VPS for Docker Compose Apps, Hourly Billed

A Docker Compose app needs a Linux server with root, Docker and enough memory for every service in the file. VeloxaHost servers are root system containers that run Docker inside, billed by the hour and capped at the monthly price of their size. Put your compose.yaml on one, run docker compose up -d, and the stack runs there until you stop it.

Set it up

1. Create a server from Ubuntu 24.04 in a size that fits the stack's combined memory. New servers are ready for Docker. A server created before Docker support needs Enable Docker on its page first, which restarts it once.
2. Install Docker and the Compose plugin from the Ubuntu archive.

   apt-get update && apt-get install -y docker.io docker-compose-v2
   docker run --rm hello-world
   

3. Copy your compose.yaml and .env to the server (the file manager in the console, scp -P <first port>, or git clone), then start the stack.

   docker compose up -d
   docker compose ps
   

4. Publish the service you want to reach with ports: in the file, for example "8080:80". Then, under How to connect on the server page, forward a port of your shared IPv4 block to 8080. The app answers on http://<shared address>:<port>.

The Plausible Analytics one-click app is built this way: Docker and the Compose plugin on Ubuntu 24.04, its Compose repository cloned into /opt/plausible, and docker compose up -d.

Sizing a stack

Add up the memory of every service, then leave headroom for the build cache and for upgrades. A web app with PostgreSQL and Redis usually fits Veloxa 1 ($8 a month, $0.02 an hour) or Veloxa 2 ($15 a month, $0.03 an hour). Analytics or search engines with a column store or an index in memory need more. If a service is killed for running out of memory, raise the server's memory from the console: on a container server the change applies without a restart.

Worked example bill

A 31-day month with one production stack running all month, and a copy of it started for five days of testing before an upgrade.

Server	Size	Hours running	Hourly rate	At the hourly rate	Monthly cap	Billed
stack-prod	Veloxa 2	744	$0.03	$22.32	$15	$15.00
stack-staging	Veloxa 1	120	$0.02	$2.40	$8	$2.40
Total						$17.40

The staging copy was made by turning a snapshot of production into a backup and restoring it as a new server, then deleted after the test. It cost its 120 hours. Production reached its cap in hour 500.

What is included

• Root and Docker. Install any image your Compose file names; Docker inside the server pulls from your registries as usual.
• Snapshots that include the volumes. A snapshot or a scheduled backup captures the whole disk, Docker volumes included. Snapshots are not charged.
• Restore as a new server, for a staging copy or to roll an upgrade back.
• A block of 10 ports on the shared IPv4 address, forwarded over TCP or UDP to any port on the server, and firewall rules per server.
• Browser terminal and file manager, to read docker compose logs or edit .env without SSH.
• One-click Docker apps from the marketplace, if one already does what you need.

Limits

• No ports 80 and 443 on the shared address. Use a port in your block, or add a dedicated IPv4 address (a paid add-on with limited availability) for a reverse proxy on 80 and 443. IPv6 is not available in US East yet.
• The host's kernel. Containers that need kernel modules, a custom kernel or eBPF tooling will not work, and neither will Kubernetes. Virtual machines are not offered in US East yet.
• One server per stack. There are no private networks, floating IPs or load balancers in the region yet, so services that must talk privately belong in the same Compose file on the same server.
• Disk is fixed at creation. Images, build cache and volumes share the server's disk; prune old images with docker image prune.
• Outbound port 25 is blocked by default. Send mail through a provider on port 587 or 465.

FAQ

Does Docker run inside a VeloxaHost VPS?

Yes. Servers are system containers that run Docker and Docker Compose. Install docker.io and docker-compose-v2 and run your stack as on any Ubuntu server.

How do I back up a Compose stack?

Turn on automatic snapshots (hourly to weekly, kept 1 to 30 days) or scheduled backups (every 6 hours to weekly, keeping 1 to 10). Both capture the Docker volumes with the rest of the disk. For a database, a dump before each backup gives you a copy that is consistent.

Can I build images on the server?

Yes. You have root and Docker, so building images with docker compose build works. The build cache uses the server's disk.

Do I pay while the stack is stopped?

If you stop the server, no: stopped servers are not charged. If the server is running with the stack stopped, the server is still charged by the hour, up to its monthly cap.

Can several Compose projects share one server?

Yes. Give each project its own directory and its own published ports, and forward a port of your block to each one that must be reachable.