> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.opus-host.de/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Start, Stop, and Restart Your Opus Host VPS Instance

> Learn how to safely start, stop, and restart your Opus Host VPS from the control panel or command line, and when to use each action.

You can control the power state of your VPS directly from the Opus Host control panel or from the command line over SSH. Understanding the difference between **Stop**, **Restart**, and **Force Stop** is important — choosing the wrong action at the wrong time can interrupt running services or, in the worst case, leave your filesystem in an inconsistent state.

## From the control panel

<Steps>
  <Step title="Log in and select your VPS">
    Log in to the [Opus Host control panel](https://opus-host.de/login) and click on the VPS you want to manage from your dashboard.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Locate the power buttons">
    Find the power control buttons in the top-right corner of your VPS dashboard. You will see **Start**, **Stop**, **Restart**, and **Force Stop** options.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click the desired action">
    Click **Start**, **Stop**, or **Restart** depending on what you need. A confirmation prompt may appear for destructive actions — read it carefully before confirming.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for the status indicator to update">
    Watch the status indicator next to your VPS name. It will cycle through intermediate states (e.g., *Stopping…* or *Rebooting…*) before settling on the new state such as **Running** or **Stopped**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## From SSH

If you are already connected to your VPS over SSH, you can trigger a graceful reboot or shutdown directly from the command line without visiting the control panel.

```bash theme={null}
# Graceful reboot
sudo reboot

# Graceful shutdown
sudo shutdown -h now

# Shutdown in 5 minutes
sudo shutdown -h +5
```

Using these commands gives the operating system time to stop services, flush disk buffers, and cleanly unmount filesystems before powering off — which is always preferable to a forced stop.

## When to use each action

| Action     | When to use                                                                   |
| ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Start      | Your VPS is stopped and you need to turn it on                                |
| Stop       | Gracefully shut down all services and power off the server                    |
| Restart    | Apply updates, after configuration changes, or when services are unresponsive |
| Force Stop | Your VPS is completely frozen and won't respond to a graceful stop            |

<Warning>
  **Force Stop cuts power immediately** without flushing disk buffers or stopping running processes. Only use it if your server is completely unresponsive and a graceful stop has failed — it can cause filesystem corruption and data loss.
</Warning>

<Tip>
  Before stopping your VPS for maintenance, manually stop your key services first to allow for a graceful shutdown. For example:

  ```bash theme={null}
  systemctl stop nginx
  ```

  This ensures active connections are drained and no data is lost mid-write.
</Tip>