Creating VPS Instances

Step-by-step guide to creating and configuring your first VPS instance.

Prerequisites

Before creating a VPS:

✅ Have an active project
✅ Add a payment method to your project
✅ Have an SSH key configured — or plan to set a root password instead
✅ Check your account limits — the number of instances you can run depends on your account

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Navigate to VPS Section

Log in to your DanubeData dashboard
Ensure you're in the correct project
Click Pods in the main navigation

Step 2: Start Creation

Click the Create Pod button
You'll see the VPS creation form

Step 3: Choose Operating System

Select your preferred OS:

Ubuntu (Recommended for most users)

26.04 LTS (Latest, best support)
24.04 LTS (Stable, long-term support)
22.04 LTS (Long-term support)

Debian

13 (Trixie) - Latest stable
12 (Bookworm) - Previous stable
11 (Bullseye) - Older

AlmaLinux

9 - Latest
8 - Stable

Rocky Linux

9 - Latest
8 - Stable

Fedora

42 - Latest features
41 - Stable

Alpine

3.22 - Latest
3.21 - Stable
3.20 - Older

Windows Server

2025 (BYOL — bring your own license)

Choosing an OS

For Web Applications:

Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS
Wide software support
Large community

For Stability:

Debian 11 or 12
Rock-solid reliability
Security focus

For Enterprise:

AlmaLinux 9 or Rocky Linux 9
RHEL compatibility
Corporate environment

For Latest Features:

Fedora 42
Cutting edge packages
Short support cycle

Step 4: Select Resource Profile

Choose based on your workload:

Shared CPU (4:1 overcommit, best value):

Profile	vCPUs	RAM	NVMe Disk
Nano	2	2 GB	20 GB
Micro	3	4 GB	40 GB
Small	4	8 GB	80 GB
Medium	8	16 GB	160 GB
Large	16	32 GB	320 GB

Dedicated CPU (guaranteed cores):

Profile	vCPUs	RAM	NVMe Disk
Nano	2	2 GB	40 GB
Micro	3	4 GB	80 GB
Small	4	8 GB	160 GB
Medium	8	16 GB	320 GB
Large	16	32 GB	640 GB

Current prices are shown in the create form and on the pricing page. Billing is hourly (monthly price ÷ 730) with a monthly cap.

Need a size in between? Toggle Customize on the profile step to fine-tune vCPUs, RAM, and disk beyond the fixed profiles. The form shows a live price estimate as you adjust. See Resource Profiles → Custom Sizing.

Profile Selection Tips:

Micro - Good for:

Development/testing
Learning
Personal projects
Low-traffic blogs

Small - Good for:

Small production sites
API servers
Development environments
Small databases (non-critical)

Medium - Good for:

Standard production workloads
E-commerce sites
SaaS applications
Multiple services

Large - Good for:

High-traffic applications
Data processing
Heavy compute tasks
Large databases

Step 5: Name Your Instance

Enter a descriptive name:

Good Names:

prod-web-01
staging-api-server
dev-frontend
wordpress-blog

Poor Names:

server1
test
vps

Naming Convention Tips:

Text

[environment]-[purpose]-[number]
prod-web-01
staging-api-02
dev-database-01

Step 6: Location

DanubeData runs from a single location:

Falkenstein, Germany (fsn1) — EU data residency

There's no region to choose — every VPS is provisioned in Falkenstein, keeping your data within the EU.

Step 7: Authentication (SSH Key or Password)

Choose how you'll log in as root:

SSH key (recommended) — select one or more existing keys, or add a new one
Root password — set a password of at least 12 characters instead of (or alongside) a key

Windows Server instances use password authentication automatically, since remote access is over RDP.

Select existing SSH key(s):

Check boxes for keys to add
Can select multiple keys
Keys allow secure server access

Don't have an SSH key?

Click Add SSH Key link

Generate SSH key on your computer:

Bash

# On Linux/Mac
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

# On Windows (PowerShell)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

Copy your public key:

Bash

# Linux/Mac
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# Windows
type %USERPROFILE%\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub

Paste in SSH key form
Give it a name (e.g., "My Laptop", "Work Desktop")
Click Add Key
Return to VPS creation

Optional: One-Click Marketplace App

If you'd rather not configure the server yourself, you can pick a Marketplace App during creation. The platform installs and configures the selected application automatically on first boot (via cloud-init), so the VPS comes up ready to use.

Apps are filtered to those compatible with your chosen operating system
Apps that need more resources than your selected profile are disabled until you size up
Marketplace app setup runs before any custom cloud-init you provide

Step 8: Custom Cloud-Init (Optional)

Provide a shell script or cloud-config YAML to automate your VPS setup on first boot. Your script runs after the platform finishes configuring networking, security, and SSH.

Examples of what you can automate:

Install Docker, K3s, or LAMP stack
Configure services and daemons
Deploy applications

Bash

#!/bin/bash
set -e
apt update -y && apt install -y docker.io
systemctl enable docker && systemctl start docker

Once your VPS is running, SSH in and run cloud-init-progress to monitor your script's execution in real time.

