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How to choose a VPS without overpaying

Most people buy twice the server they need — or half. This guide shows how to size a VPS from the workload, which specs actually matter, and which marketing numbers you can ignore.

1. Start from the workload, not the specs

Write down what will run on the server. Then look up the row below — this is real usage, not marketing.

What you runRAMDiskPlan on Buran
Telegram bot, tunnel, proxy1 GB10 GBNAT — €3/mo
Personal VPN (WireGuard)1 GB10 GBNAT — €3/mo
Static site, small API, staging2 GB30 GBBuran-1 — €6.5/mo
WordPress or Node app with database4 GB60 GBBuran-2 — €13/mo
PostgreSQL under real load, game server8 GB120 GBBuran-3 — €26/mo
Files, archives, media (no databases)1 GBbig HDDStorage tier — coming

Still unsure? Buy one step smaller than you think and watch RAM usage for a week — upgrading is one click, and you only pay the difference.

2. The five specs that actually matter

RAM — the hard limit. If a process does not fit, it gets killed by the OOM killer, and your service dies at the worst moment. Estimate with ps aux or docker stats and add 20% headroom.

CPU — vCores on a shared host are shared, and that is fine. What matters is the CPU model underneath: a modern Ryzen core does in one thread what older Xeons need three for. Ask what the host runs — if the answer is vague, walk away.

Disk type — NVMe Gen4 is 10–20× faster than SATA SSD in random I/O, and hundreds of times faster than HDD. Databases and Docker live and die by random I/O. A fast CPU with a slow disk feels broken.

Virtualization — KVM gives you a real kernel: Docker, WireGuard, custom ISOs, any OS. OpenVZ and LXC share the host kernel, so no Docker and no custom kernel. If a host hides the virtualization type, assume the worst.

Network — check the port speed (1 Gbit/s is standard), traffic policy and location. For EU users, Frankfurt is one of the best-connected spots on the continent.

3. Numbers you can mostly ignore

“Unlimited traffic” is fine as long as the port is 1 Gbit/s — you cannot physically push more than ~320 TB per month anyway. “12 vCores for €5” usually means heavily oversold shared cores. Giant disk numbers with no type mentioned usually mean slow HDD. Compare the specs that limit you first: RAM, disk type and CPU generation.

4. Red flags in a hosting offer

No refund policy. No public status page. No clear virtualization type. “Unlimited” everything. Payment only by card, no crypto. Support that answers in days. Any one of these is a warning; two or more — keep looking.

5. Fit the plan to the job

A €3 NAT box runs a bot or a VPN for months without a single restart. A €13 server with 4 GB runs a busy website with a database. You rarely need more than 8 GB unless you host game servers or analytics. Pick by the table above, not by the fear of running out.

Ready to size one? See Buran plans from €3/mo — or compare against shared hosting first.

Quick answers

Is 1 GB RAM enough for a VPS?

Yes for a Telegram bot, a VPN, a tunnel or a small static site. A Python bot idles around 150 MB, WireGuard around 30 MB. Databases and Docker stacks want at least 2 GB.

What is the difference between KVM and OpenVZ or LXC?

KVM is full virtualization: you get your own kernel, so Docker, WireGuard and custom ISOs work. OpenVZ and LXC share the host kernel — cheaper, but you cannot run your own kernel modules.

Do I need a dedicated IPv4 address?

For websites on port 80 and 443 — yes, or a shared IP with forwarded ports for everything else. A NAT VPS with 10 forwarded ports is enough for bots, tunnels and VPNs.

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