Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a Microsoft protocol providing a remote graphical connection to another computer via the network. It supports strong encryption, audio, and disk redirection. xrdp is an open-source project to implement the RDP on the Linux X desktop. This tutorial explains how to install xrdp on a Ubuntu 20.04 instance with GNOME desktop environment.
Deploy a Vultr Ubuntu 20.04 instance.
Connect to your instance via SSH or the Web Console as your sudo user.
Install GNOME desktop.
$ sudo tasksel install ubuntu-desktop
Reboot your instance.
$ sudo reboot
After the reboot, connect to your instance again via SSH or the Web Console as your sudo user.
Install xrdp.
$ sudo apt install xrdp
It's recommended to change the RDP port. For example, change the default port of 3389 to 13389. If you choose a different port, adjust the sed command below.
$ sudo sed -i 's/3389/13389/g' /etc/xrdp/xrdp.ini
Open the port in the Ubuntu firewall, ufw.
$ sudo ufw allow 13389
If you use the Vultr Firewall, open the port there as well.
Restart the xrdp service:
$ sudo systemctl restart xrdp
Connect your instance with an RDP Client.