Linode.com offers linux virtual private server (VPS) systems that you can use to do anything. Now, when I say anything, I don’t mean we’ll-give-you-unlimited-databases anything, I mean ANYTHING anything. If you google search correctly, you can find reports of customers using their Linode to host Left4Dead servers, within the terms of use. So, then, here are my reasons for using Linode as a server solution.

Flexibility

As mentioned, Linode lets you do anything. Currently, I use my server to host subversion, tomcat, apache, MySQL, postfix email, and random files. But surely, you say, the hardware must be oversold, or you’re restricted in some crippling manner? Well, not really. I come nowhere close to my guaranteed bandwidth, CPU, or memory allotment with the smallest package available:

Linode 360:

• 360MB RAM
• 16GB Disk Storage
• 200GB/mo transfer
• $19.99/mo

The only perceivable downside to this flexibility…is the flexibility. When you create a server, you start with a flat, uninteresting linux distribution. You must manually install apache, tomcat, subversion, and whatever other services you wish to run. This configuration, however, lets you fine-tune the system to your exact specifications, and it lets you learn how to do all that in the process. With SSH at your side, you too can become a Linux ninja and master the lore of old. You’ll probably wind up a more efficient developer, and at the very least you’ll learn a neat Unix command or two.

Price

$19.99/mo for a web server seems pricey, but it really isn’t. You’re buying power, guaranteed reliability, and ownership of your server. By Linode’s own FAQ, hardware resources are guaranteed, and when the system is able, bursts of usage beyond are allowed. With a general web host, you’re stuck to whatever you’re given. The only other competition in this arena, really, is Slicehost. Their base $20/mo package only includes 256MB of RAM, however, which is simply unacceptable when a 384 solution exists for the same price.

Reliability

In the 5 months I’ve owned my Linode account, my server has only gone down once, for a 1-hour period. I was rather upset at the outage, as I use my server nightly, but I was not riled enough to seek a $0.66 refund. Performance, too, has always been top-notch. Not once have I ever noticed latency, which is simply incredible compared to general web hosts.

Conclusion

Linode is amazing, and if you believe me, click the referral link I hid in the first word of this post. If you stay on 3 months with my referral code, I get a month free.

Cheers.