A Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS) gives you the best of both worlds: the power of dedicated resources with the flexibility of a virtual environment. We allocate a set amount of physical CPU cores and RAM from a host server exclusively to you. Unlike a standard VPS where CPU resources are shared, a VDS guarantees your resources are always available for your applications, ensuring consistent, high-level performance.

A  VPS (Virtual Private Server)  and a VDS (Virtual Dedicated Server) both provide virtualized server environments, but they differ in how resources are allocated and managed.

A VPS is typically hosted on a physical server along with multiple other VPS instances. Each VPS shares the physical server’s CPU, memory, storage, and other resources. This setup allows for efficient resource utilization and cost-effectiveness but can sometimes lead to resource contention if other VPSs on the same host are using a substantial amount of resources.

A VDS offers a higher level of resource allocation compared to VPS. Although it is also hosted on a shared physical server, the resources for a VDS are usually allocated in a way that minimizes the impact of other servers on the same machine. This setup mimics a more dedicated server environment, providing more consistent performance and reliability than a typical VPS. A VDS is suitable for businesses with more demanding requirements that need guaranteed resources.

The key difference between a VDS and a Dedicated Server is physical hardware. A Dedicated Server is an entire physical machine that you lease, giving you 100% of its resources. A VDS is a powerful virtual machine on a host server, but with its own dedicated CPU cores and RAM that are not shared with any other users. A VDS offers predictable, dedicated-like performance at a more affordable price point, while a Dedicated Server provides the absolute maximum power and isolation.

The Virtual Dedicated Server price at Contabo depends on the resources you choose, such as the number of dedicated CPU cores, the amount of RAM, and the size of the NVMe storage. We are committed to providing the best price-to-performance ratio in the industry, offering powerful hardware configurations at a transparent and predictable monthly cost, so you can get the dedicated power you need without breaking your budget. Check out our VDS lineup above.

At Contabo, we specialize in unmanaged server infrastructure, which gives you complete control and root access to configure your VDS exactly how you want it. If you require managed services, we do offer this for an additional fee, available as an Add-On when you order and configure your server.

It's simple to buy a VDS from us. Just choose the plan that best fits your resource needs, and customize it with your preferred operating system, location, and any additional features. After you complete the checkout process, we will automatically provision your server, and it will be ready for you in minutes.

Yes, we offer full flexibility for your operating system. You can choose from a wide range of popular distributions for a Linux Virtual Dedicated Server, or opt for a Windows Virtual Dedicated Server if your applications require it. This ensures you can build your projects on the platform you know and trust. Popular Linux distributions and Windows Server versions are available as preinstalled Add-Ons when you order and customize your server.

Yes, to a certain extent. While both the CPU cores and RAM cannot be customized, you can always add additional Storage space of up to 4 TB SSD as well as additional or unlimited bandwidth (depending on your VDS plan). If you need more resources than your plan allows, it's easy to upgrade to a more powerful VDS or even a  Dedicated Server .

At Contabo, the choice is yours. Select from a wide range of popular Linux distributions (including Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and RHEL Variants) and Windows Server. Should you be interested in nested virtualization, Proxmox is also available as an Add-On.

We accept payments in EUR, USD, and GBP, with different payment methods depending on the currency. Please see the  full list here  and this helpful  video guide  for more information.

For all payment methods other than credit card, the first payment after you have submitted an order has to be done manually. Please use the payment information provided after the order process. Once you have access to your  Customer Control Panel , you can manage your payment methods, make payments, and set up automated payments conveniently.

Yes, we offer  cPanel  and  Plesk  hosting control panels at additional cost. We also offer Webmin for free. Note that we’re offering  Plesk for free for the first month  across our Cloud VPS, Cloud VDS, Storage VPS, and Dedicated Server plans.

If you’re not satisfied with Plesk within the first month, then just cancel it before the end of your first month through the  Customer Control Panel  (you won’t be charged if you cancel it before the first month ends). We also put together this  hosting panel comparison guide  to help you decide which panel is best for your needs.

SSD (Solid State Drive) and NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) are both types of storage technologies that improve upon traditional mechanical hard drives. The main difference lies in their speed and the interface they use.

SSDs use NAND-based flash memory, which is faster than a hard disk drive (HDD) because it has no moving parts. SSDs typically connect via SATA (Serial ATA) interface, which was designed primarily for HDDs, limiting the speed potential of SSDs.

NVMe is a newer protocol designed specifically for flash memory to fully leverage the speed of SSDs. It uses the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface, which provides a faster data transfer rate compared to SATA. NVMe drives offer significantly higher throughput and lower latency than SATA SSDs, making them ideal for applications that require rapid access to data, such as video editing, gaming, and high-performance computing.

According to  Digital Trends , "There is a huge difference in terms of raw performance when comparing a standard SSD with SATA protocol and an SSD that uses NVMe. " And we can confirm this based on our own research showing that  NVMe enhances server performance  by at least 10X.

Of course. It is possible to switch from any other product to a VDS, but you will need to take care of migration yourself. The general process to follow is:

1. Order the VDS model of your choice and make the initial payment.
2. After the provisioning of your new VDS, you can transfer your data from the "old" product to the new VDS.
3. Cancel your "old" product in your Contabo  Customer Control Panel .

If you have doubts or issues with this process, please  get in touch with us , providing information on the product that you wish to be replaced and your chosen VDS option. We will be happy to help you find a solution.

Yes. We have a Terraform provider that allows management of our Cloud VPS, Cloud VDS and Object Storage via the  Contabo API .

You can access the provider and documentation  on the Terraform registry.