Cloud Hosting for Small Projects
Most small business websites do fine on shared hosting. But sometimes you need a server you control — for a custom app, a self-hosted tool, or just because shared hosting is too restrictive. Here's how to think about it.
Shared hosting vs VPS
Shared hosting (like our Plesk hosting) gives you a slice of a server that's already configured. You upload your site; it works. Cheap, easy, no server admin needed.
A VPS (virtual private server) gives you a small Linux machine you can do anything with — install whatever software you want, configure it however you want. The trade-off is you're responsible for it: updates, security, backups.
When you actually need a VPS
- You want to self-host something specific — Vaultwarden, Nextcloud, a Git server, an n8n automation, a small Plex server
- You're running a custom app that shared hosting won't accommodate
- You want a small always-on Linux machine for personal projects
- You're a developer who needs a real server to test against
Our pick: Vultr
Vultr is what we use for our own services. Honest pricing, fast deploy (about 60 seconds from "create" to SSH), pay-by-the-hour so you can spin one up for an afternoon and shut it down. Their entry-tier ($6/month) is 1 CPU / 1 GB RAM / 25 GB SSD — plenty for most self-hosted tools.
What you can run on a $6 VPS
- A small website
- A self-hosted password manager (Vaultwarden)
- A small file-sharing or collaboration tool
- An always-on RustDesk relay for your own remote support
- A Pi-hole or AdGuard Home DNS filter
Affiliate disclosure
The Vultr link below is our referral — if you sign up through it, we get a small credit. It doesn't change your price. We'd recommend Vultr regardless; this is just a way for us to benefit if you find this guide useful.