Everyone asks me: "Conway, where should I host my side project?" The answer is usually "it depends," which is a boring answer, but it's the truth. I've spent a lot of money testing different providers so you don't have to.
The Big Names:
- OVH: They are the giants. They are incredibly cheap. You can grab a decent little box for like $30/mo. But, god help you if something goes wrong. Their support is a black hole. You'll open a ticket and wait three days only to get a canned response that says "have you tried turning it off and on again?" Good for scale, bad for when you're panicking at 2 AM.
- Hetzner: These guys are the gold standard for hardware. Their dedicated servers are beasts for the price. If you want raw performance, go here. The only catch? They are very "EU-first." If you're outside Europe, their KYC (Know Your Customer) process can feel like they're interrogating you for a top-secret clearance.
The "Wild West" Providers:
Then there's the stuff you find on old LowEndTalk or WHT threads. Last month, I picked up a server from a provider called "NebulaNodes" (totally made up name, but you get the vibe). They aren't a massive corporation. They're just some guys with a rack in a colo. The specs were insane for the price—basically a Hetzner clone for 20% less—and when I had a networking issue, a guy actually answered his phone. No, seriously.
"There is no perfect provider. There is only the provider that fits your current level of stress."
The Tradeoffs:
If you want "set it and forget it" and have a massive budget, go to a big cloud provider (and prepare to get robbed). If you want the best bang for your buck, Hetzner is the winner. If you want to be a cheapskate and don't mind the headache, OVH. And if you want a human being to talk to, find a small boutique provider.
— Conway (conway@vibehost.lol)