To update the kernel on a Hostinger VPS, create a recovery point, install the kernel update with your operating system’s package manager, restart the server, and check the running kernel version. Kernel updates apply security patches and bug fixes that keep your VPS stable. These steps apply to Hostinger KVM VPS plans running Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, or Rocky Linux with their standard distribution kernels.<\/p>
Important:<\/strong> These steps update packages within your current operating system release. They do not upgrade your VPS to a new major operating system version.<\/p> Connect to your VPS via SSH<\/a>, or open VPS → Manage → Web Console<\/a><\/strong> in your Hostinger dashboard.<\/p> The commands below assume you are logged in as root<\/strong>. If you use an account with administrator privileges instead, add Identify your operating system:<\/p> Check the kernel currently running on your VPS:<\/p> Save the output so you can compare it after restarting.<\/p> Follow the instructions for your operating system below.<\/p> Refresh the package list:<\/p> If the command finishes successfully, install available package updates:<\/p> Review the proposed changes and enter Note:<\/strong> This command updates other system packages too. If kernel packages are kept back, investigate the reason before proceeding. Avoid forcing updates or removing packages without reviewing their impact.<\/p> Refresh repository metadata and install available updates for the standard kernel:<\/p> Review the transaction and enter To update all system packages as well, use the following command instead:<\/p> Important:<\/strong> Let the update finish. If you see errors, resolve them before restarting. Do not manually delete files from Once the update completes successfully and you are ready for the interruption, restart the server:<\/p> Your connection will close during the restart. Wait for the VPS to start, then reconnect. You can also restart it using the Reboot<\/strong> option in your VPS dashboard.<\/p> Check the running kernel again:<\/p> If a newer kernel was installed and selected for boot, the output should show its version. If no kernel update was available, the version may remain unchanged.<\/p> Check that your websites, control panel, databases, and other applications work as expected.<\/p> Once your VPS restarts on the updated kernel, it runs with the latest security patches and bug fixes from your distribution. Check for kernel updates regularly, and create a fresh snapshot before each update so you can roll back quickly if something goes wrong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Install kernel security patches on Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, or Rocky Linux and verify the update.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":386,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"include_on_kodee":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[199],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vps-management"],"hreflangs":[],"include_on_kodee":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24033"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24046,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24033\/revisions\/24046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Connect to your VPS<\/h2>
sudo<\/code> before commands that change the system.<\/p>Check your operating system and running kernel<\/h2>
cat \/etc\/os-release<\/code><\/pre>uname -r<\/code><\/pre>Install available updates<\/h2>
Ubuntu and Debian<\/h3>
apt update<\/code><\/pre>apt upgrade<\/code><\/pre>Y<\/code> when prompted. This updates installed packages, including the kernel when an update is available and the appropriate kernel metapackage is installed.<\/p>AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux<\/h3>
dnf --refresh upgrade kernel<\/code><\/pre>y<\/code> when prompted. The package manager installs the updated kernel and its required dependencies.<\/p>dnf --refresh upgrade<\/code><\/pre>\/boot<\/code> or remove the currently running kernel to free space.<\/p>Restart your VPS<\/h2>
reboot<\/code><\/pre>Verify the update<\/h2>
uname -r<\/code><\/pre>Troubleshooting<\/h2>
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