# Rack4

> Rack4 sells self-managed KVM Linux VPS on NVMe with an IPv4 and an IPv6 address included (IPv6 once our allocation is approved), one-click apps, monthly or yearly billing and a 14-day money-back guarantee. Founded in 2011. Relaunched on a new platform. Operated by Tekari LLC.

## Current status

- Accounts: open at https://my.rack4.io
- Server orders: open
- Prices: in US dollars: Budget $7.99/month ($84.00/year), Standard $12.99/month ($139.00/year), Extreme $24.99/month ($269.00/year)
- Location: New York, United States, the only location
- IPv6: included in every plan, not live yet. IPv6 is part of every plan, but our IPv6 allocation is still being approved: until it's in place, servers have an IPv4 address only.
- Management: self-managed. You get root and run the server (updates, security, software); Rack4 runs the hardware, the network and the panel.
- Off-site backups: an optional paid add-on, priced per plan (see plans.json). Snapshots stay on the server's host and are not backups.
- Live sources: https://rack4.io/status (service status), https://rack4.io/plans.json (plans, prices, ordersOpen), https://rack4.io/locations.json

## Summary

Build time: Ready for SSH in under 59 seconds, from a confirmed payment. Measured on our New York hardware on 30 October 2026: 4 Extreme servers created at once by our staff with Ubuntu 24.04, each answering SSH with the key in place within 20 seconds. The first build of a system on a host can take longer while its image downloads, and apps keep installing after SSH answers. [How it was measured](https://rack4.io/blog/what-59-seconds-means.md)

Plans: Budget (1 shared vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe, 2 TB transfer), Standard (2 shared vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe, 4 TB transfer), Extreme (4 shared vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 160 GB NVMe, 8 TB transfer). Every server has full root, its own kernel, one IPv4 and one IPv6 address (IPv6 once our allocation is approved), a serial console in the browser, snapshots, a firewall, an API and the rack4 CLI.

Add-ons, per server: extra ram per 1 GB ($3.50 a month or $35.00 a year), extra vcpu per core ($4.00 a month or $40.00 a year), extra nvme per 20 GB ($2.50 a month or $25.00 a year), transfer pack per 1 TB a month ($2.00 a month or $20.00 a year), extra ipv4 each ($3.50 a month or $35.00 a year). Yearly add-ons are 10 times monthly.

Software: 28 one-click apps installed on first boot (Docker, Coolify, nginx + Certbot, Caddy, LEMP stack, WordPress, Node.js LTS, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Redis, WireGuard VPN, Tailscale, Uptime Kuma, n8n, OpenClaw, Minecraft (Paper), Vaultwarden, Nextcloud, Ghost, Plausible Analytics, Jellyfin, AdGuard Home, Forgejo, Umami, Matrix Synapse, BookStack, Immich, Ollama + Open WebUI). Operating systems: Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Fedora and Arch Linux, from official cloud images.

Payment: Bitcoin, billed monthly or 12 months up front (yearly), with invoices priced in US dollars. Bitcoin is paid through Rack4's own self-hosted BTCPay Server. 14-day money-back guarantee on the first order; Bitcoin refunds are paid in Bitcoin or as account credit. A yearly term renews for another 12 months unless cancelled; cancelling stops the next renewal, and unused time isn't refunded outside the money-back guarantee.

## Plans
- [Plans](https://rack4.io/plans.md): Budget, Standard and Extreme Linux VPS with specs and prices
- [Features](https://rack4.io/features.md): every feature on every plan, grouped by a server's life (deploy, run, protect and recover, automate, team and billing), each linked to its guide
- [Plans as JSON](https://rack4.io/plans.json): every plan's specs and live price in US cents, the add-ons with their caps, the off-site backups add-on and whether it's on sale, what every plan includes, ordersOpen and generatedAt. Order URLs are listed even while ordersOpen is false
- [Locations as JSON](https://rack4.io/locations.json): where servers run, each location's status (available or planned), whether it can be ordered now, IPv4 and IPv6 in each plan (ipv4, ipv6), and whether IPv6 is live yet (ipv6Live)
- [Bitcoin VPS](https://rack4.io/bitcoin-vps.md): paying in on-chain Bitcoin through our own BTCPay Server: USD-priced invoices, monthly or yearly, checkout, confirmations, late or partial payments and refunds

