Ubuntu Server Manager

A modular, dialog-based TUI (Text User Interface) tool for managing Ubuntu servers. Built with whiptail for compatibility with remote SSH sessions.

Features

• Auto-update - Automatically pulls latest changes on startup (when installed via git)
• Modular architecture - easily extensible
• Dialog-based interface using whiptail
• Works over SSH (non-interactive sessions)
• Comprehensive server management capabilities

See FEATURES.md for a complete list of modules and features.

Requirements

• Ubuntu Server (18.04+)
• Root/sudo access
• whiptail (usually pre-installed)

Installation

Quick Install (recommended)

Install with a single command:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MyUncleSam/server-manager-scripts/master/install.sh | sudo bash

This installs dependencies, clones the repo to /opt/server-manager, and registers the server-manager command globally. Re-running the command will update an existing installation.

Manual Install

git clone https://github.com/MyUncleSam/server-manager-scripts.git /opt/server-manager
chmod +x /opt/server-manager/server-manager.sh
sudo /opt/server-manager/server-manager.sh

Usage

Run the server manager with root privileges:

sudo server-manager

Auto-Update

The server manager automatically checks for updates via git pull on startup. This only happens when:

• Git is installed
• The repository is on the master or main branch
• Network is available (skips gracefully if not)

To toggle auto-updates on or off:

sudo server-manager --switch-auto-update

This switches the current state — if auto-update is enabled it will be disabled, and vice versa. The current state is printed after each toggle.

To manually update without launching the manager:

sudo server-manager --update

Navigation

Navigate using:

• Arrow keys to move
• Enter to select
• Tab to switch between buttons
• Space to toggle checkboxes
• Esc or Cancel/Exit to go back

Project Structure

ubuntu-scripts/
├── server-manager.sh      # Entry point (auto-update + launch)
├── server-manager-core.sh # Main server manager
├── lib/
│   ├── ui.sh              # Dialog-based UI helper functions
│   └── common.sh          # Common utility functions
├── modules/               # Feature modules
│   ├── apt.sh
│   ├── cron.sh
│   ├── custom-scripts.sh
│   ├── docker.sh
│   ├── fail2ban.sh
│   ├── hostname.sh
│   ├── motd.sh
│   ├── network.sh
│   ├── ntp-client.sh
│   ├── software.sh
│   ├── ssh.sh
│   ├── system-info.sh
│   ├── ufw.sh
│   ├── ufw-docker.sh
│   ├── unattended-upgrades.sh
│   ├── update-alternatives.sh
│   ├── user.sh
│   └── vm-guest.sh
├── modules-files/         # Module data files
│   ├── cron/              # Pre-configured cron jobs
│   └── custom-scripts/    # Custom utility scripts
├── logs/                  # Log files (gitignored)
├── CLAUDE.md              # AI assistant instructions
├── FEATURES.md            # Detailed feature list
└── README.md              # This file

Creating Custom Modules

See CLAUDE.md for detailed instructions on creating new modules.

Basic template:

#!/bin/bash

module_info() {
    echo "Module Name|Short description"
}

module_main() {
    while true; do
        local choice
        choice=$(ui_menu "Title" "Select:" \
            "action1" "Description") || break

        case "$choice" in
            action1) do_something ;;
        esac
    done
}

Security

This project follows security best practices:

• No use of eval for command construction - all commands use direct execution or arrays
• Temporary files created with mktemp (unpredictable paths, no symlink attacks)
• Remote installation scripts are downloaded to temp files before execution (no curl | bash)
• User input is escaped before use in sed replacement patterns
• IP address validation includes octet range checking (0-255)
• Log files are created with restricted permissions (600)

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with whiptail
• Inspired by various server management tools