Every screen, every field, and what each choice changes. Written from the create-server flow as it is built.
Where to start: Servers → + CREATE SERVER
The flow has two screens:
- 1Choose a plan and region — how big, and where.
- 2Configure the server — what goes on it, with a live order summary on the right that stays visible while you scroll.
Screen 1 — Plan and region
Region
Click the region selector to open the picker and choose the datacentre. Pick the one closest to your users — every request pays the round trip.
This cannot be changed later. Moving a server to another region means creating a new one and migrating.
RAM slider
Drag to the memory you need. The plan list below filters as you move it, so you are always looking at plans that actually fit.
Recommended plans
Cards showing the closest matches across all active providers, each with:
- vCPU count
- RAM
- Storage
- Monthly price
- Provider
Because providers appear side by side, the same specification can be compared on price and location in one view.
See all matching plans
Opens the full list when the recommendations are not what you want — useful when you need an unusual CPU-to-RAM ratio, or a specific provider.
Result of this screen: a plan and a region. You can come back and change them from the next screen via Edit Plan.
Screen 2 — Configure the server
The left side is the configuration form. The right side is the order summary, which updates as you choose and carries the create button.
2.1 Server name
Field: Enter server name
The name shown throughout the panel. Choose something you will recognise in a list six months from now — api-prod-mumbai beats server1.
2.2 How the server starts
Five ways to begin. This is the most consequential choice on the page: it decides which fields appear next and what the server is provisioned with.
| Option | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Fresh Installation | Start from scratch with a new project |
| Deploy from Git Repo | Clone and deploy an existing repository |
| Upload ZIP | Upload a zip of existing source code |
| Custom Migration | Bring an existing site across |
| Docker Host | Run containers rather than a managed stack |
| Blank Server | A plain server you configure yourself |
2.3 Fields — Fresh Installation
Application Name — the first application created on the server.
Frontend Technology — the client-side framework, including React, Angular and plain HTML/CSS/JS.
Backend Technology — the server-side stack, including Laravel (with a Laravel Version selector), MERN, Magento and others.
Database — MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB or SQLite. Installed on the server and wired to the application; credentials appear on the application's page after creation.
Web server — Apache or nginx, where the stack allows a choice.
2.4 Fields — Deploy from Git Repo
Git Provider — GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket.
Repository URL https://github.com/username/repo.git Public and private repositories are both supported.
Branch to Deploy — the branch checked out on the server.
Authentication — how the server reaches a private repository. Two choices:
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Git Access Token | Paste a personal access token (ghp_xxxxxxxx…). Simplest, and the token grants whatever scope you gave it |
| Git Deploy Key | The panel generates an SSH keypair. You add the Generated Public Key to the repository as a deploy key. Scoped to that one repository |
A deploy key is the safer of the two: it can only reach the repository you add it to, whereas an access token carries your account's permissions. The panel shows the Generated Key Name and Generated Public Key to copy, and offers Generate a new key instead if you need to rotate it.
A public repository needs no authentication.
2.5 Fields — Docker Host
Image Name myuser/myimage — the container image to run.
Image Tag — defaults to latest.
Container Port e.g. 80, 3000, 8080 — the port the container listens on.
Max CPU cores this container can use e.g. 1, 2, 0.5 — fractional values are allowed.
Memory limit e.g. 512, 1024, 2048 (MB).
Registry Username / Registry Password — only for a private registry. Leave empty for public images.
A Docker host gets the Containers section on the server detail page instead of Applications.
2.6 Add-ons
Optional extras chosen before creation — including automated backups. Backup options can also be set after the server exists, from its Backup section.
Screen 2, right side — The order summary
Stays visible while you scroll, and shows what you are about to buy:
- Location — with country flag, or No Location Selected
- Technology — or No technology selected
- Plan — vCPU, RAM, storage
- Monthly price
What the price does not include
The summary lists this explicitly, and it is worth reading before you commit:
- Additional bandwidth usage
- Additional storage volumes
- Automated backups
- Floating or reserved IP addresses
- Load balancers
- Managed services
- Monitoring services
These are billed separately when used. The monthly figure is the server itself.
Acknowledgement
A checkbox confirming you accept the charge. The create button stays disabled until it is ticked — along with the required fields above it.
What happens after you press create
- Payment, if the provider is prepaid. Contabo and OVH collect the term before the server is ordered; creation waits for that to clear. DigitalOcean is billed hourly on the monthly invoice, so it proceeds immediately.
- The server is ordered at the provider.
- SSH becomes available and the panel connects.
- Packages install and the stack is configured.
- Your application is deployed, if you chose Git or ZIP.
Progress appears as an installation log. You can leave the page — the server shows as Installing in the list and becomes Running when it finishes. Typically a few minutes, longer for large stacks.
Billing, in one place
| Provider | When you pay |
|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | Hourly, added to the monthly invoice |
| Contabo, OVH | Prepaid — collected before the server is created |
| Others | Usage-based, on the monthly invoice |
Billing starts when the server is created, not when you first use it. A stopped server is still billed by the provider — only deleting it stops the charge.
Servers appear on Billing → Overview under Servers, prorated for the days they ran, and stay listed for those days even after deletion.
Before you press create — a checklist
- [ ] Region is closest to your users. It cannot be changed later.
- [ ] Plan has headroom. Scaling up later is possible but means a reboot.
- [ ] Server name is one you will recognise in a list.
- [ ] For a private repository: the deploy key is added at the Git provider, or the token is valid. This is the most common reason a deploy fails.
- [ ] Branch is the one you actually want deployed.
- [ ] For Docker: the container port matches what the image listens on.
- [ ] You have read what the price does not include.
Common problems
| Problem | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Create button will not enable | A required field is empty, or the acknowledgement is unticked |
| Git clone fails during install | Deploy key not added at the provider, token expired, or the branch name is wrong |
| Prepaid provider will not proceed | Payment has not cleared — check Billing |
| Container starts then stops | Container port does not match the image, or memory limit is too low |
| Wrong region chosen | It cannot be changed. Create a new server and migrate |
After it is running
The immediate next steps, in order:
- 1Firewall — open only the ports the application needs.
- 2SSH Key — add your key if you want shell access.
- 3Domains — point a domain and issue SSL.
- 4Backup — set a schedule, and decide whether you want offsite copies.
- 5Health Alerts — set a disk threshold.
See the Server User Guide for what each section does.
Something here not matching what you see in the panel?
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