VMHeaven

Ubuntu VPS Ubuntu 24.04, 22.04, and 20.04 LTS on KVM

An Ubuntu VPS at VMHeaven is a KVM server with Ubuntu 24.04, 22.04, or 20.04 LTS and full root access, online about a minute after payment, from €4.99 a month in Amsterdam. You log in over SSH with the root password you set at checkout, or with the SSH key you added there, and the server runs its own kernel — so Docker, WireGuard and kernel modules work without workarounds.

  • Ubuntu 24.04 · 22.04 · 20.04 LTS
  • Root over SSH
  • Online in about a minute
  • Always-on DDoS protection

From€4.99/mo

See the plans

Ubuntu VPS

KVM server with root access

Versions
24.04 · 22.04 · 20.04 LTS
Login
root over SSH
Setup
About a minute after payment
Reinstall
Any time, from the panel
Network
Own IPv4, IPv6 where available
Locations
Amsterdam · Frankfurt

01Versions

Which Ubuntu version should I pick?

Every release on offer is an LTS with five years of standard security updates from its release date, and more with Ubuntu Pro. For a new server, take 24.04.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Recommended

Standard support until 2029

The newest release on our order form and the one with the most support time left. Start here unless your software asks for something else.

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

For pinned software

Standard support until 2027

For software built or certified for 22.04 — a vendor package, a control panel, a CI image you cannot change yet. Plan the move to 24.04 before 2027.

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Legacy only

Standard support ended 2025 · ESM only

Only for an old stack that cannot move yet. Security fixes now come through Ubuntu Pro (ESM) alone, so treat 20.04 as a bridge to a newer release.

Moving up later? do-release-upgrade takes a server to the next LTS, one release at a time. Reinstalling the newer release from the panel is usually cleaner — either way, take a backup in the panel first.

Support dates are Canonical's; the current ones are at ubuntu.com/about/release-cycle.

02First steps

What do I do first on a new Ubuntu VPS?

Four commands between the first root login and a server you can leave on the internet.

  1. 01

    Log in

    Connect as root to the IP address shown in the panel, with the password from checkout — or without one, if you added an SSH key when ordering.

    ssh root@203.0.113.10
  2. 02

    Update everything

    A template is only as current as the day it was built. Bring every package up to date before you install anything of your own.

    apt update && apt full-upgrade -y
  3. 03

    Add a sudo user

    Create a normal account for daily work and add it to the sudo group, then copy your key to it from your own computer with ssh-copy-id.

    adduser ops && usermod -aG sudo ops
  4. 04

    Turn on UFW

    Ubuntu ships the UFW firewall switched off. Allow SSH before you enable it, or your next login will not get through.

    ufw allow OpenSSH && ufw enable

Shut yourself out anyway? The VNC console in the panel still reaches the server. Key-only SSH, automatic security updates and swap are in our initial server setup guide; securing SSH and the UFW guide go further.

03Use cases

What runs well on an Ubuntu VPS?

Most server software documents Ubuntu first, so the install guide you find usually matches the server you have.

Web stack

nginx or Apache with PHP and MySQL or MariaDB, straight from the Ubuntu archive. Point your domain at the server and add a free certificate with Certbot.

Docker and Compose

A Docker VPS needs a real kernel, and a KVM server has one: Docker Engine and the Compose plugin install the usual way. Our Docker guide covers the setup.

Node.js and Python apps

APIs, workers and bots that run around the clock under systemd or PM2. For Discord bots in particular, see Discord bot hosting.

WireGuard VPN

Your own VPN from a single package: WireGuard is part of the Ubuntu kernel, so there is nothing to compile. Our step-by-step guide covers server and clients.

Game servers

Minecraft and most other game servers lean on one main thread. That is the workload Hi-CPU KVM is built for.

Self-hosted tools

Git hosting, monitoring, a password manager, file sync, workflow automation — the open-source tools you would rather run yourself than rent as SaaS.

04Plans

Which plan does an Ubuntu server need?

Ubuntu itself asks for little: a web server, a bot or a VPN runs comfortably on the 20 GB disk of the entry plans. Choose the line by how your software uses the CPU.

Standard KVM

Intel · DDR4 ECC

Nine sizes from 2 to 32 vCores, the most cores for the money. For Docker hosts, several sites and anything that spreads across many cores.

