Ubuntu VPS for Docker.KVM-Virtualized Container Hosting.
A dedicated Ubuntu 24.04 LTS KVM instance for Docker with NVMe storage and root access. Run Compose stacks or isolated containers without resource limits.
FlashRDP Ubuntu VPS for Docker provides enterprise-grade KVM-virtualized servers with Docker pre-installed. It enables developers to seamlessly run containerized applications and microservices on a native Linux environment. Teams see faster deployments, extreme environment consistency, and high availability with a 99.98% uptime guarantee.
6 Pillars of a ProductionDocker Setup
Rootless by Default
Run the Docker daemon with --userns-remap or full rootless mode so container root doesn't map to host root. Pair it with a default-deny UFW policy and only open the ports you actually publish.
Welcome to Ubuntu.
root@flashrdp:~# docker pull ubuntu:latest
latest: Pulling from library/ubuntu
Status: Downloaded newer image for ubuntu:latest
root@flashrdp:~# docker run -d -p 80:80 nginx
a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0
root@flashrdp:~#
Compose as the Source of Truth
A single docker-compose.yml, checked into git next to a .env.example, is your entire deployment. `docker compose pull && docker compose up -d` is the whole release process — no build server required.
Volumes You Actually Own
Named volumes live on ext4/XFS over NVMe, not inside an opaque platform abstraction. `restic backup /var/lib/docker/volumes` into off-site storage is a five-line cron job, not a support ticket.
Reverse Proxy, Your Choice
Traefik's Docker provider auto-discovers containers via labels; Nginx Proxy Manager gives you a GUI instead. Either way, Let's Encrypt issues and renews certificates without you touching a cert file.
Metrics Without a SaaS Bill
cAdvisor plus node_exporter feed Prometheus; Grafana renders it. Per-container CPU, memory, and block I/O — the same numbers `docker stats` gives you, just retained longer than your terminal scrollback.
Deploy on Push
A self-hosted GitHub Actions runner or GitLab CI executor lives in its own container, with access to the host's Docker socket only if you explicitly mount it. `git push main` becomes a running container.
What is Ubuntu VPS for Docker?
An Ubuntu VPS for Docker is a KVM-virtualized server running Ubuntu where you get a real, dedicated Linux kernel instead of a container-based slice of one. That's what lets dockerd run natively — no nested virtualization tax, no shared-hosting port restrictions, full root over the daemon itself.
Who should use it?
Developers and self-hosters running production workloads in containers — WordPress, Coolify, a Postgres instance, a Compose stack — who need real isolation, not a shared PHP-FPM pool.
Why Ubuntu?
Docker's official apt repository and install docs target Ubuntu first, and its LTS releases carry security updates for years — less drift between what you read and what you run.
When to choose it?
When shared hosting won't let you run a daemon at all, or when you need to map arbitrary ports, pull custom images, and get real disk I/O for a database container.
What Should You Actually Buy?
Pick what you plan to run in containers. We'll total the RAM and CPU headroom and point you at the smallest plan that comfortably fits — no guessing, no over-buying.
What are you running?
Recommended tier
BRONZE
- CPU2x Cores (Xeon E5-2690)
- RAM4 GB RAM
- Storage50 GB SSD NVMe
- Price$11.99/mo
2 workloads selected, totaling roughly 2.0GB RAM and 2 vCPU. BRONZE (4 GB RAM, 2x Cores) covers that with headroom to spare.
Where dockerd Actually Sits in the Stack
The diagram to the right is the point: your containers, the Docker Engine (daemon, containerd, runc), and Ubuntu itself all sit inside one KVM guest — not stacked on top of a second virtualization layer. containerd hands off to runc, and runc talks straight to the kernel KVM gave you, not an emulated one.
overlay2 Storage Driver
Docker's default on Ubuntu layers image filesystems onto ext4/XFS with no extra config for typical workloads.
Bridge & Overlay Networking
The docker0 bridge works out of the box; add an overlay network the moment containers need to reach across hosts.
cgroups v2 Resource Limits
--memory and --cpus map directly onto kernel cgroups v2 controllers — not a platform-specific throttle bolted on top.
