Managed VPS Hosting
Managed VPS Hosting is fully-managed Linux hosting with built-in continuous deployment. Provision a cloud server from inside DeployHQ — region, size, SSH keys, deployment path — without leaving the dashboard, then push to your repository and we build and deploy on every commit. One workflow, one bill, one place to manage the server and the code running on it. Servers run on DigitalOcean infrastructure and are fully managed by DeployHQ.
Managed VPS is currently a beta feature. To use it, enable beta features under Settings > Beta Features on your account.
Why DeployHQ Managed VPS
Most managed VPS providers give you a server. DeployHQ Managed VPS gives you a server and the deployment pipeline that ships code to it — provisioning, SSH keys, build pipeline, rollback history, and billing all live in the same dashboard:
- One workflow — no separate accounts at a VPS host and a deployment tool. Provision and ship from the same project.
- Automatic SSH key management — DeployHQ generates and rotates the deployment key for you; nothing to copy or upload.
- Built-in zero-downtime deploys — atomic transfers, parallel uploads, and one-click rollback work the same way they do for a bring-your-own server.
- One bill — the VPS cost appears alongside your DeployHQ plan on the same monthly invoice instead of a separate hosting account.
Bring-your-own-server is still fully supported — you can mix DeployHQ-managed VPS resources with your own VPS, shared hosting, or cloud accounts inside the same project.
Getting started
Managed VPS is available as a server type when adding a new server to your project. Simply select Managed VPS from the protocol picker under the Hosting section. If beta features are not enabled on your account, the option will be visible but disabled.
Provisioning a new server
- Navigate to your project and click New Server
- Enter a name for your server
- Select Managed VPS from the protocol picker
- Choose a region (data center location) and server size
- Optionally select an existing SSH key or paste your own private key
- Set your deployment path (where your files will be placed on the server)
- Click Create Server
Your server will begin provisioning. This usually takes about a minute. The status will update automatically once the server is ready.
SSH keys
When provisioning a Managed VPS, DeployHQ handles SSH key management automatically:
- If you select an existing SSH key from your account, that key will be used
- If you paste your own private key, it will be saved as a global SSH key for your account
- If no key is selected, a new key called "Managed VPS Key" will be created automatically
You can manage your SSH keys from Settings > SSH Keys.
Managing hosted resources
Once provisioned, your Managed VPS servers appear in Settings > Hosted Resources. From here you can:
- View details including IP address, region, size, and monthly cost
- Sync to refresh the server status from the hosting provider
- View linked servers to see which projects are using this resource
Server sizes and pricing
Available server sizes range from 1 vCPU / 1 GB RAM up to 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM. The provisioning form shows the monthly cost for each size in your account's currency.
Managed VPS is free while it is in beta — no charges are applied during this period. The prices shown are what each size will cost once the product leaves beta, at which point servers are billed monthly as an addon to your DeployHQ subscription.
Trial accounts
Trial accounts can provision one Managed VPS server using the smallest available size. Custom SSH keys are not available on trial; the platform creates and uses a managed key automatically. To provision additional servers, choose larger sizes, or use a custom SSH key, upgrade to a paid plan.
Deploying to your Managed VPS
Once your server is provisioned and active, you can deploy to it just like any other server in DeployHQ. The server connects via SSH using the key configured during provisioning.
Default configuration
- Username: root
- Port: 22
- Protocol: SSH/SFTP
You can configure the deployment path, enable accelerated transfers, parallel uploads, and zero-downtime (atomic) deployments from the server settings.
Powering a server on or off
You can power your Managed VPS on or off by toggling the server's Enabled state from its server settings page. Disabling the server powers off the underlying VPS; re-enabling it powers it back on. Billing continues while the server is powered off.
Suspension and account lifecycle
If your account is suspended (for example, after a trial expires without payment, or when a renewal payment fails), all of your Managed VPS resources are automatically powered off and marked as suspended. Reactivating your account powers them back on and restores the active status.
Suspended resources are kept available for a grace period before being permanently destroyed:
- Trial accounts: 7 days
- Paid accounts: 30 days
A warning notification is sent 5 days before a suspended resource is removed, giving you time to reactivate the account and recover the server. Once the grace period expires, the resource is destroyed and the underlying infrastructure is removed.
Destroying a server
To remove a Managed VPS server, delete it from your project's server list. The underlying hosted resource and its associated infrastructure will be destroyed, and billing will be cancelled.
Templates
Managed VPS is intentionally not available as a protocol in templates. Templates are configuration blueprints copied into new projects, while a Managed VPS is a single real server tied to one account. If we provisioned a droplet at template-create time, every project derived from it would either share that one droplet or duplicate it — neither matches the template model.
If you want to scaffold a project that uses an existing Managed VPS, provision the VPS as a global server and add it to projects from the global servers list.