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GetVPS field notes
Practical infrastructure notes from the network edge.
Deployment guides, BGP walkthroughs, security hardening, and self-hosting patterns for engineers running real KVM workloads.
38
Published guides
Latest·6 min read
Encrypted off-site VPS backups with Restic
Build an automated Restic backup routine with retention, integrity checks, restore drills, and credentials that do not leak into shell history.
resticbackupssecurityoperations
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·5 minMonitor a VPS with Prometheus Node Exporter
Expose useful Linux host metrics safely, scrape them with Prometheus, and alert on disk, memory, load, and filesystem pressure.
prometheusmonitoringlinux
·3 minSelf-host service monitoring with Uptime Kuma
Monitor HTTP, TCP, DNS, and certificate expiry from a small VPS, with notifications and a public status page.
uptime-kumamonitoringdocker
·2 minA production Docker Compose checklist for VPS deployments
Turn a development Compose file into a predictable production stack with pinned images, health checks, limits, secrets, logging, and recoverable data.
dockercomposedevops
·3 minDeploy a Node.js application with systemd and Nginx
Run a Node.js service without a process-manager dependency, proxy it through Nginx, deploy releases atomically, and roll back quickly.
nodejssystemdnginx
·5 minDeploy FastAPI with systemd and Caddy
Run a Python FastAPI service in a locked-down virtual environment, supervise it with systemd, and add automatic HTTPS through Caddy.
pythonfastapisystemd
·7 minSecure Redis on a VPS without breaking your application
Keep Redis private, add authentication and ACLs, set memory policy, persist intentionally, and verify that public access is impossible.
redissecuritydatabase
·2 minTune MariaDB on a VPS using real workload data
A conservative MariaDB tuning method for buffer pools, connections, temporary tables, slow queries, and durability without copying a mystery config.
mariadbmysqldatabase
·2 minPostgreSQL backups that pass a restore drill
Create consistent PostgreSQL logical backups, retain roles and schema, verify archives, and rehearse recovery into a disposable database.
postgresbackupsdatabase
·2 minDNS records for VPS hosting, explained practically
Configure A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, CAA, and reverse DNS records correctly, then verify the authoritative answer before debugging the application.
dnsnetworkingipv6
·3 minIPv6 on a VPS without the usual surprises
Configure a static IPv6 address and default route, firewall it properly, publish AAAA records, and test the complete path from outside.
ipv6networkingsecurity
·3 minMove a website between VPS hosts with a safe DNS cutover
Lower TTLs at the right time, copy changing data, test the new origin before launch, switch records, and keep rollback available.
dnsmigrationdeployment
·5 minBuild a minimal VPS firewall with nftables
Replace ad-hoc firewall commands with a readable dual-stack nftables policy for SSH, web traffic, loopback, and established connections.
nftablesfirewallsecurity
·3 minUse an SSH bastion host for private VPS access
Reach private servers through one hardened jump host using ProxyJump, agent-safe key handling, restricted firewalls, and auditable SSH configuration.
sshsecuritynetworking
·4 minAutomatic Linux security updates without surprise reboots
Configure unattended upgrades, control package origins, schedule a maintenance window, detect required reboots, and verify update failures.
securityubuntuupdates
·6 minKeep systemd journal logs useful without filling the VPS
Make journald persistent, cap disk usage, query services efficiently, vacuum old data, and forward important logs off the server.
systemdlogginglinux
·2 minWhat to do when a Linux VPS disk is full
Recover space safely, find deleted-but-open files, identify runaway logs and Docker layers, then prevent the same disk incident from returning.
linuxstoragetroubleshooting
·3 minDiagnose Linux OOM kills and memory pressure on a VPS
Find which process the kernel killed, distinguish memory leaks from cache, add safe swap, set service limits, and fix the workload instead of guessing.
linuxmemorytroubleshooting
·6 minSelf-host Bitwarden with Vaultwarden on a VPS
Vaultwarden is a tiny Rust reimplementation of the Bitwarden server. Same official clients, same UX, no monthly bill. Setup with Docker, Caddy, and proper backups.