This Is What You'll Actually See
No panel, no abstraction layer between you and the daemon — just docker ps -a on a box you fully control.
| CONTAINER ID | IMAGE | STATUS | PORTS | NAMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00003bf19f42 |  nginx:1.27 | Up 2h 15m | 0.0.0.0:443->443/tcp | app-web-1 |
| 0000c3cdd7b2 |  postgres:16 | Up 2h 15m | 0.0.0.0:5432->5432/tcp | app-db-1 |
| 00003bf9b187 |  redis:7-alpine | Up 2h 15m | 6379/tcp | app-cache-1 |
| 00001838e3c0 |  n8nio/n8n:latest | Up 1h 5m | 0.0.0.0:5678->5678/tcp | app-n8n-1 |
| 0000b4ec4b2e |  app/migrate:v2.3.0 | Exited (0) 2 hours ago | — | app-migrate-1 |
Why Docker needs a True VPS
Shared hosting was built for one PHP script per account. Docker needs a persistent daemon, custom port mappings, and a kernel that isn't rationed across 200 other tenants.
Not the only way to run containers
Unmanaged VPS + Docker
Full control over the daemon, storage driver, and network config. Cheapest option per core/GB. No platform lock-in — the same docker-compose.yml runs anywhere.
Trade-off: You own patching, backups, and troubleshooting when a container misbehaves at 2am.
Managed Kubernetes (EKS/GKE-style)
Built-in autoscaling, rolling deploys, and multi-node scheduling without you managing etcd.
Trade-off: Meaningful markup over raw compute cost, plus a steeper learning curve if you've never operated a cluster.
PaaS (Render/Railway-style)
Fastest path from zero to a running app — no server admin at all.
Trade-off: Costs scale faster than raw compute as you grow, and you're generally boxed into their supported runtimes and deploy model.
Common Docker Applications on Ubuntu
Every one of these ships an official or actively-maintained Docker Hub image — no custom build required to get started. Here's what people actually run on this stack.
WordPress
The world's most popular CMS, easily containerized.
Ghost CMS
A modern, lightweight publishing platform.
Nextcloud
Self-hosted file sync and share platform.
Coolify
An open-source, self-hosted Heroku alternative.
n8n
Fair-code workflow automation tool.
Supabase
Open source Firebase alternative.
PostgreSQL
Advanced open source relational database.
Redis
In-memory data structure store and cache.
MongoDB
Document-based NoSQL database.
MySQL
The world's most popular open source database.
MariaDB
Community-developed fork of MySQL.
Node.js
JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine.
Python
Versatile programming language for AI and Web.
Laravel
The PHP framework for web artisans.
Django
High-level Python web framework.
FastAPI
Modern, fast web framework for Python.
Grafana
Open observability and data visualization.
Prometheus
Systems monitoring and alerting toolkit.
Portainer
Powerful GUI management for Docker environments.
Jenkins
Open source automation server.
GitLab
Complete DevOps platform.
Gitea
Painless self-hosted Git service.
Ollama
Get up and running with large language models.
Open WebUI
User-friendly WebUI for LLMs.
Immich
High performance self-hosted photo backup.
Paperless-ngx
Scan, index, and archive your documents.
Vaultwarden
Unofficial Bitwarden compatible server.
Plausible
Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative.
Umami
Simple, fast, privacy-focused open source analytics.
Why It's Fast
We won't put a made-up percentage bar next to a number and call it a benchmark — actual container performance depends on your image, your workload, and what else is running. What we can tell you is the architecture, and why it removes the usual bottlenecks:
dockerd talks to a real, dedicated kernel that KVM handed you — not a shared kernel with cgroups and namespaces capped by an OpenVZ-style host policy. Nothing about running Docker itself is emulated.
Block I/O passes through a thin virtio driver to enterprise NVMe storage, not a network-attached volume abstraction with its own latency budget — the layer a database container actually feels.
Limits you set with --cpus or --memory are enforced by the same kernel scheduler running the host — not a quota system layered on top by a hosting panel.
Docker Security on Ubuntu
Hosting Docker securely requires a combination of host-level and container-level protections. Ubuntu 24.04 provides the perfect foundation with AppArmor and Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW).
Daemon Protection
Never expose the Docker socket (`/var/run/docker.sock`) directly to the internet. Always use SSH tunneling or TLS client certificates for remote Docker access.
Container Isolation
Run containers with the `--user` flag when possible, preventing processes inside the container from running as root. Utilize user namespaces for enhanced isolation.
