VPS vs. managed hosting: xhostd compared

A virtual private server (VPS) gives you a Linux machine that you operate. Managed application hosting, such as xhostd, runs the machine for you. With a VPS, you manage the server. With xhostd, you focus on the app.

Neither choice is right for everybody. This article compares the work each one gives you, not only the price.

Who this comparison is for

You built an app with an AI coding agent such as Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex, and you need somewhere to run it. For example:

• a booking app for a small studio, with appointments stored in Postgres
• an internal dashboard that your team opens every morning
• a side project that you want online without learning server administration

The work every app needs

Every deployed web app needs a process that stays up, an HTTPS certificate, a database with backups, storage for uploaded files, a way to ship new versions, and an operating system that receives security updates. On a VPS, you own all of these. On xhostd, you own your app's code, and the platform owns the rest.

What a VPS asks of you

A VPS is cheap infrastructure, but you handle the maintenance, HTTPS, backups, security updates, and deploys.

• HTTPS. A web server can renew certificates for you, but a failed renewal is yours to fix, and certificate authorities limit how often you can request a new certificate.
• Backups. A nightly copy saves yesterday's data. Going back to a moment between copies needs extra setup before anything goes wrong.
• Security updates. An operating system release, such as Ubuntu LTS, gets security updates for a fixed number of years. Then you upgrade or rebuild the server.
• Deploys. Copying files by hand works until two people do it, or until you need the previous version back quickly.

An ordinary team can do all of this, for as long as it runs the server.

What xhostd runs for you

Each channel, xhostd's word for one running environment of one app, comes with:

• HTTPS on its own address and on custom domains, with certificates that xhostd renews
• its own Postgres database, unless the app is a static site
• nightly backups, and a recovery point before each deploy
• file storage for uploads
• deploys that your agent starts with no server setup

xhostd keeps backups for 24 hours on the free plans and for 7 days on the paid plans. Read Postgres backups and recovery on xhostd for what a backup covers.

What stays the same

• Your code. Your app needs no xhostd-specific code.
• Your data. Postgres is Postgres, so a database copy moves between xhostd and a server that you rent, in either direction.
• Your work on the app. You still decide what the app does and what to test.

Compare the full cost

A VPS quote covers the machine, not your hours: the setup, the postponed upgrade, the backup that never ran, and the evening a certificate expires. A managed platform charges for that work as well as for the machine. Compare the pricing page with a server quote plus your own estimate of those hours.

Which one to pick

Pick a self-managed VPS when:

• you need a specific kernel, Postgres extension, or network setup
• a compliance rule names the machine
• your team already runs servers well, so the real cost is close to the quote

Pick xhostd when:

• the app matters to you and the server doesn't
• an AI coding agent does the building, because it can create the app and deploy it with no server setup in between

Next steps

• To try xhostd, connect your agent, and then follow Deploy a Claude Code app to a live HTTPS URL.
• If your app already runs on a VPS, follow How to migrate a web app from a VPS to xhostd.