect Domain to VPS

Go to your domain provider.

Add:

✔ A Record → your VPS IP

👉 Example:

⏱️ Wait for DNS propagation

🔒 STEP 15: Install SSL Certificate (HTTPS)

Install Certbot:

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Run SSL setup:

certbot --nginx

👉 During Setup

✔ Enter email
✔ Accept terms
✔ Choose your domain

👉 SSL installed successfully 🔐

🚀 STEP 16: Complete WordPress Installation

Open:

https://yourdomain.com

Now WordPress setup screen appears.

Enter:

✔ Database Name
✔ Database Username
✔ Database Password

Click Install

🔐 STEP 17: Secure Your VPS (VERY IMPORTANT)

👉 Enable Firewall

Run:

ufw allow OpenSSH
ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
ufw enable

👉 Disable Root Login (Advanced)

Edit SSH config:

nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Change:

PermitRootLogin no

Restart SSH:

systemctl restart ssh

⚡ STEP 18: Optimize VPS Performance

✔ Install LiteSpeed Cache plugin
✔ Use Cloudflare CDN
✔ Optimize images
✔ Remove unused plugins

💾 STEP 19: Setup Backups

Install backup plugin:

✔ UpdraftPlus

Store backups:

✔ Google Drive
✔ Dropbox

⚠️ Common Beginner Mistakes

❌ Weak passwords
❌ No firewall
❌ Wrong file permissions
❌ Forgetting backups

🔥 Pro Tips (Real VPS Experience)

✔ Monitor RAM usage regularly
✔ Keep server updated
✔ Don’t install unnecessary software
✔ Restart services after changes

🎯 Who Should Use KVM 1?

✔ Growing websites
✔ Small WooCommerce stores
✔ Developers learning VPS

🎉 Result

After setup:

✔ VPS fully configured
✔ WordPress installed
✔ SSL active
✔ Secure server
✔ Better performance than shared hosting

❓ FAQ

• Main VPS setup guide
• Hostinger Premium Plan setup guide
• Hostinger Cloud Startup guide
• LiteSpeed optimization guide