A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a virtualized environment hosted on a shared physical server that functions exactly like a dedicated machine. It is called "Virtual" because the hardware is partitioned via a hypervisor, and "Dedicated" (or Private) because your resources (CPU, RAM, Disk) and Operating System are completely isolated from other users. You may hear terms like VDS (Virtual Dedicated Server) or VM (Virtual Machine); effectively, these all refer to the same technology. We use the term VPS to emphasize the balance between the affordability of shared hosting and the power of a dedicated server.

In unmanaged VPS hosting, you are provided with full administrative control over your virtual server, making you responsible for tasks like OS updates, security patching, and software installations. In contrast, managed VPS hosting includes these responsibilities being handled by the provider. Our VPS hosting is unmanaged (Self-managed), granting you full root access (for Linux) or full administrator access (for Windows) to your server. This gives you complete control over your operating system, software installations, configurations, and security within your VPS environment. For any questions about managing your VPS, our support team can provide guidance on infrastructure-related queries.

You can run a wide range of modern operating systems on your VPS. For the most up-to-date list of supported Windows and Linux distributions, please refer to our VPS product pages.

We do not support uploading custom ISO files or mounting external installation media. However, you can switch your Operating System at any time using the "Re-image" tool located in the Recovery tab of the control panel. We provide a wide range of popular Windows and Linux templates to choose from.

Our VPS plans come with the selected operating system installed. Depending on the OS and specific plan, certain common components might be pre-configured. For example, some Linux distributions may include Webmin, and certain Windows Server versions may come with IIS (Internet Information Services) or Microsoft SQL Server (if chosen as part of your plan or during setup). Please check the details on our product pages for specific plan inclusions.

Yes, our VPS plans offer various customization options. You can choose your preferred operating system and tailor resource allocations (CPU, RAM, storage, bandwidth) through our management portal. For more granular control, you can configure a Custom VPS. If you have unique customization needs, our support team is available to assist in finding the best solution for you.

The only limits are the physical parameters of the server (disk space, memory, processor power, and network bandwidth). You can host websites, services, and databases; use it for trading, intensive calculations, gaming servers, proxy solutions, VOIP gateways, etc. With full root/administrator access to your VPS, you have the freedom to install virtually any compatible software or application that meets your requirements, including web servers, databases, development tools, and more. However, activities like spamming, phishing, or any crime under US law are prohibited. For clarity on prohibited activities and content, please refer to our terms of service, our Restrictions on Applications section within our Universal Terms of Service Agreement and Hosting Service Agreement. If you are unsure whether a specific application or activity is permitted, please contact our customer support team for clarification.

No, we do not directly support containerization technologies like Docker or Kubernetes. While you have full root/administrator access to install such software, our support team does not assist with its configuration, troubleshooting, or operation within your VPS. For advanced setup inquiries or troubleshooting specific to these technologies, you may need to consult community resources or external specialists.

You can manage your server using standard remote protocols: Remote Desktop (RDP) for Windows and SSH for Linux/Unix. Additionally, our control panel features a "Web Console" button on the server summary page. This opens a direct graphical connection to your server in a new browser window (acting like a physical monitor), allowing you to access the system even if it is disconnected from the internet or if the firewall is blocking standard remote access.

We provide our own proprietary, web-based control panel designed for managing your VPS infrastructure (Power, Recovery, Web Console, Re-imaging, and Billing). We do not provide or sell licenses for third-party control panels like cPanel, Plesk, or DirectAdmin. However, since you have full root/administrator access, you are free to purchase a license directly from those vendors and install any control panel you wish onto your server.

Our VPS infrastructure is built on high-quality, branded enterprise-grade hardware to ensure optimal performance and reliability. This includes powerful Intel Xeon and AMD Epyc processors and server-grade RAM. Our storage system is based on enterprise-grade NVMe SSDs and SAS HDDs in a RAID configuration. For more in-depth hardware specifications, our support team is happy to provide details.

Disk space is dedicated but shared among virtual servers without overprovisioning. Memory is dedicated without overlap, and each server has its allocated physical memory. The processor is shared as well. Overall, our system ensures that the availability of virtual CPUs is always optimal for all virtual servers.

Yes, each VPS plan comes with a dedicated IP address. Additional IP addresses are also available if your specific needs require them. Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are fully supported across our VPS plans. For inquiries about additional IP addresses or specific IP configurations, our support team is ready to assist.

Yes, we do provide basic DNS records management, granted you point your domain name to our name servers.

No, there are no filters. All ports and protocols are open.

We're committed to providing highly reliable VPS hosting, backed by a 99.9% uptime guarantee. This guarantee applies to available time per month, with specific conditions and exclusions detailed in our Service Uptime Guarantee policy . For example, it doesn't apply to interruptions caused by scheduled maintenance, your custom scripting, or factors beyond our reasonable control.

