How to Set Up Custom MOTD

Prerequisites

Before setting up MOTD, make sure you have:

• SSH access to your VPS
• Root or sudo privileges (to modify system files)

What is MOTD?

MOTD (Message of the Day) is the text displayed immediately after you log in via SSH. It can show system status, warnings, or custom messages.

Method 1: Simple MOTD (Static Message)

Connect to your VPS:

ssh hxroot@YOUR_SERVER_IP -p 22

sudo nano /etc/motd

Add your message:

============================================
   Welcome to Hostxpeed VPS
   Hostname: web01.example.com
   IP Address: 148.113.173.106
============================================
All connections are monitored.
Unauthorized access is prohibited.
============================================

Save and exit. Next SSH login will show this message.

Method 2: Dynamic MOTD with System Information (Ubuntu/Debian)

Ubuntu uses scripts in /etc/update-motd.d/. Disable default scripts and add your own.

First, make default scripts non-executable:

sudo chmod -x /etc/update-motd.d/*

Create custom script:

sudo nano /etc/update-motd.d/99-custom-motd

Add content:

#!/bin/bash
echo "============================"
echo "  Hostxpeed VPS Status"
echo "============================"
echo "  Hostname: $(hostname)"
echo "  Uptime: $(uptime -p)"
echo "  Load: $(uptime | awk -F 'load average:' '{print $2}')"
echo "  Memory: $(free -h | awk '^Mem: {print $3"/"$2}')"
echo "  Disk: $(df -h / | awk 'NR==2 {print $3"/"$2 " ("$5")"')"
echo "  Logins: $(who | wc -l) user(s) currently logged in"
echo "============================"

Make executable:

sudo chmod +x /etc/update-motd.d/99-custom-motd

Test:

run-parts /etc/update-motd.d/

Method 3: MOTD for All Users via /etc/profile

sudo nano /etc/profile.d/motd.sh

Add:

#!/bin/bash
if [ "$TERM" != "dumb" ] && [ -z "$MOTD_SHOWN" ]; then
    echo "Welcome, $USER"
    echo "Server: $(hostname)"
    echo "Date: $(date)"
    export MOTD_SHOWN=1
fi

Make executable:

sudo chmod +x /etc/profile.d/motd.sh

Method 4: Systemd-based MOTD (Modern)

Create a systemd service to generate dynamic MOTD on boot.

Create script:

sudo nano /usr/local/bin/generate-motd

Add dynamic content, then create service file to run it.

Disable Default MOTD

To clear default messages, empty the motd file:

sudo truncate -s 0 /etc/motd

Or remove executable permissions from update-motd.d scripts.