## Apps
- [One-click apps](https://rack4.io/apps.md): every app installed on first boot, by category
- [Docker](https://rack4.io/apps/docker.md): Docker Engine and the Compose plugin from Docker's own repository.
- [Coolify](https://rack4.io/apps/coolify.md): Your own Heroku-style platform: deploy apps and databases from Git with a web UI.
- [nginx + Certbot](https://rack4.io/apps/nginx.md): nginx with Certbot ready to fetch a free Let's Encrypt certificate.
- [Caddy](https://rack4.io/apps/caddy.md): The web server with automatic HTTPS, from Caddy's official repository.
- [LEMP stack](https://rack4.io/apps/lemp.md): nginx, MariaDB and PHP-FPM, wired together for PHP apps.
- [WordPress](https://rack4.io/apps/wordpress.md): WordPress on nginx, PHP-FPM and MariaDB, ready for its five-minute install.
- [Node.js LTS](https://rack4.io/apps/nodejs.md): Node.js from NodeSource's LTS line with npm, plus pm2 to keep your app running.
- [PostgreSQL](https://rack4.io/apps/postgresql.md): PostgreSQL from the distribution, listening on localhost only.
- [MariaDB](https://rack4.io/apps/mariadb.md): MariaDB server, localhost only, root by socket login.
- [Redis](https://rack4.io/apps/redis.md): Redis or its fork Valkey, whichever your distribution packages, on localhost.
- [WireGuard VPN](https://rack4.io/apps/wireguard.md): A personal VPN: WireGuard configured with one ready-made client profile.
- [Tailscale](https://rack4.io/apps/tailscale.md): Tailscale installed, ready to join your tailnet with one command.
- [Uptime Kuma](https://rack4.io/apps/uptime-kuma.md): A self-hosted status page and uptime monitor, running in Docker.
- [n8n](https://rack4.io/apps/n8n.md): Workflow automation you host yourself, in Docker.
- [OpenClaw](https://rack4.io/apps/openclaw.md): Your own always-on AI assistant, installed for its own user with its gateway kept private.
- [Minecraft (Paper)](https://rack4.io/apps/minecraft.md): A Minecraft Java server on Paper, run by systemd, EULA prompt left to you.
- [Vaultwarden](https://rack4.io/apps/vaultwarden.md): A Bitwarden-compatible password server, private until you claim it over SSH.
- [Nextcloud](https://rack4.io/apps/nextcloud.md): Nextcloud All-in-One: files, calendars and contacts, set up privately through a tunnel.
- [Ghost](https://rack4.io/apps/ghost.md): Ghost 6 for blogs, newsletters and memberships, with Ghost's own Docker setup and HTTPS.
- [Plausible Analytics](https://rack4.io/apps/plausible.md): Plausible Community Edition: cookie-free web analytics on your own server.
- [Jellyfin](https://rack4.io/apps/jellyfin.md): Your own media server for films, shows and music, with the admin account made for you.
- [AdGuard Home](https://rack4.io/apps/adguard.md): Ad and tracker blocking DNS for your devices, never an open resolver.
- [Forgejo](https://rack4.io/apps/forgejo.md): A self-hosted Git forge with issues and pull requests, on the long-term-support line.
- [Umami](https://rack4.io/apps/umami.md): Umami: simple, cookie-free website analytics with PostgreSQL, on your server.
- [Matrix Synapse](https://rack4.io/apps/synapse.md): Your own Matrix homeserver for encrypted chat, from matrix.org's packages with PostgreSQL.
- [BookStack](https://rack4.io/apps/bookstack.md): BookStack: a simple wiki for documentation, on nginx, PHP and MariaDB.
- [Immich](https://rack4.io/apps/immich.md): Immich: photo and video backup like Google Photos, on your own server.
- [Ollama + Open WebUI](https://rack4.io/apps/ollama.md): Run open AI models on your own server with Ollama, and chat with them in Open WebUI.

## Operating systems
- [Operating systems](https://rack4.io/os.md): every distribution and version, and how long each is supported
- [Ubuntu 24.04 LTS](https://rack4.io/os/ubuntu-24.04.md): Our default: the release current guides and vendor instructions usually target, with standard security updates until April 2029.
- [Ubuntu 26.04 LTS](https://rack4.io/os/ubuntu-26.04.md): The newest Ubuntu LTS, with a newer kernel and toolchains than 24.04 and standard security updates until April 2031.
- [Ubuntu 22.04 LTS](https://rack4.io/os/ubuntu-22.04.md): An older LTS for software pinned to it. Standard security updates end in April 2027.
- [Debian 13 Stable](https://rack4.io/os/debian-13.md): Debian trixie, the current stable release: lean, slow-changing, and supported into 2030 with Debian LTS.
- [Debian 12 Oldstable](https://rack4.io/os/debian-12.md): Debian bookworm, now covered by Debian LTS until June 2028, for setups that still need it.
- [AlmaLinux 10](https://rack4.io/os/almalinux-10.md): Binary-compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, free to use, and supported until 2035.
- [AlmaLinux 9](https://rack4.io/os/almalinux-9.md): Binary-compatible with RHEL 9, for software and control panels that list RHEL 9 support.
- [Rocky Linux 9](https://rack4.io/os/rocky-9.md): A community rebuild of RHEL 9, for teams already standardised on Rocky Linux.
- [Fedora](https://rack4.io/os/fedora.md): The current Fedora release, with newer packages. A new release comes about every six months, and each is maintained for about 13 months.
- [Arch Linux Rolling](https://rack4.io/os/arch.md): A rolling release with no versions, for people who keep it updated and build it up themselves.

