Virtual servers with full root access
Virtual servers with full root access and SSD storage, in the location you choose. You pay for the memory, CPU and disk a server uses, and a stopped server costs its disk only.
A virtual machine with its own disk, operating system and public IPv4 address. Choose the operating system, sign in from your own computer over SSH as root, the user that can change anything, and install what you need. You pay for its memory while it runs, the CPU it uses and its disk, and a stopped machine costs its disk only.
A Free account adds Server access to the month a size costs.
What a virtual machine costs a month
Each figure is the smallest size on sale, running all month with the CPU at one tenth of its vCPUs. A Free account pays for Server access on top. Pro and Business include it.
| Server | Smallest size | Free account, Server access included | Pro or Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual machine | RX-2 | $12.53 | $8.03 |
A Free account’s first order adds Server access and a first deposit of credit, which stays yours.
Choose a size
A size sets the vCPUs, memory and disk. The price is what the instance uses, so these figures are for a 730-hour month with the CPU at one tenth of the vCPUs.
Cloud Compute sizes
Each price is a 730-hour month with the server on. The first column assumes the CPU idle, the second the CPU at one tenth of the vCPUs, and the third every vCPU busy all month, which is the most a size can cost. A stopped server costs its disk only.
| Size | Memory | vCPUs | Disk | CPU idle | CPU at 10% | Most a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RX-2 | 2 GB | 2 | 40 GB | $5.84 | $8.03 | $27.74 |
| RX-4 | 4 GB | 2 | 80 GB | $11.68 | $13.87 | $33.58 |
| RX-8 | 8 GB | 4 | 160 GB | $23.36 | $27.74 | $67.16 |
| RX-16 | 16 GB | 8 | 320 GB | $46.72 | $55.48 | $134.32 |
| RX-24 | 24 GB | 12 | 480 GB | $70.08 | $83.22 | $201.48 |
| RX-32 | 32 GB | 16 | 640 GB | $93.44 | $110.96 | $268.64 |
| RX-48 | 48 GB | 24 | 960 GB | $140.16 | $166.44 | $402.96 |
| RX-64 | 64 GB | 32 | 1,280 GB | $186.88 | $221.92 | $537.28 |
What it costs
An instance pays for its memory while it runs, the CPU it uses and its disk. Change the hours a day it runs and the CPU it uses.
Worked examples
A side project on a virtual machine
RX-2 with 2 GB of memory, 2 vCPUs and 40 GB of disk, running 24 hours a day with the CPU at 5%.
| What | Used | Free | Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual machine: Memory | 1,460 GiB-hours | — | $0.0030 | $4.38 |
| Virtual machine: CPU | 73 vCPU-hours | — | $0.015 | $1.10 |
| Virtual machine: Disk | 29,200 GB-hours | — | $0.00005 | $1.46 |
A month costs $11.44. That includes Server access at $4.50.
On a Pro account the same month costs $6.94, plus the Pro plan.
Each month assumes none of the free amounts is used yet, and prices are in US dollars before any promo code.
What servers cost, by use
Web services and static sites need no plan and no size. You pay for the memory and CPU they use, the requests they answer and the data they send out, after the free amounts below. Virtual machines and game servers pay for memory while they run, the CPU they use and their disk for as long as they exist.
| Meter | Price | Free each month on every account | Free each month with Server access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory | $0.0030 per GiB-hour | 100 GiB-hours | None |
| CPU, the CPU you use | $0.015 per vCPU-hour | 50 vCPU-hours | None |
| Disk | $0.00005 per GB-hour | — | None |
| Requests to web services | $0.15 per million | 10 million | — |
| Data out, North America and Europe | $0.0125 per GB | 100 GB in any region | 1,000 GB |
| Data out, Oceania | $0.025 per GB | The same GB | 500 GB |
| Data out, everywhere else | $0.02 per GB | The same GB | 500 GB |
| Builds | $0.0025 per minute | 3,000 minutes | — |
| Logs | $0.125 per GB | 15 GB | — |
- Server access costs $4.50 a month, or $3.60 a month billed yearly, and Pro and Business include it. It includes data out and no memory, CPU or disk.
Technical specifications
The ranges run from the smallest size to the largest.
Compute
- Virtualisation: KVM virtual machine
- vCPU: Set by the size
- Memory: Set by the size
Storage
- Disk: SSD. Set by the size
Network
- Public address: One IPv4 address, which is a floating IP
- IPv6: A /64 of its own in a location with IPv6, and single IPv6 addresses you can add
- Data out: Included each month with Server access, then a price for each GB by the region of the location. We bill it and never stop the instance
- Data in: Free
- Reverse DNS: Set on each address
- DDoS filtering: DDoS Shield on every floating IP and on the instance’s IPv6 /64, at no charge
Software
- Operating system: The image you choose when you order, from the list on this page
- First boot: cloud-init sets up the user, the password, your SSH keys and the hostname
Access
- Sign-in: SSH with a key or a password
- Console: VNC in the browser
- Recovery: Rescue mode, and rebuilds onto another image
Data protection
- Snapshots: Up to 8 per instance, on the instance’s own storage, so a rebuild or a cancellation deletes them
- Backups: Up to 16 per instance. A rebuild keeps them, and they end with the instance
- Automatic backups: Weekly or daily, as an add-on
Billing
- What you pay for: Memory while it runs, the CPU it uses, its disk and the data it sends out
- A stopped instance: Costs its disk only
- Most a month: Each size has one, with every vCPU busy all month, which the sizes above list. There is no hourly cap
API
- Client API: Power, snapshots, backups, rescue mode and rebuilds
Operating systems
The images that are ready to order now.
