There are numerous factors to consider when determining the best VPS provider:
Some providers will enable a port-blocking firewall in front of your VPS for your protection. If so, you must open/forward the following ports: 25 (Email), 80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS), 51821/UDP (WireGuard), and whatever port your SSH daemon listens on (determined during installation). These are the only listening ports in your network open (by default) to the outside world. If you are running your RelayServer at home, then the same applies.
Below is a comparison of four providers according the above factors. HomeServerHQ has no affiliation with these providers. It is simply provided as an example baseline analysis. The first comparison is according to resource specifications needed for a RelayServer. The second comparison is according to resource specifications for a HomeServer (i.e. for testing/demo purposes).
It is very easy to transfer your RelayServer from one host/provider to another. There is a utility built into the shell script that will perform the transfer with a few simple steps.
| Linode | Kamatera | Contabo | IONOS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan Type | Shared CPU | Availability (A) | Cloud VPS S | VPS Linux S |
| Monthly Cost | $24 | $10 | $6.95 | $5 |
| Hourly Cost | $0.036 | $0.014 | N/A | N/A |
| RAM | 4GB | 2GB | 8GB | 2GB |
| CPUs | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Storage | 80GB | 20GB | 50GB (NVMe) | 80GB |
| Network Speed | 4 Gbps | 10 Gbps | 200 Mbps | 1 Gbps |
| Network Total Outbound Traffic | 4TB | 5TB | 32TB | Unlimited |
| DDoS Protection | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Reliability Grade | A | A | C- | A |
| Account setup process | Immediate | Immediate | ~ 1 day | ~ 1 week |
| VPS setup time | ~5 mins | ~5 mins | ~15 mins | 3-5 days |
| VPS setup cost | 0 | 0 | $5.50 | 0 |
| Outgoing email | No | Yes | Yes | No* |
| Reverse DNS | No | No | Yes | No |
* The port was quickly enabled with a simple request through their support channel
| Linode | Kamatera | Contabo | IONOS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan Type | Shared CPU | Availability (A) | Cloud VPS M | VPS Linux XL |
| Monthly Cost | $96 | $71 | $16.89 | $28 |
| Hourly Cost | $0.144 | $0.097 | N/A | N/A |
| RAM | 16GB | 16GB | 16GB | 16GB |
| CPUs | 8 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Storage | 320GB | 150GB | 400GB | 320GB |
| Network Speed | 6 Gbps | 10 Gbps | 400 Mbps | 1 Gbps |
| Network Total Outbound Traffic | 8TB | 5TB | 32TB | Unlimited |
| DDoS Protection | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Reliability Grade | A | A | C- | A |
| Account setup process | Immediate | Immediate | ~ 1 day | ~ 1 week |
| VPS setup time | ~5 mins | ~5 mins | ~15 mins | 3-5 days |
| VPS setup cost | 0 | 0 | $8.49 | 0 |
The selection process will vary depending on the provider. Some providers only offer a handful of preset configurations with certain specifications. Other providers will offer more customization on the number of processors, amount of RAM, and amount of disk storage. Perform your selections according to the stated requirements as well as your own preferences with regards to resources and costs. Ensure to select a supported Linux distribution as the operating system. You will also need to set and retain the login password. Then, you will either recieve the IP address of your VPS via email or you will be able to see it via your provider's web portal. The IP address and login credentials is the only information you need. The rest will be covered in the Installation section.
The following video provides a walkthough of setting up a HomeServer and RelayServer VPS using a specific provider.