How to Change Hostname on Ubuntu 18.04

The hostname is a name given to your system to identify it on a network. It should be unique on your network, and it is customizable. Setting a custom hostname allows you to create a memorable or descriptive name, to make it easier to find different servers on the network.

This guide is for Ubuntu 18.04, but the same steps also work for Ubuntu 16.04. Now, let’s learn how to change a hostname on Ubuntu.

Prerequisites

• Server running Ubuntu 16.04 or 18.04
• Access to an Ubuntu user with sudo privileges
• Access to a command prompt (Ctrl–Alt–T)
• A text editor, such as nano, included by default

Changing Hostname in Ubuntu

Step 1: Find the Current Hostname

To view the current hostname, open a terminal window, and enter the following command:

hostnamectl

The system will return the static hostname, plus additional information. The static hostname is the hostname of the system you’re working on. The other option to check the hostname is to use the hostname command in Linux.

Step 2: Change Ubuntu Hostname

Option 1: Change the Hostname with hostnamectl Command (Easiest Method)

You can easily change the hostname using options with the hostnamectl command:

sudo hostnamectl set-hostname file_server

This will rename your system to file_server. You can specify whatever name you like. You can verify the change by re-running the hostnamectl command.

Option 2: Change Hostname by Editing Hosts File

The /etc/hosts file resolves an IP address into a hostname. You can change your hostname by editing three configuration files:

• /etc/hosts
• /etc/hostname
• /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg – Required only if you have the cloud-init package installed. Generally, cloud-init is used to initiate cloud services.

Editing the /etc/hosts File

First, edit the /etc/hosts file. Before you make the change, you’ll want to check your Linux IP address. You can find it quickly by entering:

hostname -I

The output displays the system’s IP address:

Open your hosts file with a text editor (we are using nano):

sudo nano /etc/hosts

You should see a line at the very top that says:

127.0.0.1 localhost

Add a second line just below it, as follows (replace the IP address with yours):

10.0.2.15 file_server

Save the file and exit.

Editing the /etc/hostname File

Next, edit the /etc/hostname file:

sudo nano /etc/hostname

This file will display the current hostname. Replace the current entry with the hostname of your choice. For example:

file_server

Then save the file and exit.

Editing the /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg File

Finally, if you have cloud-init installed, open the /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg file:

sudo nano /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg

Look for a line that says:

preserve_hostname: true

Make sure that preserve_hostname is set to true.

Save the file and exit.

Step 3: Verify Changes

To verify that the hostname was successfully changed, restart your system.

To verify the changes, run the command:

hostnamectl

You should now see your new server name on the console.

Conclusion

This guide provides two different methods to change Ubuntu server hostname without restarting.

Hostnames make networking a lot easier, by giving servers easier names to remember. Knowing more than one way to perform a task is helpful if you ever find yourself working on an older system or one with a different operating system.

You can also visit our guide for changing hostname on Ubuntu 20.04.