vaultwardenbitwardensecurity
·2 minInstall WordPress on an Ubuntu VPS with Nginx and MariaDB
Production-ready WordPress on Ubuntu 24.04: Nginx, PHP 8.3 FPM, MariaDB, Let's Encrypt. The whole stack in under thirty minutes.
wordpressnginxubuntu
·4 minSet up a WireGuard VPN on your VPS in 10 minutes
A working WireGuard VPN with one peer config you can scan into your phone. No third-party clients, no telemetry, no monthly bill.
wireguardvpnnetworking
·7 minSSH hardening and fail2ban on a VPS
A short security pass that stops 99% of the brute-force noise on a public-IP VPS. SSH keys only, fail2ban, port choice, and what not to bother with.
securitysshfail2ban
·6 minHost a Minecraft Java server on a VPS
From cold VPS to a Minecraft server your friends can join, with proper systemd, automated backups, and tuned JVM flags.
minecraftgamingjava
·4 minVPS vs shared hosting: when each is the right call in 2026
Shared hosting is cheap and easy. VPS is more powerful but you run it. The honest decision tree, with real numbers and a bias check.
vpsshared-hostingcomparison
·6 minSelf-host Nextcloud on a VPS
Replace Dropbox, Google Drive, and Office 365 with one self-hosted Nextcloud instance on a small VPS. Full setup with PostgreSQL, Redis, and proper backups.
nextcloudself-hostingubuntu
·3 minInitial server setup on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Harden a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 VPS in ten minutes. New user, SSH keys, firewall, automatic security updates.
ubuntusecuritygetting-started
·3 minSelf-host Immich: a Google Photos replacement that actually works
Immich gives you a polished mobile app, AI-powered face and object search, and full control over your photos. Setup with Docker, Postgres, and Caddy on a VPS.
immichphotosself-hosting
·5 minRun Pi-hole on a VPS for cloud-wide ad-blocking
Pi-hole is not just for Raspberry Pis. Running it on a VPS gives you network-wide ad-blocking that works on cellular and away-from-home, via WireGuard.
pi-holednsprivacy
·2 minCaddy: a one-config-file reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS
Caddy gives you HTTPS with no Certbot dance, multi-app reverse proxy in five lines of config, and HTTP/3 by default. Here is the setup we run.
caddyhttpsreverse-proxy
·6 minRunning Docker on a KVM VPS, properly
KVM virtualisation runs a real Linux kernel, so Docker behaves like it does on bare metal. Here is the setup that holds up under load.
dockerkvmdevops
·5 minSelf-host a Mastodon instance on a VPS
A working single-user or small-server Mastodon install with Docker, Postgres, Redis, and the federation gotchas that nobody warns you about.
mastodonfediversedocker
·4 minFree HTTPS with Nginx and Let's Encrypt in 2026
A clean Nginx + Certbot setup that auto-renews, scores A+ on SSL Labs, and survives the next protocol deprecation.
nginxtlssecurity
·5 minHost a Discord bot on a VPS with systemd
Stop running your bot in tmux. A proper systemd service for a Node.js or Python Discord bot, with logs, restarts, atomic deploys, and instant rollbacks.
discordnodesystemd
·7 minBringing up your first BGP session on GetVPS
From requesting a session to announcing your own ASN's prefix. The non-mystical version, written for engineers running their first BGP edge.
bgpnetworkingadvanced
·6 minSelf-host Tailscale with Headscale on a VPS
Run your own Tailscale coordination server with Headscale. Same client, same UX, no third-party control plane, no per-seat pricing.
headscaletailscalewireguard
·5 minPostgres + PgBouncer on a VPS for production workloads
A tuned Postgres 16 install with PgBouncer transaction pooling. The setup that takes a one-developer side project to several thousand connections without changing application code.
postgrespgbouncerdatabase
·3 minHow to choose a VPS location that actually matters
Latency is rarely the only thing that matters. A short framework for picking a region: users, regulation, peering, and disaster geography.
networkinginfrastructureplanning
·3 minUbuntu vs Debian for VPS hosting in 2026
Both are excellent. Both come pre-installed on most VPS providers. The differences are real but smaller than the internet pretends. Here is the practical breakdown.
ubuntudebianlinux