Hosting Security Checklist – End-of-Year Performance for 2026

As the year ends, it is the perfect moment to review your entire infrastructure with a clear hosting security checklist. A few hours of careful checks now can prevent outages, security incidents and performance problems in the coming months.

In this guide we share a practical hosting security checklist you can use to prepare your websites, VPS and game servers for 2026, together with some updates from the Torchbyte side about capacity, new locations and what we are building next.

End-of-year hosting security checklist for 2026 overview

2025 in Review – Growth and What We Are Preparing for 2026

2025 has been a strong year for us. Torchbyte recorded a growth of over 100% year-on-year in 2025 compared to 2024, and this is only possible because customers trusted us with their projects. We want to start this checklist by saying a sincere thank you for the support and feedback you have given us throughout the year.

For 2026 we are preparing several important upgrades:

Increasing capacity in our existing locations to handle more projects and heavier workloads.
Adding new locations so you can host services closer to your players and visitors.
Working on multiple internal projects and platform improvements that we cannot talk about publicly yet, but which are focused on reliability, monitoring and protection.

While we continue to invest on our side, this hosting security checklist will help you keep your own services ready and stable for 2026.

1. Update and Harden All Software

The first item on any hosting security checklist is simple: make sure everything is up to date. Outdated software is one of the most common attack vectors on the internet.

Update the operating system packages and apply all security patches.
Upgrade your control panels, such as Plesk or other management tools.
For CMSs like WordPress, Joomla or Drupal, update the core, themes and plugins.
Remove plugins, themes and modules that you no longer use.

If you use WordPress, you can also review the security recommendations from the official hardening guide and align them with your Torchbyte environment.

2. Review Access Control and Passwords

A careful hosting security checklist always includes access control. It is not enough for software to be updated – you must also know who has access and from where.

Remove old SSH keys and user accounts that are no longer needed.
Enforce strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication where possible.
Limit panel and SSH access to team members who actually need it.
Rotate API keys and tokens used by external services or integrations.

For sensitive applications, you may also want to follow principles like least privilege, as described in security resources such as the OWASP Top 10 .

3. Check Firewalls, DDoS Protection and Network Rules

Network security is a key part of a modern hosting security checklist. Even a well-configured application can go offline if it is left exposed at the network level.

Review firewall rules and close ports that are no longer in use.
Verify rate limiting and brute-force protection for SSH, panels and login pages.
Check DDoS protection settings and ensure critical services are shielded.
Document which IPs are allowed for management access and monitoring tools.

On the Torchbyte side, we continue to improve our network and DDoS protection stack. If you run latency-sensitive services, such as game servers, you can also review the plans on the game hosting page to see which locations match your player base best today.

4. SSL Certificates, Domains and DNS Hygiene

No hosting security checklist is complete without checking certificates and domains. Expired SSL or broken DNS records create trust issues for visitors and can interrupt normal traffic.

Verify that all SSL certificates are valid and not close to expiring.
Clean up unused subdomains, DNS records and old TXT entries.
Confirm that mail-related records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are correct.
Document where your DNS is managed (registrar, external provider or Torchbyte).

If you plan changes early in 2026 – such as moving sites or switching providers – it helps to write down a small DNS plan now, so you are not forced to improvise during a busy period.

Hosting security checklist section for SSL certificates and DNS records

5. Backups, Snapshots and Recovery Testing

A serious hosting security checklist must assume that mistakes and incidents can still happen. This is why robust backups and real recovery tests are essential.

Check that automated backups are enabled for critical services.
Ensure you keep at least one copy of backups off-site or in a different location.
Perform at least one restore test from backup or snapshot, not just a theoretical check.
Document who is responsible for backup monitoring and how often it is reviewed.

On Torchbyte services you can use snapshots, panel-based backups or external storage to implement a layered approach. Regularly testing your recovery process is the only way to know that backups will work when you truly need them.

6. Performance Optimisation for 2026

Security and performance go hand in hand. A good hosting security checklist should also touch on performance tuning, especially before a new year where traffic patterns may change.

Enable caching at the application or server level where appropriate.
Review resource usage (CPU, RAM, disk, bandwidth) and upgrade plans if you are close to limits.
Consider moving heavy workloads to dedicated servers or higher-tier VPS plans.
Use monitoring tools to track latency, error rates and capacity trends over time.

If you expect a larger audience or more players in 2026, you can plan ahead with Torchbyte VPS, game hosting or dedicated solutions, depending on the type of project you run.

Hosting security checklist for performance and capacity in 2026

Looking Ahead – 2026 and Beyond with Torchbyte

A clear hosting security checklist at the end of the year helps you start 2026 with cleaner systems, better performance and fewer surprises. On our side, we will continue to invest in increased capacity, new locations and several projects that are still under wraps but focused on making your services more stable and easier to manage.

Once again, thank you for contributing to our growth of over 100% in 2025 compared to 2024. Your trust and feedback shape the way we build Torchbyte. If you want to review your setup or plan upgrades for 2026, you can always reach out through our support channels or explore the latest offers on the Torchbyte website .