Dedicated servers · Linux
Linux dedicated server Your SSH keys and your script, applied at delivery.
A Linux dedicated server here is a whole physical machine with Ubuntu 26.04, Debian 13, AlmaLinux 10 or an older release installed, root on it, and your public keys already in place when you first log in.
- Root SSH keys at install
- #cloud-config or #! script
- No Linux licence fee
- Hourly on ready servers
- Five cities
Pick the release on the order form, paste up to 10 public keys and an optional first-boot script, and the install applies them. Ready servers are handed over in about 30 minutes once the order is approved. The port is unmetered. A ready server can be billed by the hour; a custom build runs month to month.
Releases on the order form
Ubuntu, Debian and AlmaLinux, plus the releases older software still needs
For new work, take the newest long-term release of the distribution you already know. Every release below installs at no extra charge. The dates are each vendor's end of free security updates.
Ubuntu
- Ubuntu 26.04until 2031
- Ubuntu 24.04until May 2029
- Ubuntu 22.04until May 2027
- Ubuntu 20.04ended May 2025
- Ubuntu 18.04ended May 2023
- Ubuntu 16.04ended April 2021
- Ubuntu 14.04ended April 2019
Debian
- Debian 13until June 2030
- Debian 12until June 2028
- Debian 11ended August 2026
- Debian 10ended June 2024
- Debian 9ended June 2022
- Debian 8ended June 2020
AlmaLinux
- AlmaLinux 10until 2035
- AlmaLinux 9until 2032
- AlmaLinux 8until 2029
Rocky Linux
- Rocky Linux 9until 2032
CentOS
- CentOS 7ended June 2024
- CentOS 6ended November 2020
Proxmox
- Proxmox VE 9follows Debian 13
Ubuntu dedicated server
Ubuntu LTS gets five years of standard updates from Canonical. It is the only family here that takes a #cloud-config, so most automation written for a cloud VM runs on the server unchanged. On a machine with a GPU it is also the usual choice for drivers and CUDA.
Debian dedicated server
Debian stable changes little between releases and is what Proxmox VE is built on. Each release gets about three years of security updates, then two more of LTS. Your keys go on after the install is checked, and a #! script runs once as root.
AlmaLinux for RHEL software
AlmaLinux is binary compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and free. Choose it for software that is certified on RHEL, or for a CentOS 7 machine you are moving off. The key directory is relabelled for SELinux at install, so sshd reads your keys.
Releases past their support date
CentOS 6 and 7 and the older Debian and Ubuntu releases are still on the form because some software only runs on them. Their vendors no longer ship free security fixes. Run one only behind a firewall, for a reason you can name, and plan the move.
SSH keys and user data
The server boots with your keys and runs your setup once
Under the operating system on the order form there are two optional fields: public keys for root, and user data. Both go into the install itself, so the first login needs no password and the box is already configured.
- Keys. OpenSSH public keys (ssh-ed25519, ssh-rsa or ecdsa), one per line, up to 10. Ubuntu, AlmaLinux and CentOS take them in the installer. On Debian and Proxmox they are added over SSH as soon as the install is verified.
- #cloud-config. Ubuntu 20.04 and later. It is merged into the install's own cloud-init and runs at first boot, as it would on a cloud VM. It cannot change how root signs in, the host name or the network: the control panel sets those.
- Script. Anything that starts with #!, on every Linux release. It runs once as root after the install is verified, and its exit code and the end of its output are kept for you. Up to 16 KB.
- Ready servers. A ready server has booted once already, so it takes a script, not a #cloud-config.
The script is deleted as soon as it has run, whether it worked or not, because it may hold secrets. A reinstall from the control panel takes the same two fields, so wiping and rebuilding a server repeats the same setup.
#cloud-config
package_update: true
packages:
- nginx
- fail2ban
runcmd:
- systemctl enable --now nginx
Or paste a script instead. This one is for Debian and Ubuntu:
#!/bin/bash
apt-get update && apt-get install -y nginx fail2ban
systemctl enable --now nginx
Linux servers for sale
Machines that run Linux, each with its own price
Each row is the lowest-priced ready server of one line, with that server's processor, memory, disks, port and city. Lines sold only in Amsterdam or Bucharest are priced in euros. The hourly rate applies to a ready server as it stands; a custom build is billed by the month.
Prices are read from the catalogue when the page loads. Every ready server, with filters for city and hardware, is on the ready servers page. Different memory or disks? Build the server in the configurator, which shows the delivery time for the build you choose.
Fast Linux server
Where the speed of a Linux dedicated server comes from
A dedicated server is fast because nothing sits between your kernel and the hardware. There is no hypervisor and no other tenant on the processor, so the numbers you measure on the first day are the numbers you keep.
Processor for the work
Single-threaded work such as game servers and many PHP sites wants a high clock. Builds, encoding and databases with many connections want cores. The Intel and AMD pages list every processor on the form and what each suits.
Disks before anything else
Most slow servers are waiting on storage. Put databases, build caches and containers on SSD or NVMe, and keep spinning disks for backups and bulk files. The configurator shows the drives and RAID levels each line takes; see also NVMe servers.
A port that is not metered
Every machine above has an unmetered port, so traffic does not add a line to the invoice. When one gigabit is not enough, 10 Gbps servers give the port to one customer only.
Running it
Root is yours, and so is the rebuild
You get root and the control panel. From the panel you can reinstall any release the line sells, with new keys and a new script, without opening a ticket.
- Want virtual machines? Proxmox VE 9 is on the same list. See Proxmox dedicated servers.
- Containers at scale? Managed Kubernetes builds the cluster on dedicated servers and runs each upgrade when you start it.
- Hosting customers? cPanel, ISPConfig and the Nexo Hosting Panel can be added on the order form, priced there.
- Hardware response times and monitoring are set by the management tier. The basic tier is included.
Support that can see your server
Our AI support on chat answers in seconds and can check your account and your server while you talk to it. Type that you want a person and a member of staff picks up the conversation.
Answers
Questions about Linux dedicated servers
What is a Linux dedicated server?
It is a physical server rented to one customer, with a Linux distribution installed and root access for that customer alone. Nothing else runs on the hardware, so all of its cores, memory, disks and network port are yours.
Which Linux is best for a dedicated server?
Use the distribution your software and your team already know. With no preference, take the newest Ubuntu LTS for the widest software support, Debian stable for the fewest changes, or AlmaLinux when the software is certified on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Do I pay for the Linux licence?
No. Linux releases install at no charge on every line. Windows Server is the operating system with a licence price on the order form.
How fast is a Linux server delivered?
A ready server is handed over in about 30 minutes once the order is approved, with the release, keys and script you chose. A custom build takes longer, and the configurator shows its delivery time before you pay.
Can I rent a Linux server by the hour?
Yes, a ready server can be billed by the hour. An hour costs the server's monthly price divided by 730, plus 30 percent. Custom builds are billed by the month, with no contract.
Can I still get CentOS 7?
Yes, CentOS 6 and 7 are still on the order form, but CentOS 7 stopped receiving updates in June 2024. For a new server choose AlmaLinux, which runs the same software.
Can I add my SSH key before the first login?
Yes. Paste up to 10 public keys under the operating system on the order form and they are installed for root. You can add a #! script too, or a #cloud-config on Ubuntu 20.04 and later.
Where are the servers?
The machines are racked in New York, Miami, San Francisco, Amsterdam and Bucharest. Each line in the table shows the city of its lowest-priced ready server; the configurator lists every city a line is built in.
Choose a release, then the machine
Paste your keys, add a script if you have one, and log in to a configured server.