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Is the RAM shortage killing small VPS hosts?

fourplex.net

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Re: Is the RAM shortage killing small VPS hosts?

#21

Out of curiosity, what advantages do the small VPS hosts offer compared to the big 3 (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)? Customer Service? Pricing? Local Data Center?

Pricing (both cheaper and more predictable), and reduced complexity.

This is why I moved off of Azure and over to Hetzner's US VPS's. For what I was deploying (a few dozen websites, some relatively complex .NET web apps, some automated scripts, etc.), the pricing on Azure just wasn't competitive. But worse for me was the complexity; I found that using Azure encouraged me to introduce more and more complex deployment pipelines, when all I really needed was Build the container -> SCP it into a blue/green deployment scheme on a VPS -> flip a switch after testing it.

Re: Is the RAM shortage killing small VPS hosts?

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pricing (both cheaper and more predictable), and reduced complexity.

Interesting. I'd have thought these giants would have better pricing because of the scale...

They don't. AWS is the most expensive hosting provider in the world.

Re: Is the RAM shortage killing small VPS hosts?

#23
RAM shortage or competent programmer shortage?

Can't get a Linux box to idle (or even install) under 512M these days.

Can't find a web developer worth a shit who doesn't think he needs a Python backend application server to print "Hello, world" when you could do this with a static page served with something like OpenBSD with two-digit RAM requirements.

It's not the RAM that's changed; it's everyone around the RAM.

A coddled generation who were taught that AWS is the Internet and live in abstractions certainly hasn't helped.

Re: Is the RAM shortage killing small VPS hosts?

#25

Out of curiosity, what advantages do the small VPS hosts offer compared to the big 3 (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)? Customer Service? Pricing? Local Data Center?

I used a vps service hosted in a country with strong digital privacy laws to host a personal wireguard+pihole vpn. I could probably think up a decent argument why that privacy with the smaller guy was only nominal but I could absolutely think up a good argument why doing that on a big name would have no privacy guarantees at all, especially as someone who would be in the bottom rung payment-wise.

Never had problems with downtime and I payed, like, 40 bucks a year over 3 years. I think I had to restart the thing once because of something dumb I did on my end.

Re: Is the RAM shortage killing small VPS hosts?

#26

I'd see Chinese RAM manufacturers like CXMT filling the void left in the market for consumer-grade RAM modules, I appreciate they face challenges (like lack of access to cutting edge EUV machines), but the RAM just needs to be fast enough and affordable enough for the average user for these companies to make significant inroads into the market that Micron, Samsung and SK Hynix are abandoning to chase the AI server ma…

China also needs RAM for AIs, especially since they have plenty of electrical power and building speed to pump out data-centers.

Re: Is the RAM shortage killing small VPS hosts?

#28
post #13

Out of curiosity, what advantages do the small VPS hosts offer compared to the big 3 (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)? Customer Service? Pricing? Local Data Center?

Until recently I had a 4gb ram 80gb ssd+2tb hd VPS running debian in a Montreal data centre with a real use 700 mbit pipe to my city with a budget provider for the equivalent of $80USD/year. When fio speeds were slow they moved me to a less crowded server. I gave it up as don't need it and moved my personal sites back to NFS for peanuts a year and services to my NAS. The pricing, offsite storage for my backups, Canad…

Yeah, don't try AWS. I tried it once and now I'm stuck with $0 bill emails coming each month that I can't stop.

Re: Is the RAM shortage killing small VPS hosts?

#29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pricing (both cheaper and more predictable), and reduced complexity.

Interesting. I'd have thought these giants would have better pricing because of the scale...

They might be if they were trying to compete on price. But my understanding is their margins are... healthy shall we say.

Re: Is the RAM shortage killing small VPS hosts?

#30

RAM shortage or competent programmer shortage? Can't get a Linux box to idle (or even install) under 512M these days. Can't find a web developer worth a shit who doesn't think he needs a Python backend application server to print "Hello, world" when you could do this with a static page served with something like OpenBSD with two-digit RAM requirements. It's not the RAM that's changed; it's everyone around the RAM. A…

My NixOS SSH jump host server here idles at 234 MB of which 64 MB is systemd-journald (which I assume can be reduced with some settings of how much to keep in RAM).
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