Secrets Management
Use Docker Swarm secrets or an external vault like HashiCorp Vault. Never hardcode API keys or database passwords in your Dockerfiles or image layers.
How to Install Docker on Ubuntu
Follow this guide to install the official Docker Engine and Docker Compose V2 on your FlashRDP Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 server.
Docker's own docs default to this path — pinned versions, clean upgrades via `apt-get upgrade`, and GPG-verified packages.
Update Package Lists
First, SSH into your VPS as the root user and ensure all existing packages are up to date.
apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -yInstall Prerequisites
Install the necessary packages to allow `apt` to use a repository over HTTPS.
apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release -yAdd Docker's Official GPG Key
Securely download and add Docker's official GPG key to verify package signatures.
mkdir -m 0755 -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpgSet Up the Repository
Add the stable Docker repository to your Ubuntu package sources.
echo \
"deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
$(lsb_release -cs) stable" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/nullInstall Docker Engine & Compose
Update the `apt` package index again, and install the latest version of Docker Engine, containerd, and Docker Compose.
apt-get update
apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin -yVerify Installation
Verify that Docker is installed correctly by running the `hello-world` image. You can also verify Docker Compose V2 with `docker compose version`.
docker run hello-world
docker compose versionWhich Ubuntu versions do you offer?
Deploy your preferred minimal, server, or cloud OS in seconds with our 1-click installer.
Server 24.04 LTS Minimal
LTSLatest LTS release with 5 years of guaranteed security updates. Default choice for new deployments.
Server 22.04 LTS Minimal
LTSHighly stable previous LTS release. Excellent compatibility with established enterprise software.
24.04 LTS Cloud Micro
LTSUltra-lightweight cloud-init image optimized for rapid instantiation and minimal resource footprint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about running Docker containers on our unmanaged Ubuntu VPS infrastructure.
What is an Ubuntu VPS for Docker, technically?
It's a KVM-virtualized server running Ubuntu where your account gets a full Linux kernel, not a chrooted slice of someone else's. That distinction matters because Docker relies on kernel features — namespaces, cgroups, overlayfs — that container-based virtualization like OpenVZ restricts or emulates. KVM gives you the real thing, which is why Docker's own installation docs assume a setup like this.
Do I get full root access?
Yes — unrestricted root over the entire OS: iptables/nftables rules, sysctl kernel parameters, the dockerd config at /etc/docker/daemon.json, all of it. Nothing routes through a control panel that limits what you can touch.
Can I install Docker Compose alongside Docker Engine?
Yes, natively. The docker-compose-plugin package installs Compose V2 as a Docker CLI subcommand (docker compose, no hyphen), so a single docker-compose.yml defines and runs your whole multi-container stack.
Can I run Kubernetes distributions like K3s or MicroK8s?
Yes. Because the VPS runs on real KVM rather than nested or container-based virtualization, K3s, MicroK8s, and Minikube all initialize cleanly — no virtualization-capability errors that show up on OpenVZ or LXC-backed hosts.
Can I host multiple websites or apps on one VPS with Docker?
Yes. Run each app in its own container and put Traefik or Nginx Proxy Manager in front to route by hostname. Traefik picks up new containers automatically via Docker labels; NPM gives you a GUI instead — either way, dozens of isolated sites can share one host.
Can I run production databases like Postgres or MySQL in containers?
Yes, and it's a common pattern here. Bind-mount the data directory onto the host's NVMe storage so the database gets real block-device performance instead of an overlay filesystem layer sitting between it and the disk.
Can I use any Docker image, including private ones?
Yes. Pull public images from Docker Hub, GHCR, or Quay.io, or docker login to a private registry and pull your own. You can also build custom images directly on the VPS from a Dockerfile — no external CI required.
How much RAM do I actually need for Docker?
The Docker daemon itself is lightweight (well under 100MB idle), so RAM planning comes down to what you're running inside it. Use the sizing guide above: pick your stack and it'll total the RAM and recommend a plan tier instead of guessing.
Which Ubuntu version should I pick — 22.04 or 24.04?
Default to 24.04 LTS unless a specific package you depend on still requires 22.04's older library set. Both are LTS releases with long security-update windows and full Docker Engine compatibility; 24.04 just has the newer kernel and package versions.