Introduction
Continuing on our developer's journey, we will manage our Directus backend, supported by a PostgreSQL database and a Redis cache.
To pull this off, we will need a VPS.
As I would have stated in my previous post, we have to manage our VPS ourselves. I hope that you are as excited as I am, because we get to dig under the hood instead of letting someone else do it.
Our first task would be to purchase a VPS.
Before I continue, I want to be clear about who can benefit from this. This post will not meet the needs of an enterprise-grade organization as they will have strict compliance and security regulations. They often have specialized contracts with major cloud providers like AWS and Microsoft Azure; you get the picture. You, as a developer, will not be in the office that makes the decision as to what hosting solution the company will provide. It will be a team that does that.
If we consider a medium-sized business, this will most likely not be the choice of any one person either. Individual developers rarely have total freedom, but if they are senior within the organization, they may have influence.
It's in the start-up to small business arena, where a developer wears multiple hats, that you get the real opportunity of choosing the hosting solution or if you're developing your own app. At this scale, cost is a real factor, and so you have to consider the budget allocated carefully. Here is where all the excitement is.
Let’s get Started!
Purchasing a VPS
Purchasing a VPS can be a daunting task. When I started out, I decided to go on YouTube and search for the best hosting provider.
I was bombarded by terms I did not understand, metrics that I could not confirm, and a list of hosting providers that seemed to all look the same. In time I got to understand a bit more, and so I started to make some sense out of the hype. Some videos were excellent; others were entertaining.
I’m no expert, but I’ve simplified the process for myself, so I’m sharing it with you. There are six basic characteristics to consider:
* How many CPU cores do I need
* How much RAM do I need
* What type of hard drive and what size.
* How much bandwidth do I anticipate will be used.
* What OS should I use
* Cost
Let’s start with the OS
I choose Ubuntu every time because of the community that supports it, low resource consumption, and great stability. You don’t have to select Ubuntu; you may like another flavor of Linux. What I would recommend is to stick to one that you feel comfortable with and learn it inside out; that way you can become more proficient at configuring your VPS. I like Ubuntu for the reasons I stated above.
CPU Cores
Ubuntu Server does not consume plenty of resources, so I never go for the most robust plan. Developers that have the opportunity to select their own hosting solution may be doing so for a start-up or small business. With this in mind, I would easily select a 2CPU-4CPU setup to start with.
It will not break the bank, and it's a good place to start, especially if you don’t have solid performance figures to work with, like site utilization.
As a developer creating an app, you want to launch your minimum viable product (MVP) because you need to get to market to understand your audience as soon as possible.
A basic online presence for a start-up with the intention to scale.
2CPU—4CPU cores will get you in the ring to pack a good punch.
RAM
The recommendation for Coolify to run smoothly is 2 GB. Coolify mentions that it can run on servers with lower specs, but they will always recommend higher than the minimum.
RAM consumption generally boils down to four main culprits. Server-side rendering (SSR), active user session, database caching, and the code build process. In my opinion, 4 GB—8 GB is a good place to start because it gives you a great entry point from which you can build. Again, it's not going to break the bank, and can get you started with pretty decent performance.
Note: If your code is not efficient and your application is not optimized, that can really affect your performance.
DISK
I will always recommend NVMe disk space. It has the best read/write performance compared to regular HDD disks. As for the disk size, I recommend anything between 20 GB and 50 GB to start with.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth for a beginner will be difficult to determine. Three specific elements that can cause unexpected bandwidth spikes are unoptimized images, self-hosted videos, and malicious bots, so watch out for these. I would recommend starting at 500 GB to 1 TB (some hosting providers offer 4 TB on basic plans and even unlimited).
The last factor to consider, cost.
As a developer looking for a hosting solution on a budget, I would not recommend going beyond USD50 dollars to start. My recommendation for this is because you may not have the experience to properly assess what your initial needs might be. You may not have access to the right tools to properly inform you as to the direction to go. It's better to spend a small amount upfront and then realize that you need to scale up than to throw a lot of cash up front to then scale down, realizing that you did not need it.
Let’s do the math. If you buy coffee regularly, let’s say Starbucks or Dunkin', that's about 14 cups. You may drink that in 1 week. If you drink lattes, iced cold brews, or frappuccinos, that's about 8 to 9 cups.
If we consider McDonald's, Wendy's, and Chick-fil-A, that could be roughly 4 combo meals.
I hope you get the picture. USD50 dollars can usually be spent on things that we don’t need. So it should not break the bank (for some it may; I do understand that).
I think USD50 dollars is a good limit to start with, no need to spend more. If you get a good deal, you could always spend less.
The Trap
Some hosting providers may put up a very competitive price, like USD2.99 or USD4.99. You’re so excited that you did not notice a small text that reads, renews at USD20.00. Please be aware.
Choosing a hosting provider
I would rather not recommend a hosting provider. I think that is up to you. Furthermore, I have given you a guide as to what to look for, and I think you should be fine. What you should do, however, is research customer reviews carefully. There are many providers that have excellent hardware available, and they have proven to be reliable. Some people may swear by a particular provider; I won’t do that. I currently use two, and they meet my needs; that is most important.
The thing that I think separates good hosting providers from bad ones is not so much the hardware they offer but the customer service.
As Andrew Henderson, the Nomad Capitalist, often says, Go where you’re treated best.
Conclusion
My recommendation:
* 2CPU—4CPU Cores
* 4 GB-8 GB RAM
* 20 GB-50 GB NVMe Disk Space
* 500 GB-1TB Bandwidth
* Cost—USD$50 as the limit; you could always pay less. I don’t recommend starting over this.
I hope this helps. If you’re new to this, I tried 6 hosting providers, and now I’ve stuck with just 2.
You don’t have to be intimidated by all the hype that is often thrown around. You need to be single-minded, not narrow-minded. Take your time; make sure you understand. Be focused, and I find prayer helps in everything, so I do pray to the Lord God of heaven and earth.
Cheers, happy VPS hunting!