Our VPS hosting infrastructure is strategically located in several key regions to provide optimal performance and reliability. You can choose from our data centers in the Central and Eastern USA (Charlotte, NC, and Kansas City, MO) and Central Europe (Prague, Czech Republic). We're also actively expanding our global presence, with upcoming locations including the Western USA (Seattle area), Central India, and Malaysia. During the setup of your VPS, you can select your preferred server location based on your target audience or opt for automatic selection by our system; choosing a location closer to your users can significantly improve performance by reducing latency and speeding up website loading times.

Our multi-layered security (including robust firewalls, sophisticated DDoS protection, regular security patches, and stringent access control mechanisms) protects our VPS environment. You are responsible for securing your own applications.

We perform automatic daily system snapshots of your server and retain them for 7 days. These are intended for disaster recovery (restoring the whole server to a previous state). This is not a file-level backup service; you cannot browse and pick individual files to restore. To request a full server rollback to a specific date within the last week, please contact our support team. We strongly advise keeping your own separate off-site backups for critical data.

We're committed to high standards of data protection and adhere to major compliance regulations relevant to our services and data center locations, such as GDPR. Our data centers and operational processes are designed to meet these rigorous compliance frameworks. However, while we adhere to general data protection principles, our standard VPS hosting services are not certified for PCI or HIPAA compliance. If you have specific compliance requirements such as PCI or HIPAA, please contact our support team to discuss potential solutions or whether our services can meet your specific needs.

Our VPS hosting plans are designed to be competitive and transparent. Pricing is determined by the specific resources you select for your virtual server, including CPU cores, RAM allocation, storage capacity, and bandwidth allowance. You can be confident in our transparent billing practices, with no hidden fees. If you require additional resources beyond your initial plan, they can typically be added at a prorated cost. Prices and fees are subject to change as outlined in our Universal Terms of Service Agreement. For detailed pricing inquiries or to discuss a custom quote, don't hesitate to contact our support team.

We want you to feel confident in your choice of our VPS services. Therefore, we offer a 60-day money-back guarantee for your first plan purchased in the same category, applicable within 60 days from the transaction date. This allows you to thoroughly test our hosting environment risk-free. Please review our full Refund Policy for specific eligibility and restrictions, as recurring subscriptions, trials, and services with completed IT requests are not eligible. A 7-day trial period is also available for a small fee.

We offer flexible billing cycles, including monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually, biennially, and triennially, with discounts often applied for longer terms. Payment methods accepted include major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), PayPal, and cryptocurrency. All transactions are secured with industry-standard encryption.

You can typically initiate the cancellation request through our control panel. Please ensure you review your current billing cycle and our Refund Policy for any applicable terms regarding cancellations. We recommend backing up any critical data off your server before initiating a cancellation, as your content will be removed upon service termination. For any questions about the cancellation process or refund eligibility, our support team is ready to assist.

Windows VPS hosting provides a virtualized server environment running a Microsoft Windows Server operating system. It functions like a dedicated Windows computer, providing you with a desktop interface, full administrator privileges, and guaranteed resources (CPU/RAM). It is the standard choice for hosting Windows-specific software, .NET applications, and websites running on IIS.

The primary way to manage a Windows VPS is via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Using the "Remote Desktop Connection" client (pre-installed on all Windows PCs and available for Mac/Mobile), you connect using your server's IP and Administrator credentials. This gives you a full graphical desktop experience, allowing you to configure the server just like you would a local PC. You can also use our web-based console for emergency access.

We support a wide range of modern Windows Server editions to ensure compatibility with your software requirements. This typically includes the latest stable releases (such as Windows Server 2019 and 2022) as well as specific older versions if needed for legacy compatibility. For the exact list of currently available versions, please check the Operating System dropdown menu on our order page.

Yes, because you have full Administrator access, you are free to install any compatible Microsoft software or third-party Windows applications. This includes Exchange Server, SharePoint, or custom business software. However, please ensure your VPS plan has sufficient RAM and CPU resources to handle these resource-intensive applications, and that your usage adheres to our Terms of Service.

Since this is a self-managed server, security is your responsibility. Crucial steps include: 1) Changing the default Administrator password immediately upon receipt. 2) Using the Windows Firewall to restrict RDP access to only your specific IP address (this prevents brute-force attacks). 3) Installing Windows Updates regularly. 4) Installing antivirus software if you plan to browse the web or download files directly onto the server.

Linux VPS hosting provides a virtualized server environment running a Linux-based operating system (such as Ubuntu, Debian, or CentOS). It is designed for developers and system administrators who need a powerful, flexible, and command-line driven environment. Unlike Windows, it is open-source and typically uses fewer system resources, leaving more power available for your applications.

