For a small API, deploy a FlashRDP Linux VPS in Phoenix (NVMe SSD) with the Debian Minimal template, lock down SSH and the firewall, run your API as a systemd service, and put Caddy in front for automatic HTTPS. Paris servers use SATA SSD, so pick Phoenix if you want NVMe.
Why minimal Debian?
Alpine Linux is even smaller, but it uses musl instead of glibc. Some prebuilt binaries and language packages (for example Python wheels or Node.js native modules) need extra work on musl.
Debian Minimal keeps glibc, so standard Linux binaries and language runtimes work as expected, without a desktop or extra services. Check its idle memory use yourself with free -h after the first login; there is little running besides SSH.
Why NVMe helps APIs
If your API writes logs, sessions or a local SQLite database, storage latency adds to response time. NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) drives connect over PCIe and handle many small reads and writes in parallel, so they keep latency low under bursts. CPU, network and your code still matter more for most APIs.
Set up the server
1. Deploy
Deploy a FlashRDP Linux VPS in Phoenix with Debian 13 Minimal (Debian 12 Minimal is also available). BRONZE (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) is plenty for a small API written in Go, Rust or Node.js.
2. Secure SSH and the firewall
- Add your SSH key and confirm you can log in with it.
- In
/etc/ssh/sshd_config, set PasswordAuthentication no and PermitRootLogin prohibit-password, then run systemctl restart ssh.
- Install
ufw, allow SSH before enabling it, then allow web traffic:
If you moved SSH to another port, allow that port instead of OpenSSH.
3. Run the API as a systemd service
Create a dedicated user and a service file, for example /etc/systemd/system/myapi.service:
Have the API listen on 127.0.0.1:8080 so only the reverse proxy can reach it.
4. Add HTTPS with Caddy
Install Caddy from its official Debian repository, then set /etc/caddy/Caddyfile to:
Run systemctl reload caddy. Once your domain’s A record points to the server, Caddy obtains and renews a Let’s Encrypt certificate automatically.
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Last modified on October 16, 2026
