Creating an instance
Plan, OS, key, name, review -- the deploy flow end to end.
The five steps
- Plan -- STARTER for websites, BASIC for bots and backends, STANDARD for production, PRO for heavy loads. Each plan has a capability profile (
minimal,docker, orfull). - Operating system -- Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.04, or Debian 12.
- SSH key -- pick an existing key, let us generate one, or paste your own. Keep the private half safe; we never store it.
- Name -- lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens only, starting with a letter, 3-24 characters. This is how you'll spot it in the dashboard.
- Review -- spec, price, and total due, shown one last time. Confirm and provisioning begins.
Capability profiles (capSet)
| Profile | Rootfs | Docker-in-Docker | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
minimal | Read-only | No | Untrusted workloads, CI, shared hosting |
docker | Writable | Yes | Apps, Docker Compose, DinD (default) |
full | Writable | Yes | KVM, GPU, dedicated plans only |
Networking
Instances share the node's public IPv4. SSH is exposed on a unique host port, and websites are routed by hostname through the node edge on ports 80/443. You can host many instances -- and many different sites -- on one node without them competing for a port.
| Access | Address | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| SSH | ssh -p <sshPort> root@<node-ip> | Unique host port mapped to guest port 22 |
| Website | https://<hostname>.nairacloud.xyz for the default site; https://<label>-<hostname>.nairacloud.xyz for additional sites | The default label is web, so it uses the bare instance name. The sslip alias on the same site card works if the NairaCloud address is not resolving yet |
| Raw TCP | tcp://<node-ip>:<host-port> | Publish a port for databases, games, MQTT, or other non-HTTP services. The platform allocates the public port, starting at 23000 |
| Custom domain | https://your-domain.com | Point an A record at the node IP and attach it to a site in Networking |
What provisioning means
We grab hardware, write the disk, boot the system, and open the network. The wizard plays a live checklist; most servers are reachable within a couple of minutes. You get:
- A public SSH endpoint on the node IP and a public HTTPS website URL.
- Root access with your key.
- SSD storage from 10GB on FREE up to 160GB on PRO, depending on plan.
- Per-instance ext4 disk image (isolated, sized to plan).
Start, stop, rebuild, delete
- Stop -- turns the machine off cleanly. Your files are kept; billing continues until you delete the server.
- Start -- turns it back on. Same port, same files.
- Delete -- removes the server for good. You must type its name to confirm. A new server later gets a fresh disk and a new SSH port.
Track provisioning status
Use the new /v1/instances/:id/payment-status endpoint to poll for instanceStatus (RUNNING, PROVISIONING, WAITLISTED) and verified/provisioned flags.
Practical -- try it now
Deploy a server you can actually use
- Choose Ubuntu 24.04 and let the wizard generate an SSH key for you.
- Name it my-site and confirm. Watch the checklist tick off.
- When it says Ready, copy the SSH command from the instance page and run:
You are now inside your own server. The instance page also shows an HTTPS URL; set its origin port to whatever your site listens on and it is live. Type exit to close SSH -- the server stays running without you.