See Custom Cloud-Init for the full guide, examples, and troubleshooting.

Step 9: Configure Networking (Optional)

Network Stack:

Dual Stack (default) — public IPv4 + IPv6 for maximum compatibility
IPv4 Only
IPv6 Only — for modern IPv6-native networks

Hostname (optional):

Custom hostname for your server
Example: web-server.example.com
Defaults to auto-generated name

Firewall (optional):

Attach an existing firewall
Leave empty for default (allow all)
Can attach later

Private Network (optional):

Connect to a private network
For internal instance communication
Can configure later

Step 10: Review Configuration

Review your selections:

Operating System
Resource Profile
Name
Region
SSH Keys
Monthly cost estimate
Hourly cost

Cost Estimate Example:

Hourly rate = monthly price ÷ 730 hours; you never pay more than the monthly cap.

Step 11: Create Instance

Review everything is correct
Click Create Pod
Deployment begins immediately

Deployment Time: 3-5 minutes

You'll see progress stages:

☐ Provisioning resources
☐ Creating storage
☐ Installing OS
☐ Configuring network
✅ Ready!

After Creation

Get Connection Info

Once ready, you'll see:

Public IP Address: For SSH connection
Status: Should show "Running"
Resource Usage: CPU, memory metrics

First Connection

Connect via SSH:

Bash

ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP

First login:

Accept host key fingerprint
You're now logged in as root
Change root password (recommended)

Initial Setup

Update System:

Bash

# Ubuntu/Debian
apt update && apt upgrade -y

# AlmaLinux/Rocky/Fedora
yum update -y

Create Non-Root User:

Bash

adduser yourusername
usermod -aG sudo yourusername  # Ubuntu/Debian
usermod -aG wheel yourusername  # AlmaLinux/Rocky/Fedora

Configure Firewall (if not using platform firewall):

Bash

# Ubuntu/Debian
ufw allow 22/tcp
ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp
ufw enable

# AlmaLinux/Rocky/Fedora
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
firewall-cmd --reload

Install Essential Packages:

Bash

# Ubuntu/Debian
apt install -y curl wget git vim htop

# AlmaLinux/Rocky/Fedora
yum install -y curl wget git vim htop

Common Creation Scenarios

Web Server

Text

OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Profile: Small (2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM)
Purpose: Host WordPress site
Firewall: Allow 80, 443, 22

API Server

Text

OS: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Profile: Medium (4 vCPU, 4 GB RAM)
Purpose: REST API backend
Firewall: Allow 443, 22 from specific IPs

Development Environment

Text

OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Profile: Micro (1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM)
Purpose: Testing and development
Firewall: Allow 22 from your IP only

Docker Host

Text

OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Profile: Medium (4 vCPU, 4 GB RAM)
Purpose: Run containers
Firewall: Allow 22, 80, 443

CI/CD Server

Text

OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Profile: Large (8 vCPU, 8 GB RAM)
Purpose: Jenkins/GitLab CI
Firewall: Allow 22, 8080

Creation Checklist

Before clicking create, verify:

[ ] Correct operating system version
[ ] Appropriate resource profile for workload
[ ] Descriptive, meaningful name
[ ] Best region for users
[ ] SSH key(s) added
[ ] Firewall configured (if needed)
[ ] Understand monthly costs
[ ] Within project resource limits

Troubleshooting

Can't Create VPS

Error: "Payment method required"

Add payment method in Billing section

Error: "Resource limit exceeded"

You've reached your VPS limit — the number of instances you can run depends on your account limits
Delete unused VPS or request a limit increase

Error: "Authentication required"

Add at least one SSH key, or set a root password (min. 12 characters)
Windows Server instances always use a password

Creation Stuck

If creation takes longer than 10 minutes:

Refresh the page
Check VPS list for the instance
Contact support if still stuck

Can't SSH After Creation

Connection refused:

Wait 5 full minutes after creation
VPS might still be booting
Check VPS status is "Running"

Permission denied:

Verify SSH key was added correctly
Check you're using correct private key
Try: ssh -v root@IP for verbose output

Timeout:

Check firewall allows port 22
Verify you have the correct IP
Check network connectivity

Best Practices

Naming

Use consistent naming scheme
Include environment (prod/staging/dev)
Include purpose (web/api/db)
Add numbers for multiple instances

Sizing

Start small, scale up if needed
Monitor resource usage first week
Resize if consistently over 80% usage
Don't over-provision "just in case"

Security

Add SSH keys before creation
Attach firewall immediately
Use strong hostname
Change default passwords
Update system after creation

Cost Management

Choose appropriate profile
Delete dev/staging instances when not needed (stopped instances are still billed)
Delete unused instances
Monitor spending in Billing

Next Steps

Now that your VPS is created:

Connect via SSH
Monitor cloud-init progress (if you used a custom script)
Install your application
Configure firewall rules
Set up monitoring
Create snapshots

Need help? Contact support through the dashboard.