- K3s
- containerd
- Traefik
- kubectl
Kubernetes VPS HostingA lightweight K3s cluster on your own server
K3s is a certified, lightweight Kubernetes distribution packaged as one binary. We install it on a hardened KVM VPS so you get a real kubectl, real manifests and real Helm charts on a server you control, without a managed cloud bill.
- KVM virtualisation
- NVMe storage
- Root SSH access
- Free one-time setup
- 99.9% uptime SLA
$systemctl list-units --type=service --state=active
- k3sKubernetes API on :6443
- containerdcontainer runtime, built in
- traefikingress controller, bundled
- ufwfirewall, tuned for K3s
- fail2banSSH brute-force guard
- unattended-upgradessecurity updates
Installed and secured before handover.
Why Run K3s on a VPS
Managed Kubernetes bills for the control plane, the nodes and the load balancer. A single K3s server costs one flat price.
A real Kubernetes API
K3s is a certified distribution: the same manifests, kubectl and Helm charts you use elsewhere.
Light enough for one server
The server needs 2 cores and 2 GB RAM at minimum, per the K3s requirements.
Learn and test safely
Practise deployments, ingress and Helm on a cluster you can rebuild.
A home for small production apps
Run a handful of containers with rolling updates on one node.
How a K3s Server Is Set Up
One VPS runs the control plane and your workloads. NGINX or Traefik takes the traffic.
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Ingress
Traefik
Bundled with K3s; routes hostnames to services.
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Workloads
Pods
Your deployments, jobs and services.
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Kubernetes
K3s server
API server, scheduler and controllers in one process.
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Runtime
containerd
Runs the containers; included in K3s.
Engineer's notes
- K3s lists 2 cores and 2 GB RAM as the minimum for a server node.
- The Kubernetes API listens on TCP 6443. Do not open it to the world; use an SSH tunnel or a private network.
- Ubuntu's UFW can block cluster traffic: K3s documents allowing 6443 and the pod and service ranges 10.42.0.0/16 and 10.43.0.0/16.
- A single node is one failure domain. High availability needs several servers and is a different design.
- 443HTTPS, ingress
- 80HTTP, redirects to HTTPS
- 22SSH, you only
- 6443Kubernetes API, restricted
What You Can Run
Containerised web apps
Deployments and services behind Traefik or NGINX.
Helm charts
Install community charts with a single command.
CI test clusters
A throwaway cluster for pipelines and previews.
Learning and certification practice
A real cluster for kubectl and manifest practice.
Scheduled jobs
CronJobs for backups, reports and clean-ups.
Internal tools
Dashboards and small services for your team.
Which Plan for Your K3s Server
Count the control plane first, then add what your pods request.
VPS-1
2 vCores and 4 GB RAM, above the 2 GB server minimum.
A starting point, not a limit: every plan upgrades in place, keeping your data, IP address and configuration.
Running K3s on Your Server
The steps below follow the K3s quick start and its requirements page.
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Let the cluster through UFW
Allow the API port and the default pod and service ranges.
sudo ufw allow 6443/tcpsudo ufw allow from 10.42.0.0/16 to anysudo ufw allow from 10.43.0.0/16 to any -
Install K3s
The official install script sets up the service.
curl -sfL https://get.k3s.io | sh - -
Check the node
The kubeconfig is written to /etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml.
sudo k3s kubectl get nodessudo k3s kubectl get pods -A -
Deploy something
A first deployment and a service to reach it.
sudo k3s kubectl create deployment web --image=nginxsudo k3s kubectl expose deployment web --port=80
Example commands: adjust names, paths and versions to your project. Deploying and maintaining your application is yours to do, or ask us for a quote.
Kubernetes (K3s) commands you will use every week
Copy, paste, adjust the names. Each one is safe to run as your own user on the server.
List nodes
sudo k3s kubectl get nodes -o wideAll pods, every namespace
sudo k3s kubectl get pods -AFollow a pod log
sudo k3s kubectl logs -f deploy/webApply a manifest
sudo k3s kubectl apply -f app.yamlService status
sudo systemctl status k3sUninstall K3s
/usr/local/bin/k3s-uninstall.shManaged Kubernetes or Your Own K3s?
Managed clusters remove the operations. A K3s VPS is cheaper and simpler, with one node and no managed extras.
