VPS DDoS Protection Guide 2026
DDoS attacks are increasingly common. Here's how to protect your VPS.
Understanding DDoS
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks flood your server with traffic, making it unavailable.
Types of DDoS
- Volumetric: Floods bandwidth (UDP floods, DNS amplification)
- Protocol: Exploits protocol weaknesses (SYN floods, Ping of Death)
- Application: Targets specific applications (HTTP floods)
Hardware Protection
Provider-Level DDoS Protection
Use providers with built-in DDoS mitigation:
- Space-Node: Included on all plans
- Linode: Basic mitigation included
- OVH: Available on higher tiers
Recommended Configurations
- Minimum: 100 Gbps mitigation
- Recommended: 300+ Gbps for game servers
- Premium: 1 Tbps+ for critical services
Software Protection
UFW (Firewall)
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow 27015/udp # Game server port
sudo ufw enable
Fail2ban
Blocks brute force attacks:
sudo apt install fail2ban
Rate Limiting
Use nginx or your proxy:
limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=general:10m rate=10r/s;
Network Configuration
IP Reputation
Monitor your IP:
- Check Shodan
- Monitor DNS reputation
- Keep backups of IPs
Anycast Network
Route traffic through multiple nodes for redundancy.
Monitoring
Tools to monitor attacks:
- netstat - Monitor connections
- iftop - View bandwidth usage
- DDoS mitigation service logs - Track attacks
Response Plan
- Identify the attack
- Isolate affected services (if possible)
- Activate DDoS protection
- Monitor until traffic normalizes
- Document the incident
Best Practices
- Keep backups of configurations
- Use content delivery networks (CDN)
- Implement rate limiting
- Monitor traffic patterns
- Have redundant servers
When to Scale Up
Consider upgrading if you receive:
- Regular attacks over 10 Gbps
- Attacks lasting hours
- Attacks targeting specific services
Conclusion
DDoS protection is essential for online services. Use layered protection combining hardware and software solutions.
