Hard Reboot vs Soft Reboot: What’s the Difference?
What is a Hard Reboot?
A hard reboot (also known as a power cycle or forced restart) is when the power to a server is physically interrupted and then restored. This is typically done when a server becomes unresponsive, and normal shutdown procedures can’t be executed.
At IP ServerOne, this is handled through our customer portal, where customers can trigger a Power Reboot on their dedicated servers.
Use Case:
- When the server is frozen or not responding to remote commands.
- No access to SSH or control panel.
- When a full system power cycle is needed.
What is a Soft Reboot?
A soft reboot gracefully restarts the server by using software commands like
reboot
or
shutdown -r.
This allows the operating system to close processes, flush caches, and unmount filesystems properly.
Use Case:
- When the server is still responsive.
- You need to apply OS updates or configuration changes.
- You want to avoid possible file system corruption or data loss.
Summary of Differences
| Feature | Soft Reboot | Hard Reboot |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Software command | Power off/on cycle |
| Risk of data loss | Low | Higher (if in use processes exist) |
| Server responsiveness | Required | Not required |
| Graceful shutdown | Yes | No |
| Common command | reboot, shutdown -r now | Triggered via portal or manually |
⚠️ Important Note: Hard reboots should only be used when soft reboots are not possible, as they may lead to data corruption or service interruptions.