HivePods vs VMs and VPS
A VPS hands you a whole server to secure, patch and pay for around the clock. A HivePod is a private cloud environment that is ready in seconds, secure from the start and billed only while it runs.
- from create to a root shell
- Seconds
- to start, no card needed
- $0
- open ports facing the internet
- 0
- per vCPU-month, billed only while running
- $2
Side by side
A HivePod next to a typical virtual machine or VPS you run yourself.
Secure by default
Isolation
- HivePods
- Each pod kept apart from other pods and the platform
- Typical VM / VPS
- Whatever your firewall rules allow
Exposure to the internet
- HivePods
- No public ports; only your HTTPS web address
- Typical VM / VPS
- Public IP with a login port open by default
Access
- HivePods
- Your DockHive sign-in, 2FA and team roles
- Typical VM / VPS
- SSH keys you manage on every device
Cheaper
How you pay
- HivePods
- $2 per vCPU-month beyond your plan, billed by the hour only while running
- Typical VM / VPS
- A fixed fee for every hour of the month
Getting started
- HivePods
- Free Tier with no card; Developer Plan $3/month; Pro Plan $15/month
- Typical VM / VPS
- Paid from the first day
When idle
- HivePods
- Stopped pods use no compute time
- Typical VM / VPS
- Still billed
Faster
Time to a shell
- HivePods
- Seconds
- Typical VM / VPS
- Minutes to provision and boot
Upkeep
- HivePods
- None: no OS patching or reboots
- Typical VM / VPS
- You patch the OS and reboot
Smallest size
- HivePods
- 0.5 vCPU, 512 MB memory
- Typical VM / VPS
- Fixed plan sizes, billed monthly
Durable
Your files
- HivePods
- Data and projects folders survive restarts and rebuilds
- Typical VM / VPS
- One disk you look after yourself
Crash recovery
- HivePods
- Restarts on its own, startup command kept running
- Typical VM / VPS
- Services and monitoring you configure
Backups
- HivePods
- One command to back up, one to restore as a new pod
- Typical VM / VPS
- Snapshots or scripts you set up
Built for developers
Terminal
- HivePods
- In the browser, nothing to install
- Typical VM / VPS
- SSH client and keys
Command line
- HivePods
- hivepod CLI: create, connect, exec, logs, backup
- Typical VM / VPS
- Varies by provider
Web address
- HivePods
- name.dockhive.sh with HTTPS
- Typical VM / VPS
- An IP address; DNS and certificates are on you
Custom domains
- HivePods
- Up to 5 per pod, HTTPS issued automatically
- Typical VM / VPS
- Install a web server and certificate tool yourself
AI-agent control
- HivePods
- Built-in MCP server: list, create, run commands, delete
- Typical VM / VPS
- Not built in
Operating systems
- HivePods
- 16 Linux distributions, from Ubuntu to Arch
- Typical VM / VPS
- Varies by provider
Secure by default
Locked down before you type a command.
A new VPS goes online with a public IP and an open login port, and hardening it is your job. A HivePod is private from the moment it starts. The only thing the internet can see is the HTTPS address you choose to use.
Private by default
Every pod is kept apart from other pods and from the platform it runs on. Nothing is shared with other customers.
Nothing to scan
No public IP and no login port for bots to probe. Visitors only reach your HTTPS web address.
Only you get in
The browser terminal and the hivepod CLI use your DockHive sign-in, with two-factor authentication and team roles. No keys to copy around.
Contained by design
Each pod has its own CPU and memory budget, so a runaway job slows down its own pod and nothing else.
With a typical VPS
- Internet scanners start probing the public IP within minutes
- You harden SSH, rotate keys and disable password logins
- You write, test and maintain the firewall rules yourself
Cheaper
Pay for the hours you work, not the whole month.
A VPS bills all 730 hours of the month, busy or idle. A HivePod is metered per vCPU-hour, only while it runs.
Free to start
The Free Tier includes one pod (1 vCPU, 1 GB memory, 10 GB disk) and 365 vCPU-hours a month. No card required.
Five pods for $3
The Developer Plan is $3/month for up to 5 pods sharing 4 vCPU, 8 GB memory and 100 GB disk, with 730 vCPU-hours included. The Pro Plan is $15/month for up to 15 pods sharing 12 vCPU and 24 GB memory, with 2,190 vCPU-hours.
Stop it, stop paying
A stopped pod uses no compute time. Stop it in the evening and the night is free.
No surprises
Beyond your included hours, compute is $2 per vCPU-month (billed by the hour) with memory included: an always-on Micro pod is $2 a month. Prefer no subscription? Pay as you go with prepaid credits from $5.
A 1 vCPU pod used 8 hours a day on weekdays is 176 vCPU-hours a month: inside the Free Tier. A VPS bills all 730 hours.
With a typical VPS
- Billed around the clock, idle or busy
- Sized for peak load and paid for all month
- Certificates, backups and monitoring cost extra time or money
Faster
From idea to a running shell in seconds.
A VPS is a whole server to provision, boot and look after. A HivePod is just the environment you work in. DockHive takes care of everything else.
Ready in seconds
Pick an OS and a size, and you are in a root shell almost instantly. No installer, no waiting for a boot.
Zero maintenance
No OS patching, reboots or server monitoring. Change the size or settings and the pod comes back fresh, with your files intact.
Exactly the size you need
From Nano (0.5 vCPU, 512 MB) up to 8 vCPU, 16 GB memory and 200 GB disk per pod. Resize when the work changes.
Every resource goes to your work
The memory you choose is there for your programs, not spent running a server underneath them.