Amsterdam In stockFrankfurt Sold out
PlanvCoresRAMStorageAmsterdam
STANDARD KVM 124 GB DDR420 GB€4.99/mo
STANDARD KVM 248 GB DDR440 GB€9.99/mo
STANDARD KVM 3612 GB DDR460 GB€14.99/mo
All 9 Standard KVM plans

Hi-CPU KVM

AMD EPYC 7443 · ECC

A few strong cores on AMD EPYC 7443, from 1 to 14 vCores on the same price ladder. For game servers, bots and software that runs in one or two threads.

Amsterdam In stockFrankfurt Sold out
PlanvCoresRAMStorageAmsterdam
HI-CPU 112 GB ECC20 GB€4.99/mo
HI-CPU 224 GB ECC40 GB€9.99/mo
HI-CPU 336 GB ECC60 GB€14.99/mo
All 9 Hi-CPU KVM plans

Ubuntu fits on 20 GB, but Docker images, databases and logs grow, so a container host is more comfortable from 40 GB. You can upgrade the plan later from the panel.

Ubuntu is orderable on every KVM line: DMCA Ignored KVM from €5.99 in Amsterdam and €8.99 in Frankfurt, Pentesting KVM from €6.99 and €8.99. Want the server in Frankfurt? VPS in Germany shows what can be ordered there today.

05Ubuntu or Debian

Ubuntu or Debian?

Both use apt and .deb packages, and most commands carry over unchanged. The difference lies in the release rhythm and in what comes installed.

Pick Ubuntu if…

  • you want a fixed rhythm: a new LTS every April of an even year, with newer kernels (HWE) in between
  • your software documents Ubuntu first, as most tutorials do
  • you use snaps or PPAs to get a newer version of a single program
  • you want up to ten years of security fixes with Ubuntu Pro (ESM)

Pick Debian if…

  • you want the leanest base system, without snapd
  • you prefer conservative releases that change little once they are out
  • a community project with no company behind it matters to you

Debian is on the order form too — Debian VPS explains its releases. Switching later is a reinstall in the panel, not a new order.

06FAQ

Ubuntu VPS: questions

Everything you need to know before deploying — and a human if you need more.

Ubuntu 24.04, 22.04, and 20.04 LTS, picked at checkout. The reinstall menu in the panel offers the same list, so you can switch later. All of them are LTS releases; interim releases without long-term support are not offered.

About a minute after the payment is confirmed. Setup is automatic, with no manual review: the server is created from the Ubuntu template, receives its IP addresses, your password and your SSH key through cloud-init, and boots. With crypto, the blockchain confirmation comes first and is usually the longer wait.

Yes. Run sudo do-release-upgrade on the server; Ubuntu moves one LTS at a time, so 20.04 goes to 22.04 first and then to 24.04. Take a backup in the panel before you start. If the server holds little state, reinstalling 24.04 from the panel and copying your data back is often quicker and leaves nothing behind.

Over SSH as root: ssh root@ followed by the IP address shown in the panel, with the password you set at checkout or the SSH key you added there. On Windows, the OpenSSH client built into PowerShell or PuTTY will do; on macOS and Linux, the terminal. No answer on SSH? The panel's VNC console shows the server's screen either way.

Yes, from the panel at any time and without a ticket: another Ubuntu release, another Linux distribution such as Debian, or Windows Server 2022 or 2019. A reinstall wipes the disk; backups taken before it are kept. Windows Server works on every plan, the smallest included, and is more comfortable from 40 GB; it comes on an evaluation licence until your own key is activated, and its first start takes longer than Ubuntu's. Windows VPS has the details.

Only with Ubuntu Pro. Canonical's standard support for 20.04 ended in May 2025; since then, security fixes come only through Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM), which needs an Ubuntu Pro subscription — free for personal use on up to five machines. Without it, the server no longer receives security updates. Install 24.04 for anything new, and plan the upgrade for an existing 20.04 stack.

Yes. Every plan is a complete KVM guest running its own kernel, so Docker, Docker Compose and Podman run as on any other Ubuntu server — with no kernel modules to request from the host, unlike on container-based VPS such as OpenVZ or LXC. KVM vs OpenVZ explains the difference.

07Use cases & related

Related plans and guides

Other servers we run for neighbouring jobs, each with its starting price, and three guides worth reading before you order.

Related plans

GuidesFrom the VMHeaven blog

GuidesInitial server setup: the first ten minutes on a new VPS~7 minGuidesInstall Docker on Ubuntu 24.04 and Debian 12/13 from the official repository~11 minGuidesHow to secure SSH access on a public server~6 min

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Enterprise-grade compute in the EU — no contracts, cancel anytime, backed by our 99.5% uptime SLA.

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