Linux is the foundation of the web. It is ideally suited for hosting websites using the popular LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) or LEMP (Nginx) stacks. Beyond web servers, you can install virtually any open-source software, including database systems (PostgreSQL, MariaDB, MongoDB), programming runtimes (Python, Ruby, Node.js, Go), and containerization tools.

We provide a wide variety of popular Linux distributions to suit your specific needs. This typically includes the latest Long Term Support (LTS) versions of Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS and others. You can select your preferred distribution from the dropdown menu during the order process or switch to a different one later using the "Re-image" tool.

Yes, with full root access, you can configure your own mail server using software like Postfix, Exim, or Dovecot. However, please be aware that maintaining a mail server requires significant effort to manage reputation and security. You must also ensure your IP address is not blacklisted and configure proper DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to ensure deliverability.

Since this is a self-managed server, you are responsible for its security. We highly recommend: 1) Disabling direct Root login via SSH and using a standard user with sudo privileges instead. 2) Using SSH Keys for authentication rather than passwords to prevent brute-force attacks. 3) Configuring a firewall (like UFW or iptables) to close all ports except those you are actively using. 4) Running regular updates (e.g., apt update or yum update) to patch security vulnerabilities.

Yes, because you have full Root access, you have the freedom to make low-level system changes, including compiling and installing custom kernels or kernel modules. This allows you to enable specific features or optimizations not available in the standard distribution kernels, provided these changes remain compatible with our underlying virtualized hardware.

An SSD VPS is a Virtual Private Server that uses enterprise-grade Solid State Drives (flash memory) for its primary storage instead of traditional spinning Hard Disk Drives (HDD). This modern storage technology eliminates the mechanical bottlenecks of older servers, ensuring your operating system and applications run at maximum speed.

SSDs are generally more reliable than traditional HDDs because they lack moving mechanical parts that can wear out or fail physically. To further ensure data integrity and uptime, our SSD infrastructure is deployed using RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) configurations, which protect your data against individual drive failures while maintaining high performance.

The vast majority of our VPS plans are powered by high-performance SSD storage to ensure the best experience for general workloads. However, we may offer specific "Storage VPS" plans that utilize HDDs to provide massive storage capacity at a lower cost for archiving or backups. Please check the "Disk type" specification on the order page to confirm the storage technology for your specific plan.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard technology for keeping an internet connection secure and safeguarding any sensitive data that is being sent between two systems. It prevents criminals from reading and modifying any information transferred, including potential personal details. When installed, it changes the application protocol (HTTP) to HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure).

When a visitor connects to your site via HTTPS, their browser validates your SSL certificate. If valid, the browser displays a padlock icon next to the URL address bar and uses the https:// prefix. If there is an issue (expired cert or mixed content), the browser will display a "Not Secure" warning.

No. The Let's Encrypt certificates generated through our control panel are 100% free of charge for issuance and renewal. We do not charge a setup fee for binding these specific certificates to your hosted websites.

It depends on your hosting plan. Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days. If you are on a Paid Hosting Plan, our system will automatically renew the certificate before it expires. If you are on a Free Hosting Plan, automatic renewal is disabled; you must log in to the control panel and click the "Renew" button manually every 3 months to keep the certificate active.

To secure your site, log in to the control panel and navigate to the SSL Certificates > Free certificate orders section. Click "Create order," select your domain, and the system will attempt to verify your domain ownership via HTTP or DNS. Once issued, the certificate is automatically installed on your website (for shared hosting) or available for export (for VPS).

We provide support for the issuance and installation of the certificate within our infrastructure. We ensure the Let's Encrypt verification challenge works and that the certificate binds to IIS correctly. However, we cannot troubleshoot third-party certificates you import yourself, nor can we fix "Mixed Content" errors (insecure images/scripts) within your website's HTML code.

Yes, Let's Encrypt is widely trusted and its certificates are recognized by all major web browsers, ensuring broad compatibility and trustworthiness.

Let's Encrypt certificates are Domain Validated (DV), which is sufficient for the vast majority of websites, blogs, and stores. However, they do not offer Extended Validation (EV)—the "Green Bar" assurance—or Organization Validation (OV). If your enterprise requires an EV certificate for specific compliance reasons, you will need to purchase one from a different provider and import it.

ASP.NET hosting is a specialized environment optimized for websites and applications built with Microsoft's .NET framework. Unlike generic Linux hosting, our platform runs on Windows Server with Internet Information Services (IIS), ensuring native compatibility for .NET code, MS SQL databases, and specific Windows services. It supports all generations of the technology, from Classic ASP and Web Forms to MVC and the latest .NET Core.

We support both "Framework-Dependent" and "Self-Contained" deployment modes. For maximum stability, we recommend publishing your application as Self-Contained. This bundles the specific .NET runtime your app needs directly into your upload folder, ensuring your site runs perfectly even if the server's global installed versions change. If you choose Framework-Dependent, please check our server specs to ensure the required runtime is installed.