Managed Kubernetes
- PricingControl plane, nodes and load balancer
- Cluster sizeMany nodes, autoscaling
- High availabilityBuilt in
- UpgradesHandled by the provider
- Server administrationHandled by the provider
K3s VPS
- PricingOne flat server cost
- Cluster sizeOne node (you can add more yourself)
- High availabilityNot on a single node
- UpgradesYours
- Server administrationYours, after our free setup
Your K3s server
Free one-time setup before you get access. Here is what happens, and what you receive.
Pick a plan and a location
Resources that fit your workload, in the datacentre closest to your users.
Tell us your Kubernetes (K3s) setup
Versions, database and domain: at order or right after.
We install and secure it
Server hardened, the stack installed and tested, HTTPS on your domain.
You get root
SSH to a working server, ready for your code and data.
Installed for you
- K3s from the official install script, running as a service
- containerd and the bundled Traefik ingress
- UFW rules for the cluster, on request
- NGINX with HTTPS on your domain, on request
- Workloads, Helm charts and namespaces are set up by you
Secured before handover
- Non-root sudo user created for daily work
- SSH key login, password login for root disabled
- Firewall (UFW) open only for the ports you use
- Fail2ban blocking repeated login attempts
- Automatic security updates enabled
- Free Let's Encrypt SSL on your domain
- Timezone, swap and hostname configured
Not included (we say so up front)
- Ongoing server administration
- Application maintenance and updates
- Debugging your code
- Migrating existing sites or data
Security and Performance for K3s
Security
- Never expose port 6443 publicly; reach the API over SSH or a private network.
- Keep /etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml private: it grants cluster admin.
- Run pods as non-root where the image allows it.
- Update K3s and your images regularly.
Performance
- Set resource requests and limits on every pod.
- Keep images small to save disk and pull time.
- Leave memory free for the control plane.
- Back up your manifests in Git as well as the daily VPS backups.
Built from the official documentation
VPS Plans for K3s
K3s needs 2 cores and 2 GB RAM before your workloads. Start at VPS-1 for a lab; size up for real apps.
VPS-1
Small websites, APIs, bots and development servers.
- 2 vCores
- 4 GB RAM
- 40 GB NVMe
- 500 Mbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-2
Production apps, WordPress and online stores.
- 4 vCores
- 8 GB RAM
- 75 GB NVMe
- 1 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-3
Busy stores, SaaS products and several projects.
- 6 vCores
- 12 GB RAM
- 100 GB NVMe
- 2 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-4
High-traffic apps, large databases and agencies.
- 8 vCores
- 24 GB RAM
- 200 GB NVMe
- 3 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
* Unlimited traffic in Europe and North America. In Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney a monthly allowance applies (VPS-1 500 GB, VPS-2/VPS-3 1 TB, VPS-4 3 TB), then speed is limited to 10 Mbps until the next month.
Prices exclude 18% GST, which is added to invoices for customers in India.
Platform specs and locations
The same KVM platform on every plan; only CPU, RAM, storage and port speed change.
- Virtualisation
- KVM with reserved vCores and RAM
- Storage
- NVMe SSD on every plan
- Network
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6, 500 Mbps to 3 Gbps per plan
- Operating systems
- Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04 LTS · Debian 13, 12 and 11 · AlmaLinux · Rocky Linux · Fedora · FreeBSD
- Access
- Full root over SSH, key-based login
- Backups
- Automatic daily backup of the previous 24 hours; snapshots and longer retention on request
- Protection
- Always-on anti-DDoS mitigation
- Availability
- 99.9% uptime SLA
Asia-Pacific
- Mumbai
- Singapore
- Sydney
Europe
- London
- Limburg
- Roubaix
- Gravelines
- Strasbourg
- Milan
- Warsaw
North America
- Beauharnois
Availability per location changes with demand; we confirm your location before setup. In Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney each plan includes a monthly traffic allowance (VPS-1 500 GB, VPS-2 and VPS-3 1 TB, VPS-4 3 TB); beyond it, speed is limited to 10 Mbps until the next month.
Questions before you deploy
Not covered here? Ask an engineer before you order.
Ready when you are
Run Your Own K3s Cluster
Choose a plan and we hand over K3s on a hardened server, ready for kubectl.