First VPS · Free guide
Your first server,
end to end.
You've never run a VPS before? Perfect. This guide walks you from signup to a live website — using the kind of server your business will actually grow on.
The mental model
A server is just a computer that's always on.
Same CPU, RAM, and disk as the laptop in front of you — except it lives in a data centre, has a public IP, and never sleeps. You connect over SSH, install whatever you want, and it stays reachable on the internet while you're not looking.
On NairaCloud your server comes as an instance on a bigger physical server. It behaves exactly like a dedicated machine: its own root login, its own software, its own reachable address (the node's public IP, with a private SSH port). You just don't have to buy the hardware.
What you get
Everything a rented box should include.
Root SSH access
Full control over your box from day one. Your key is authorized the moment we provision.
A public address
Every instance shares its node's public IPv4, gets its own SSH port, and a public HTTPS website URL — so many instances on one node can each host a different site.
Always on
Your server stays running and reachable around the clock. The status page shows real-time platform health.
Your own OS
Pick Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, or Debian 12 when you deploy. Rebuild any time with the same connection details.
Naira billing
Card checkout in naira with an invoice for every charge.
Live metrics
CPU, memory, and network charts on the instance page so you always know it's healthy.
How it works
From signup to SSH in four steps.
Create your account
Sign up and verify your email. You can start deploying immediately.
Deploy an instance
Pick a plan, name your server, choose an OS. Free plans need no payment, so provisioning starts the moment you confirm.
SSH in
Use the exact connection string from the dashboard. Root access, right away.
Make it yours
Install software, open the HTTPS website URL, attach your own domain, and start shipping.
$ ssh root@203.0.113.10 -p 22000
The authenticity of host can't be established…
· · ·
Welcome to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (GNU/Linux 5.15.0-91 x86_64)
root@first-server:~#
The dashboard shows you one ready-to-paste connection string. No port forwarding, no config.
Your first deploy
Say it with a website.
Once you're inside, three commands turn your server into a running website. Ubuntu ships with the tools you need — paste these one at a time:
nginx is up on the instance. Open Networking → Sites and copy the web HTTPS URL — the platform edge already routes that Host to port 80 inside your instance. Add more sites (for example api on another port) on the same cluster. No DNS record, published port, or support ticket is needed. For your own name, point an A record at the node IP, attach it to a site, and the platform issues HTTPS for it.
Run it like a pro
Four habits that keep a server boring.
Switch to SSH keys
Keys beat passwords. Paste your public key under SSH Keys — after that, even the dashboard uses it.
Lock the firewall
Allow only the ports your app actually needs. Websites are served through the platform edge, so you do not need to open 80/443 inside the instance.
Back up yourself
Automated snapshots aren't here yet, so schedule your own: a cron script that tars your data and copies it elsewhere (object storage, another server, your laptop).
Watch the metrics
CPU and memory charts on the dashboard catch problems before your users do.
The first server is the hardest.
We make it the easiest one.
Deploy now, pay in naira, and you'll be SSH-ing into your own box within minutes.
Built for builders everywhere