With a typical VPS
- Minutes to provision and boot
- You patch the OS and reboot for updates
- Part of the RAM you pay for runs the server itself
Durable
Your work survives restarts, rebuilds and mistakes.
Your files live on persistent storage, pods recover on their own, and a backup is one command away.
Files that stay put
/home/hivepod/data and /home/hivepod/projects survive restarts, stops and rebuilds. Keep your work there and it is always there.
Recovers on its own
If a pod or its startup command stops unexpectedly, it is started again automatically.
One-command backups
hivepod backup create saves your files together with the pod’s OS, size, environment variables and startup command. Restore it as a new pod with one command.
Settings that travel
Environment variables and the startup command are saved with the pod, so a rebuild or a restore comes back exactly as you left it.
With a typical VPS
- Recovery depends on the services and monitoring you set up
- Backups are a paid add-on or a script you maintain
- Rebuilding means reinstalling and reconfiguring by hand
Built for developers
Everything a dev box needs, built in.
A VPS gives you an IP address and leaves the rest to you. A HivePod comes with the tools you would otherwise spend a day setting up.
A web address with HTTPS
Every pod gets name.dockhive.sh with a certificate, plus up to 5 custom domains with HTTPS issued automatically.
Terminal anywhere
Open a full terminal in the browser from any device, or use the hivepod CLI to create, connect, run commands and read logs.
Your AI agent can drive it
The CLI includes an MCP server, so Claude, Cursor or Windsurf can create pods and run commands in them for you.
Your favourite Linux, your team
16 distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Rocky, Alma, Arch, Alpine and Kali. Share pods with your team in a workspace.
With a typical VPS
- DNS, web server and certificates are on you
- An SSH client and keys on every device
- No built-in way for AI agents to manage it
When a VM is still the right choice
HivePods cover most dev, test and small hosting work. A few jobs still call for a machine of your own:
- Low-level system work Custom kernels, drivers or running your own virtual machines need a server of your own.
- Raw network access Pods serve web traffic on their HTTPS address. If you need a public IP, arbitrary open ports or inbound SSH today, use a VM. SSH access and public IPs for pods are on the way.
- One huge box A single pod goes up to 8 vCPU, 16 GB memory and 200 GB disk. For a bigger single machine, talk to us about the Scale Plan.
Try it from your terminal
Install the CLI, run hivepod login, then create and connect to a pod:
$ curl -fsSL https://dockhive.io/install.sh | sh $ hivepod create web1 --os ubuntu-24.04 --size small $ hivepod connect web1 Questions about HivePods vs VMs and VPS
What is a HivePod?
A HivePod is a lightweight, private cloud environment on DockHive. Pick a Linux OS and a size and it is ready in seconds, with a browser terminal, the hivepod CLI and its own HTTPS address at name.dockhive.sh.
Is a HivePod the same as a VPS?
Both give you a Linux environment with root access in the cloud. The difference is what you look after: with a VPS you run the whole machine, including the OS, kernel, firewall and login setup. With a HivePod, DockHive takes care of everything underneath, the pod is private from the start, and you only look after your own work. Pods don't have a public IP or SSH access yet; you connect through the browser terminal or the hivepod CLI.
Is a HivePod cheaper than a VPS?
Usually, because you pay for running time instead of a flat monthly fee. A 1 vCPU dev box used 8 hours a day on weekdays is about 176 vCPU-hours a month, inside the Free Tier. The Free Tier includes one pod and 365 vCPU-hours a month with no card. The Developer Plan is $3/month for up to 5 pods and 730 vCPU-hours, and the Pro Plan $15/month for up to 15 pods and 2,190 vCPU-hours. Beyond that, compute is $2 per vCPU-month (billed by the hour) with memory included, so even an always-on Micro pod is $2 a month, and stopped or suspended pods record no compute time. Pay as you go uses prepaid credits from $5.
How is a HivePod kept secure?
Every pod is kept apart from other pods and from the platform it runs on. Pods have no open ports on the internet, access goes through your DockHive sign-in (with two-factor authentication and team roles), each pod has its own CPU and memory budget, and your web address and custom domains are served over HTTPS.
What happens to my files when a pod stops, restarts or is rebuilt?
Files in /home/hivepod/data and /home/hivepod/projects are kept through restarts, stops, suspends and rebuilds. Software installed elsewhere is reset when you rebuild a pod with new settings, so keep your work in those two folders.
How do HivePod backups work?
Run hivepod backup create to save a pod’s data and projects folders together with its OS, size, environment variables and startup command. You can keep up to 3 backups per pod, each up to 20 GB, and restore any of them as a new pod. Backups are taken with the CLI today; automated backups in the console are coming. When you delete a pod, its backups are kept for 7 days and then deleted, so restore within that window if you need the data.
Can I use my own domain with a HivePod?
Yes. Add the domain on the pod’s page in the console, create the CNAME and TXT records shown, and DockHive issues the HTTPS certificate automatically. Each pod can have up to 5 custom domains.
Which operating systems can a HivePod run?
Sixteen Linux distributions, including Ubuntu 24.04, 22.04 and 20.04, Debian 12 and 11, Fedora, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, CentOS Stream, openSUSE, Arch, Alpine and Kali. Run hivepod os --all to see the full list.
Can an AI agent manage my HivePods?
Yes. The hivepod CLI includes an MCP server with tools to list, create and delete pods and to run commands in them. Deleting a pod needs an explicit confirmation.
When should I still pick a VM?
When you need custom kernels or drivers, a public IP with arbitrary ports or inbound SSH today, or a single machine larger than 8 vCPU and 16 GB of memory.
Start with a free HivePod
One pod on the Free Tier, no card required. Move to the Developer Plan ($3/month) or Pro Plan ($15/month) when you need more.