SEC.01

The playbook

The run starts read-only: the recon probes decide what happens next. The steps that follow are adapted to the distribution and state found — a real machine is rarely clean.

1. 01reconthe distribution: apt (Debian/Ubuntu) or dnf (RHEL/Fedora/Rocky/Alma)
2. 02reconfail2ban already installed? which version?
3. 03reconservice active?
4. 04reconexisting config and where the sshd jail is already defined (do not overwrite it)
5. 05reconthe effective SSH port(s) (sshd_config or ssh.socket on Ubuntu ≥ 22.10) — this port must stay open
6. 06reconban backend: firewalld active → the package’s firewalld action, else nftables, else iptables
7. 07reconopen SSH sessions and the admin IP that must never be blocked
8. 08actEnable EPEL (RHEL/Rocky/Alma only)verify
9. 09actInstall fail2banverify
10. 10actConfigure the sshd jailverify
11. 11actNever ban the admin IP (only if an IP is provided)verify
12. 12actEnable fail2banverify
13. 13actCheck the sshd jailverify

SEC.02

What it verifies

Each step ships its own check. The run only moves on when the check passes, so what the recipe reports as done is what is actually on the server.

1. 01verifyEnable EPEL (RHEL/Rocky/Alma only)Verified bydnf repolist enabled | grep -ci epel
2. 02verifyInstall fail2banVerified byfail2ban-client --version
3. 03verifyConfigure the sshd jailVerified byfail2ban-client -t
4. 04verifyNever ban the admin IP (only if an IP is provided)Verified byfail2ban-client -t
5. 05verifyEnable fail2banVerified bysystemctl is-active fail2ban
6. 06verifyCheck the sshd jailVerified byfail2ban-client status sshd

SEC.03

Guardrails

Non-negotiable instructions the run must respect, whatever it finds on the server.

SEC.04

Variables

What you choose before launching — the recipe fills in the rest.

SEC.05

How a recipe runs in Servor

Servor is zero-knowledge: the platform cannot execute anything on its own. When you launch this recipe, a run reads the reconnaissance, plans the steps and asks for your approval. Each approved command is signed by your browser — with a key the server never sees — then relayed verbatim to the agent, which verifies the signature locally before executing.

SEC.06

Deploy on Servor button

Maintain fail2ban or a project that needs it? Put this button in your README or on your site: one click and your users install it on their own server.

SEC.07

More security recipes

1. 01Harden SSHTurns off password login and root password login, keeps keys. Destructive: verify your key access first.
2. 02UFW firewallUFW: denies incoming by default, allows the real SSH port + chosen ports, with a safety net. Destructive: keeps SSH open.
3. 03Automatic security updatesEnables automatic security updates: unattended-upgrades (Debian/Ubuntu) or dnf-automatic (RHEL/Fedora).
4. 04CrowdSecCrowdSec collaborative IPS, SSH collections and firewall bouncer.
5. 05ClamAVClamAV antivirus with signatures kept up to date, optional daemon.