A real host, with a real kernel, that you can destroy at will.
You already know what a server does, so this page skips the feature list. It covers the four things developers actually rent one for, the resource that runs out first (memory, every time), and what an unmanaged box costs you in attention — because that is the part nobody puts on a hosting page.
- Own kernel, so Docker works
- Staging that matches production
- Rebuild in about 60 seconds
- Memory is what you run out of
$4.95/mo
Starter Budget VPS — 1 Core, 1 GB DDR3 RAM
- Full root, no forced control panel
- Docker, k3s, nested virtualization
- Four Linux distributions
- Nobody patches it but you
What a Developer Actually Gets Out of Renting a Server
A machine that behaves like production and does not belong to your laptop. That is the whole value, and it splits into two halves. The first is fidelity: a staging box running the same distribution and kernel as production surfaces the bugs that never appear locally — permissions, path handling, reverse proxy behaviour, TLS. The second is persistence: a CI runner, a cron, a bot or a Git server keeps working when your laptop is shut. Every plan here runs on KVM with its own kernel, which is why Docker, nested virtualization, custom modules and real swap all work — those are precisely the things that turn out to be blocked on a cheaper container-based VPS after you have paid. What it costs you is attention: nothing here is managed.
- KVM on all 21 plans — Docker, k3s, nested virtualization.
- Four distributions — match whatever production runs.
- Rebuild in about 60 seconds when you break it.
- Dedicated IPv4 for testing DNS, TLS and firewall rules.
- Memory is the limit you will hit, not cores.
- Unmanaged — patching, monitoring and backups are yours.
Related: VPS for Docker · KVM VPS · Linux VPS · Cheapest entry plan · Instant deployment
Four Things Developers Actually Rent a Server For
Plus the reason they rent it here rather than somewhere cheaper.
- A staging box that matches production The single most useful thing a developer rents a server for. Local environments diverge from production in ways that only surface at deploy time — different kernel, different libc, different file system semantics, no reverse proxy. A cheap VPS running the same distribution as production catches those before your users do. Common
- Somewhere to try things that should not be on your laptop A database you want to hammer, an untrusted dependency, a migration you are not sure about, a network setup you would rather not do on your home connection. Rebuild it from scratch in about 60 seconds when you break it, which you will. How deployment works → Common
- A CI runner or a build box A self-hosted GitHub Actions or GitLab runner on your own hardware, with no minutes to budget and no queue to wait in. Builds are CPU and disk heavy in bursts, so this is one of the few developer cases where the storage type genuinely shows up in wall-clock time. Where storage speed shows → Common
- Self-hosted tooling that outlives the laptop A Git server, a package registry, a status page, a bot, a cron that has to run whether or not you are awake. Anything whose value is that it is always there rather than always fast. Common
- Your own kernel, so the awkward things work Docker, nested virtualization, custom kernel modules, real swap, sysctl tuning. All of these need full virtualization rather than a shared kernel, and all of them are the things that turn out to be blocked on a cheaper container-based VPS after you have already paid. KVM vs containers → Why here
Which Plan Fits the Job
Sized by what you are running. Each row shows the cheapest plan in the catalogue that meets the requirement.
| If this is you | Cheapest plan that fits | What it gives you | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A side project or a scratch box One small service, or somewhere to try things. Cheap enough to leave running and cheap enough to destroy. | Starter Budget VPS Classic VPS range | 1 Core · 1 GB DDR3 RAM 15 GB HDD Storage | $4.95/mo + $3.00 one-time setup |
| Staging that mirrors production App plus database plus reverse proxy, with enough memory that none of the three is starved. | Starter SSD VPS SSD VPS range | 1 Core · 2 GB DDR3 RAM 15 GB Enterprise SSD | $8.95/mo + $2.00 one-time setup |
| A CI runner or build box Builds are bursty on CPU and hard on the disk. This is where fast storage pays back immediately. | Business NVMe VPS NVMe VPS range | 2 Cores · 4 GB DDR4 RAM 40 GB Enterprise NVMe SSD | $15.95/mo + $0.00 one-time setup |
| Several services on one box Multiple containers, a database with real data, and room to not think about it for a year. | Professional SSD VPS SSD VPS range | 3 Cores · 6 GB DDR3 RAM 40 GB Enterprise SSD | $19.95/mo + $0.00 one-time setup |
Three Things That Will Actually Bite You
None of these is a reason not to buy one. All three are cheaper to know now.
Memory runs out first, every time
Not CPU, not disk. A Postgres, a Redis, a language runtime and a build process on the same 2 GB box is how most developer VPS stories end, and the OOM killer gives no warning. Count your services and budget memory for each before choosing.
It is a real host on the real internet
A staging box with a default SSH configuration starts receiving login attempts within the hour. That is not a scare story, it is just what background noise on the public internet looks like. SSH keys, a firewall, and automatic security updates — fifteen minutes, once.
Unmanaged means it is another thing you own
Nobody patches it, nobody notices when it fills its disk, nobody restarts the service that died. For a developer that is usually the right trade — you would rather have the root password than the babysitting — but it is a trade, and abandoned side-project servers are a genuine security problem.
Developer Questions
A box you can break, from $4.95.
Your own kernel, four distributions, rebuild in about a minute, a dedicated IPv4 on every plan — and a 7-day money-back guarantee on your first order.