With the IONOS Cloud Server, you only pay for the resources you actually use. This pay-as-you-go (PAYG) rate means that your usage is calculated to the minute. As soon as you delete your server instance, the costs stop being calculated. Since there is no minimum contract period, you have full control. As soon as you stop using the server and delete it, you will be billed proportionally and to the minute.

With IONOS, you can set up your cloud server in a very customized way. The high scalability also has an effect on the pay-as-you-go model. The costs depend on how many resources you have configured as well as which ones. For example, if you need less RAM or hard disk space than originally planned, you can reduce the capacities during operation and therefore cut down on the cost.

To stop the costs completely, you have to delete the cloud server. Turning off the server is not enough because the resources remain reserved for you, which means you’ll still be charged for them. However, an exception is the Cloud Server FLEX package, which generates significantly lower charges if stopped. With this option, you only get charged for the hard disk space when the machine is switched off – RAM and CPU are not charged for.

A cloud server is a virtual server that provides you with a complete, web-based IT infrastructure, including computing power, storage space and network technology. You don't need your own physical server hardware, known as a bare metal server, which you would have to purchase, configure, update and maintain at high cost. If you rent a Cloud Server, you have all the resources you need to carry out your private or corporate web projects. You can easily process, exchange, secure and manage data either web-based or location-independent. You can also run various data-supported applications over the web and make them available to other users. Server resources that you are not currently using will be available to other users. Thanks to the shared structures, Cloud Servers are particularly cost-effective.

In contrast to VPS (virtual private servers "VPS"), where you can only use the server resources to a precisely defined extent, cloud servers are characterized by their scalability. If your requirements change, you can adapt the allocated server resources at any time and in real time. Billing is based on the resources you use, meaning you only pay for what you actually use. There is no predetermined monthly price.

As a cloud server provider, IONOS also offers you numerous additional features that are frequently required in high-performance cloud environments. Features such as load balancing and full root access (access to your server's configuration files) as well as shared storage, add-on block storage and much more are all included.

Another option is a dedicated server. In this top tier of server hosting, all server resources are available exclusively to you, so you don't have to share them with anyone. However, this variant is more expensive. It is best to check in advance exactly which scope of services you really need. Our skilled support team will be happy to answer your questions.

The data security of all our products and services is a top priority for IONOS. Of course, this also applies to all cloud server hosting packages. With us, you'll benefit not only from encrypted data transmission, but also from encrypted storage and data backups. Our digital and physical security infrastructure protects your data comprehensively. Our data centers, modern high-performance servers, and georedundant structures play their part, as do our central firewall and the latest SIEM and IDS/IPS technologies, which protect our security network from unwanted access.

You can set up your cloud server in just a few, easy steps — even without prior administrator knowledge. Select the United States as the server location.

Using network protocols such as SSH (Secure Shell), you can establish encrypted network connections with remote devices. Via SSL VPN — i.e., via web-based, virtual private networks — you can set up secure access to certain services of your network if required. This means those authorized can, for example, access company applications and shared resources in an SSL-encrypted and location-independent manner. SSL VPN partners don't even need to connect to the corporate network.

Renting and setting up a cloud server is worthwhile for anyone who wants a powerful IT infrastructure at a reasonable price. This also offers an ideal basis for a wide range of web projects. Possible use cases might be: a private or a company website, as high-performance infrastructure for web developers, or even as a high-performance gaming server.

Are you setting up a startup and still unsure of the daily requirements on the IT infrastructure? With our cloud servers, you can flexibly balance the necessary resources at any time and only pay for what you use.

Does your business change its demands on the IT infrastructure seasonally, on a daily basis or when campaigns and promotions are running? With our scalable cloud servers, it's easy to change in real time to suit your business.

Do you work on larger projects where you use servers for different purposes? For example, as a front-end server with load balancer in connection with database servers that you control from third-party software via API? Great! Because our cloud server solutions can easily reproduce scenarios like these. You'll also benefit from unlimited traffic and high availability.

If you rent a cloud server from IONOS, you can set it up yourself in just a few minutes. Programming skills are not required. We will guide you step-by-step through the process:

1. First, determine the desired server size.
2. Then choose an operating system for your cloud server (Windows or Linux).
3. Then select the location of the data center.
4. Shortly after purchase, you'll receive your pre-configured server ready for operation.

The deployment time for a Linux image is about 55 seconds. Your cloud server is then fully available to use.

Yes, our cloud packages are ideal for small and medium-sized businesses. Simply select the right package for your needs based on the server resources you require. These typically differ in CPU (processor power), RAM (memory) and storage space. Fast solid state disks (SSDs) with short access times are available in every package for data transfer and storage. Whenever you need more resources, you can customize them in real time to meet your needs.

For larger organizations that need even more performance and server resources, we recommend the Compute Engine.

Our Cloud Servers support the popular and widely used MySQL and MariaDB relational database management systems. We also offer MS SQL Express, MS SQL with web license and MS SQL with standard license.

Yes, you can back up your data to your Cloud Server. A backup client is available as well as an additional, separate backup storage on which you can back up the data of your cloud server externally at any time — encrypted and in a physically separate data center. This enables you to back up your data multiple times.

However, a cloud server is much more than "just" traditional cloud storage, because it encompasses more than just the rentable storage space in the cloud. If you rent a cloud server, you also have a complete server infrastructure with scalable computing power and can not only store your data, but also process it extensively.

Perhaps you don't actually need these server features, but just want to create a secure and practical online backup for your data? We can offer you this service in the form of our Cloud Backup package.