## Help
- [Help center](https://rack4.io/help.md): all 114 guides, by category. Below are the first few of each category

### Getting started
- [Panel tour: every Rack4 panel guide, in order](https://rack4.io/help/panel-tour.md): A map of the Rack4 panel in the order you'll meet it, from signing up and ordering to the server's tabs, billing and your account, with a guide for each part.
- [What is a VPS? A guide for beginners](https://rack4.io/help/what-is-a-vps.md): A VPS is a virtual machine with its own share of CPU, memory and disk, and root access. What that means, what you can run, and what you look after.
- [VPS vs shared hosting](https://rack4.io/help/vps-vs-shared-hosting.md): Shared hosting runs your site alongside hundreds of others with the host doing the admin. A VPS is your own machine and your own admin. How to choose.
- 9 more in the [help center](https://rack4.io/help.md)

### Servers
- [Choose a plan](https://rack4.io/help/choosing-a-plan.md): How to match Budget, Standard or Extreme to what you plan to run, and how to check whether a server you already have is too small or too big.
- [How much RAM does your VPS need?](https://rack4.io/help/how-much-ram-does-my-vps-need.md): Most small servers need 1 to 4 GB. How to estimate memory from what you'll run, then measure a real server to see whether it's too small or too big.
- [One-click apps](https://rack4.io/help/one-click-apps.md): Have Docker, WordPress, WireGuard or another app installed on a new server's first boot, how to watch it happen, and what to do if it fails.
- 44 more in the [help center](https://rack4.io/help.md)

### Networking
- [Check that IPv6 works](https://rack4.io/help/ipv6-setup.md): Every plan includes one IPv6 address, set up on first boot once our allocation is approved. How to check it works, and fix it if a config change broke it.
- [Set reverse DNS for your server](https://rack4.io/help/reverse-dns.md): What reverse DNS (PTR) records are, when you need one, how to set one in the panel or with rack4, and how to check it with dig.
- [Sending email: port 25](https://rack4.io/help/open-port-25.md): Outbound port 25 is blocked by default on new servers. Why, how to test it, and how to ask for it to be opened for a real mail server.
- 2 more in the [help center](https://rack4.io/help.md)

### Security
- [Use the panel firewall](https://rack4.io/help/server-firewall.md): Filter traffic before it reaches your server: allow and deny rules, a default policy, how it fits with ufw, and how to undo a mistake.
- [Set up a firewall with ufw](https://rack4.io/help/firewall-with-ufw.md): Turn on ufw without locking yourself out, open only the ports you use, and check the rules, on Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 12.
- [Block brute-force attempts with fail2ban](https://rack4.io/help/fail2ban.md): Install fail2ban, ban addresses that keep failing SSH logins, and check and lift bans, on Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 12 with ufw.
- 5 more in the [help center](https://rack4.io/help.md)

### Billing
- [Payment methods](https://rack4.io/help/payment-methods.md): How you pay for a Rack4 server, monthly or yearly, with prices in US dollars: Bitcoin or PayPal step by step, account credit, and payments that go wrong.
- [Pay with USDT (TRC-20)](https://rack4.io/help/pay-with-usdt.md): Pay a Rack4 invoice in USDT on the Tron network: the steps, the one network that works, the exact amount, and what happens if a payment goes wrong.
- [Your billing overview and upcoming charges](https://rack4.io/help/billing-overview.md): Read the billing page in the panel. Your credit, what is due in the next 30 days, each server's next renewal, what yearly billing would save, and every invoice.
- 12 more in the [help center](https://rack4.io/help.md)

