Technical questions

Straight answers to "does X work on my VPS". Short version: nearly everything works out of the box on Linux VPS, and Premium VPS (full KVM) runs anything.

Containers and orchestration#

• Can I run Docker on my VPS? Yes, out of the box, no tweaks.
• Running Docker Swarm on Linux VPS. Works, use dnsrr endpoint mode instead of the default.
• Kubernetes on VPSDime services. k3s works on Linux VPS; full k8s wants Premium.

CPU, memory, and disk#

• What is CPU steal time (%st)? Where the metric comes from, reading it properly, and what the values mean.
• What is the IOPS metric? Operations vs bytes vs latency, and why databases care about the one file copies don't.
• How can I limit an application's CPU usage? nice for priority, CPUQuota for hard caps, and when each is right.
• How can I find the biggest folders? du sorted, ncdu, and the drill-down method.
• Can I add swap memory on Linux VPS? No, and you genuinely don't need it.
• Disk quotas on your VPS. Supported, set them up as usual.

Networking and modules#

• Running your own VPN (WireGuard). The ten-minute personal VPN, phone QR codes, DNS leak checks, and the honest limits.
• Private networking between your VPSes. Tailscale or plain WireGuard, and binding services to the overlay.
• TUN/TAP (VPNs) on your VPS. Enabled by default, run your personal VPN.
• FUSE (sshfs, rclone mount) on your VPS. Enabled by default.
• NFS on your VPS. Works, nothing to enable.
• How our SSH brute-force firewall works. Network-wide detection, why it beats a local fail2ban, and the three-firewalls map.
• Two-factor authentication for SSH (TOTP). Authenticator codes at SSH login, when it's worth it, and the lockout-safe setup.
• How can I change my SSH port? Safely, in the order that can't lock you out.
• Which application is using my bandwidth? nethogs, iftop, and vnstat, per process, per connection, per day.
• How can I limit an application's bandwidth? App flags first, trickle, and interface shaping.
• PPP on your VPS. Enabled by default.

Applications#

• Can I use Mailcow on Linux VPS? Yes, and read the email policy first.
• Using systemd timers instead of cron jobs. Logged runs, no overlaps, catch-up after downtime, the two-file recipe.
• Installing a desktop environment (and connecting remotely). XFCE/LXQt/GNOME, and xRDP vs VNC vs NoMachine vs X2Go.
• Installing Gitea: host your own code. The self-hosted GitHub, compose install, SSL, and the backup line.

Linux skills and tools#

• How do Linux file permissions work? rwx, octal, the special bits, umask, and chattr attributes.
• Process management: ps, top, kill, and friends. Seeing, finding, stopping, and prioritizing, signals included.
• How can I find files, and text inside files? find and grep -r, plus fd and ripgrep.
• How can I keep an application running after I disconnect? tmux, systemd, nohup, by situation.
• How can I encrypt and decrypt files? age and GPG, and encrypting backups before they leave the box.
• What is strace, and how do I use it? Watching a program's system calls, hung processes, and mystery configs.

Still need a person? You can open a support ticket any time.