VPS use-case guides for self-hosters
Most VPS reviews tell you which host is fastest or cheapest. They skip the question that actually blocks people: will this provider let you do what you need? Port 25 policies, Plex restrictions, game server DDoS exposure, AUP clauses nobody reads. These guides map that terrain, sourced from provider documentation and community reports.
Email / Port 25
- VPS Port 25 Policy Map 2026 — 16 providers, three tiers: open, on request, blocked permanently
- Why Outlook Rejects Your VPS Email When SPF/DKIM/DMARC All Pass — Microsoft blocks at the ASN level, not the sender level. Error codes S3150/S3140 explained, provider blocklist map
- Open Port 25 Isn't Enough: Why Your Email Still Goes to Spam — the four gates of email deliverability, and why cheap open-port providers have the worst IPs
- Cheapest VPS with Port 25 Open (No Ticket Needed) — RackNerd $11/yr, DartNode $2.95/mo, Contabo $7/mo. The price-reputation trade-off
- Why DigitalOcean Is the Worst VPS for Email — all SMTP ports blocked since June 2022, no exceptions, no workarounds
- Hetzner for Email: Is the 1-Month Wait Worth It? — the unblock process, what to do while waiting, and why the wait pays off in deliverability
- Why Your New VPS IP Is Already Blacklisted — the IP recycling problem, which providers hand out dirty IPs, how to audit an IP before installing anything
Minecraft
- Minecraft Java Flags: Aikar, GraalVM, ZGC — every flag explained, G1GC vs ZGC benchmarks, GraalVM trade-offs, and why over-allocating heap makes lag worse
- Why Your 8GB Minecraft VPS Still Lags at 15 Players — the RAM myth: Minecraft is single-threaded, your CPU is the bottleneck, not your memory
- How Much RAM Does a Minecraft Server Actually Need? — real numbers by setup: 2-3GB vanilla, 4-6GB Paper, 8-12GB heavy mods. Over-allocating causes GC lag
- DDoS-Protected VPS for Minecraft — why MC servers are targeted, OVH Game vs BuyVM vs Hetzner protection, and why Cloudflare won't help
Plex
- Best VPS for Plex 2026 — Hetzner blocked, Contabo for storage, BuyVM for bulk, Netcup for transcoding. Plex Pass mandatory since April 2025
- Can You Run Plex on a VPS? — yes, but 4 obstacles: Hetzner block, transcoding CPU, storage costs, mandatory Plex Pass
- Why Plex Blocked Hetzner (And What to Use Instead) — the October 2023 block, why it happened, and the 2025 subscription change that reshapes VPS Plex economics
VPN & Privacy
- Best VPS for Running a VPN Server 2026 — BuyVM, Vultr, Hetzner, Contabo allow VPN. OVHcloud explicitly bans it. KVM required for WireGuard
- Best VPS for a Tor Relay — BuyVM, FlokiNET, Fourplex allow exit relays. DO, Vultr, OVH ban them. Full policy breakdown by relay type
Self-Hosting & Docker
- Best VPS for Nextcloud 2026 — storage pricing compared, 6 pain points nobody warns about, and why Contabo/BuyVM/Hetzner are the picks
- Why Your Cheap VPS Can't Run Docker — OpenVZ vs KVM explained. The exact error messages, providers still selling OpenVZ, and KVM alternatives
Crypto Mining
- Can You Mine Crypto on a VPS? — every major provider bans it. Hetzner killed 1,000+ Solana nodes in Nov 2022. AUP proof and enforcement methods
Per-provider guides
- Does Hetzner / Contabo / DigitalOcean Allow Port 25? — three providers, three different answers, sourced from official docs
More guides are coming. Questions about a specific provider or use case? Get in touch.