The order page lists every image that is ready to use, grouped by distribution with the newest release first.
What every instance includes
Each Cloud Compute instance comes with these, whatever its size. A tag says how each one comes.
Access and control
- Full root access (Included). Sign in with an SSH key or a password, and change anything on the system. Manage the password and SSH keys on the Access tab.
- A VNC console in your browser (Included). See the instance’s screen and use its keyboard from the dashboard, even when SSH does not answer.
- Rescue mode (Included). Start the instance from a rescue system to repair its disk, or to get back in when it no longer boots.
- Images and rebuilds (Included). Start from the operating system image you choose, and rebuild the instance from another one when you want a fresh start. A rebuild erases the disk and the snapshots on it. The instance keeps its addresses and its backups. Operating system images
Data protection
- Snapshots (Included). A snapshot takes the disk back to a moment you saved. It lives on the instance’s own storage, so a rebuild, a backup restore or a cancellation deletes it. Each instance holds up to 8.
- Backups (Included). A backup is a full copy of the disk, which a rebuild keeps. Each instance holds up to 16. We delete an instance’s backups when the instance ends.
- Automatic backups (Add-on). We back up the instance every week or every day, and delete the oldest automatic backup once there are more than the add-on keeps. Back up and restore an instance
Network
- Your own IPv4 address (Included). Each instance gets a public IPv4 address, which DDoS Shield filters at no charge. Set its reverse DNS, the name other servers see when they look up the address.
- An IPv6 /64 (Included). An instance in a location with IPv6 gets a /64 of its own at no charge. It stays with the instance until the instance ends. Add IPv6 to an instance
- More floating IPs (Add-on). Attach more addresses, IPv4 or IPv6, or hosts from a block, and move them between instances. Floating IPs
How it works, and what customers build
- Choose a size and a location. Choose them here, then the operating system on the order page.
- Add an SSH key or a password. Add the key or password you will sign in with, and we create the instance.
- Sign in and build. Connect over SSH and install the software your project needs.
What customers build
Each one names what it takes and the guide that walks through it.
- A web app behind Edge Proxy. Run the app on the instance, and put a web address in front of it that handles certificates and checks each request. Uses: Cloud Compute and Edge Proxy. Put a web address in front of the instance
- A game server you set up yourself. Install a game our catalogue does not offer. The instance’s address is a floating IP, so DDoS Shield filters it from the start. Uses: Cloud Compute and DDoS Shield. Game server protection
- A test machine that you stop. Try a change, then stop the instance when you are done. A stopped instance costs its disk only, and you start it again when you need it. Uses: Cloud Compute. How Cloud Compute is billed
- Move a service without a new address. Give the service a floating IP of its own. When you move to a larger instance, move the address with it. Uses: Cloud Compute and a floating IP. Attach and detach a floating IP
Limits
What an instance does not do, and the limits no size sets.
Fixed limits
- Changing size: An instance keeps the size you ordered, and the dashboard and the API have no size change: order a new instance of the size you want and copy your data across
- Replies from reflection ports: DDoS Shield drops UDP from the 23 reflection source ports on every floating IP, so a DNS lookup, a time sync or an OpenVPN tunnel from the instance on DNS (53), NTP (123) or OpenVPN (1194) needs a change
- Snapshots and backups: Up to 8 snapshots and 16 backups per instance
- Power actions: 24 in 60 seconds for each instance
- Backups and restores: 8 backups and 8 restores in 5 minutes for each instance
- Rebuilds: 8 in 10 minutes for each instance
- Starting a stopped instance: It needs room on its host. When the host is full, the start is refused and the disk stays safe
Guides for Cloud Compute
Our docs explain each step, from the order to your first sign-in.
- Cloud Compute: What an instance is, and what you can do with it.
- Get a cloud server: From the order to your first sign-in.
- How Cloud Compute is billed: Memory, CPU, disk and data out, a stopped instance and a worked example.
- Connect to an instance over SSH: Sign in with an SSH key or a password.
- Repair an instance in rescue mode: Fix a disk, or get back in when the instance will not boot.
- Back up and restore an instance: Make backups, restore them and turn on automatic backups.
- Cloud Compute limits: Every fixed limit on an instance, in one place.
Order a Cloud Compute instance
Choose a size and an operating system, then sign in over SSH.
Frequently asked questions
What do I get with an instance?
A virtual machine with the vCPUs, memory and disk of its size, a public IPv4 address, an IPv6 /64 in a location with IPv6, and root access. You choose the operating system when you order.
What does an instance cost?
You pay for its memory while it runs, the CPU it uses and its disk for as long as it exists, and for the data it sends out after the free amounts. Each size has a most a month, with every vCPU busy all month. An instance also needs Server access.
What does a stopped instance cost?
Its disk only. Memory and CPU stop being billed when you stop it, and its files, backups and snapshots stay. Start it again when you need it.
Can I back up an instance?
You can make a backup or a snapshot at any time. A snapshot lives on the instance’s own storage, so a rebuild or a cancellation deletes it. A backup is a separate copy that a rebuild keeps, and we delete it when the instance ends.
What counts toward data out?
What the instance sends to the internet counts, by the region of its location. What it receives is free. Past the free amount we bill the data and never stop the instance.
Is my instance protected from DDoS attacks?
Its public IPv4 address is a floating IP, and DDoS Shield filters every floating IP and the instance’s IPv6 /64 at no charge.
Can I change the size of an instance?
An instance keeps the size you ordered. The dashboard and the API have no size change, so for more vCPU, memory or disk, order a new instance of the size you want and copy your data across.
Which operating systems can I choose?
The list on this page, and on the order page, holds every image that is ready to use. The images on offer change over time, so the order page is the list to trust.