Yes, we fully support legacy applications built on the .NET Framework (4.0 through 4.8). If you have an older site using Web Forms or MVC 5, you simply need to set your website's Application Pool to "Managed Pipeline Mode: Integrated" and select the appropriate .NET CLR version in the control panel to ensure it runs correctly.

The free plan is designed for learning and testing. It includes:

• Storage: 150 MB of disk space.
• Bandwidth: 5 GB of monthly data transfer.
• Technology: Support for ASP.NET (4.8) and .NET Core (up to .NET 9).
• Database: 1 MS SQL Express database (30MB Data / 30MB Log).
• Domain: A free third-level subdomain (e.g., user.somee.com).
• Security: Free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates (manual renewal required).
• Access: FTP file upload.

You can deploy your application using two main methods:

• Visual Studio Publish: Select "Folder" as your target profile, then upload the resulting files using an FTP client (like FileZilla) with the credentials found in your dashboard.
• File Manager: You can upload files directly through the web-based File Manager in the User Panel.

Note: Always ensure your web.config is correctly configured for the .NET version you selected in the dashboard.

If your website exceeds the 5 GB monthly data transfer limit, it may become temporarily inaccessible until the next billing cycle. To avoid interruptions, consider monitoring your bandwidth usage or upgrading to a paid plan with higher limits.

To preserve resources, our system automatically removes inactive free services. The rules differ slightly between websites and databases:

• Websites: A free website is eligible for deletion only if it meets ALL three of these criteria:
  • No visitors (ad hits) for approx. 45 days.
  • No Control Panel logins for 60 days.
  • No purchase history on the account.
  Solution: Log in to the Control Panel once every 60 days.
• MS SQL Databases: Free databases are monitored for activity metadata. If a database receives no active queries (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, etc.) for 30 days, it will be removed. Solution: Ensure your application connects to and queries the database at least once a month.

Note: If you have ever purchased a paid service, your account is permanently flagged as "Paid," which exempts your websites from the inactivity deletion rule.

We support a wide range of Microsoft SQL Server editions to ensure compatibility with your development environment. Currently available versions include:

• SQL Server 2022 Express
• SQL Server 2019 Express
• SQL Server 2017 Express
• SQL Server 2016 Express
• SQL Server 2014 Express

Important Note on Compatibility: When creating your database, please select a version that is equal to or newer than the version you are running on your local computer. SQL Server generally does not allow you to restore a backup created on a newer version (e.g., 2022) onto an older server instance (e.g., 2019).

MS SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDBMS) developed by Microsoft. It is the primary database choice for enterprise-level applications, particularly those built with ASP.NET and .NET Core. Our hosting provides fully managed instances, daily backups, and support for advanced features like Stored Procedures, Triggers, and Views.

Yes, Full Text Search is enabled on our shared MS SQL servers. This allows you to run complex linguistic queries against character data. Note: To deploy a database with Full Text Catalogs, you must use the Backup/Restore method; attaching raw files (`.mdf`) does not support moving FTS catalogs.

You can manage your database remotely using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), a free tool from Microsoft. You will need the Server Name (e.g., yoursite.mssql.somee.com) and the Login/Password credentials provided in your Control Panel. Please ensure you configure SSMS to connect specifically to your database name to avoid listing errors.

Windows Hosting utilizes the Microsoft Windows Server operating system and Internet Information Services (IIS) web server. It is the required platform for running applications built with Visual Basic, C#, ASP.NET, and MS SQL Server. It is known for its ease of use and seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem.

Yes. When you create a site, we provide a free, third-level subdomain (e.g., projectname.somee.com). You can use this for development, testing, or production. You can add a custom top-level domain (like yourname.com) to the account at any time later.

You do not need to transfer your domain registration to us. You can keep your domain with your current registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap) and simply point it to our servers. You can do this by updating your Name Servers to ns.somee.com and ns1.somee.com, or by creating an A-Record pointing to your website's IP address.

We perform daily server-wide backups for disaster recovery purposes only (e.g., if a hard drive fails). These are not intended for individual customer use. We strongly recommend maintaining your own local backups. If you accidentally delete a file, we may be able to retrieve it from our archives, but this requires a manual search by an engineer and incurs a service fee.

Our Shared Windows Hosting environment is strictly specialized for the Microsoft technology stack (ASP.NET, .NET Core, SQL Server). We do not support PHP, Python, Perl, or other CGI scripts on these shared plans. If your project requires these technologies, you must use our Linux VPS or Windows VPS solutions, where you have full administrative control to install the necessary runtimes yourself.

We offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee backed by a robust infrastructure including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and regular malware scanning. Server maintenance is strictly scheduled during off-peak hours to minimize disruption. All accounts are isolated to prevent one user's security breach from affecting others.