### Account
- [Turn on two-factor authentication](https://rack4.io/help/two-factor-authentication.md): Add a 6-digit code from an authenticator app to every login, save and renew your 10 recovery codes, and what to do if you lose your phone.
- [Sign in with a passkey](https://rack4.io/help/passkeys-and-security.md): Add a passkey and sign in to Rack4 with your fingerprint, face, device PIN or a security key. Adding, naming, removing and the limits.
- [Check your account in the security center](https://rack4.io/help/security-center.md): The security center scores your Rack4 login out of 100, lists what to fix, and shows your passkeys, 2FA, signed-in browsers and security events.
- 24 more in the [help center](https://rack4.io/help.md)

## Tutorials
- [Tutorials](https://rack4.io/tutorials.md): all 45 step-by-step Linux server tutorials, by topic (Linux basics, Security, Networking and VPN, Web servers, Databases, Containers, Monitoring, Backups, Self-hosted apps, Development)

## API
- [API reference](https://rack4.io/api.md): every /api/v1 endpoint with authentication, errors, rate limits and curl examples

## Status
- [System status](https://rack4.io/status.md): live state of the control panel and API, billing, each location and the network, 90-day uptime, open incidents and maintenance
- [Status as JSON](https://rack4.io/status.json): the same, machine-readable (also GET /api/v1/status, no token needed)
- [Incident feed](https://rack4.io/status/feed.xml): Atom feed of incidents and maintenance

## Blog
- [PHP2Shell: patch PHP on your server today](https://rack4.io/blog/php2shell-patch-php-today.md): Two critical PHP bugs, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, were fixed on 21 October. What's affected, what we changed, and where the step-by-step guide is.
- [Web scraping on a VPS with rotating proxies](https://rack4.io/blog/web-scraping-on-a-vps-with-rotating-proxies.md): Run a Scrapy crawler on a Linux VPS on a schedule, send its requests through rotating proxies, and keep it polite enough that nobody needs to block it.
- [Buying a VPS with Bitcoin: from wallet to server](https://rack4.io/blog/buying-a-vps-with-bitcoin.md): How paying for a VPS with Bitcoin works, step by step, the mistakes that cause underpayments, what Bitcoin does and doesn't hide, and how refunds come back.
- [One-click apps and six Linux distributions](https://rack4.io/blog/one-click-apps-and-six-linux-distributions.md): How Rack4's one-click apps and its six Linux distributions in ten versions work, from when the app catalog was first built, and what's still unproven.
- [How we keep your VPS isolated](https://rack4.io/blog/how-we-keep-your-vps-isolated.md): The firewall that sits in front of every Rack4 server, what it stops your neighbours from doing, and what we still have to test.
- [Inside the Rack4 panel](https://rack4.io/blog/inside-the-rack4-panel.md): The account side of my.rack4.io is built. Sign-up, two-factor, SSH keys, API tokens, sessions and an activity log, and why it looks like a terminal.
- [VPSNine is coming back](https://rack4.io/blog/vpsnine-is-coming-back.md): VPSNine sold Linux VPS from 2011. After a few quiet years it is relaunching on new NVMe hardware, operated by Tekari. Here is what is planned.
- [What "59 seconds" means](https://rack4.io/blog/what-59-seconds-means.md): Ready for SSH in under 59 seconds from a confirmed payment: what the clock covers, how we measured it on our hardware, and what isn't measured yet.
- [Why there's a rack4 CLI](https://rack4.io/blog/why-there-is-a-rack4-cli.md): We built a command-line tool alongside the panel, on the same public API. What it does, why the API came first, and where to get it.
- [Why we're building our own control panel](https://rack4.io/blog/why-we-are-building-our-own-panel.md): Rack4 is writing its own billing, control panel, API and CLI instead of buying them. What that gets you, what it costs us, and where it stands.

## Company
- [About](https://rack4.io/about.md): who runs Rack4 (Tekari LLC), its history since it was founded in 2011, and how to reach us (hello@rack4.io; abuse: abuse@rack4.io)

## Policies
- [Terms of Service](https://rack4.io/terms.md): account, billing and renewals, the money-back guarantee, suspension, data and liability
- [Acceptable Use Policy](https://rack4.io/aup.md): what you can and cannot run on a Rack4 server, and how abuse reports are handled
- [Privacy](https://rack4.io/privacy.md): what we keep about you (waitlist, panel account, logins, billing, tickets and server stats), why, for how long and who sees it

## FAQ
- [FAQ](https://rack4.io/faq.md): when you can sign up and order, pricing, yearly billing, refunds, locations, transfer, backups, add-ons, the API and what is allowed

## Optional
- [Full text](https://rack4.io/llms-full.txt): one snapshot of the plans, features, Bitcoin, apps, operating system, FAQ, policy and About pages, every help guide and tutorial, the API reference and the blog. It leaves out the home page and live status: see https://rack4.io/index.md and https://rack4.io/status.json