Guides, how-tos and troubleshooting
106 in-depth guides covering every HostingSwift service — from creating your first VPS to running a radio station, migrating a site or recovering from a backup. Written for humans and readable by AI agents.
8 of these guides are available in your language — they are marked below and open in the translated version.
getting started
Create an account and get your first service online.
account
Passwords, two-factor authentication and keeping your account safe.
billing
Invoices, credit, payment methods and changing plans.
Adicionando fundos e usando o crédito da conta
Pague antecipado na sua conta, quite faturas com o saldo e mantenha seus serviços ativos.
Read →Entendendo sua fatura
Itens, cobranças proporcionais, datas de vencimento e o que acontece se uma fatura não for paga.
Read →Pagando faturas: formas de pagamento, moedas e recibos
Como pagar uma fatura, quais formas de pagamento e moedas estão disponíveis e onde ficam seus recibos.
Read →Cancelling a service (and keeping your data)
Cancel without losing data, the difference between cancel and terminate, and migration exits.
Read →Upgrading and downgrading your services
Resize up or down without downtime, what happens to your data, and how the billing works.
Read →vps
Provision, secure and run a virtual server from scratch.
Deploying your first VPS
From the panel choose VPS Hosting, pick a plan and a region, then complete checkout. Your server is provisioned automatically and appears under Services once re
Read →How to create your first VPS
Provision a virtual server, log in over SSH, and understand what you were given.
Read →SSH keys and access: stop using passwords
Generate a key pair, install the public key, and disable password login safely.
Read →Proteja sua VPS: uma checklist que você termina em 20 minutos
Os passos concretos que barram a esmagadora maioria dos ataques oportunistas.
Read →Firewall basics: ufw and firewalld without the fear
Default-deny, allow only what you serve, and never lock yourself out.
Read →Fail2ban basics: automatic brute-force blocking
Install, configure and audit fail2ban, and avoid the classic self-ban trap.
Read →Resize, snapshot and reinstall a VPS safely
Change plans without losing data, use snapshots as an undo button, and reinstall cleanly.
Read →Linux command line survival guide for hosting customers
The two dozen commands you actually need to run a server, explained plainly.
Read →Running Docker on your VPS
Install Docker, understand volumes and networking, and avoid the classic data-loss traps.
Read →Sizing your server: CPU, RAM, disk and bandwidth
How to reason about resources so you buy the right size instead of guessing.
Read →systemd services explained
Manage, debug and write systemd units — the thing that runs your long-lived processes.
Read →web hosting
Publish a website, add HTTPS, and make it fast.
Deploy your first website
From an empty account to a live site on your own domain, step by step.
Read →Certificados TLS gratuitos e HTTPS
Como funciona o HTTPS automático, como emitir e renovar certificados e por que você nunca deve publicar com HTTP.
Read →WordPress quickstart on HostingSwift
Install WordPress, harden it, make it fast, and keep it updated — the essentials.
Read →Making WordPress fast: caching, images and plugins
The changes that actually move the needle on WordPress speed, in priority order.
Read →Forcing HTTPS and handling redirects correctly
301 vs 302, www vs apex, and how to redirect without breaking your SEO.
Read →Managing PHP and Node runtimes
Switch PHP versions safely, run a Node app behind the proxy, and fix common runtime errors.
Read →Staging sites and safe deployment habits
Test changes somewhere that is not production, then deploy them with confidence.
Read →Deploying a Next.js or Node app
Build, run and proxy a modern JavaScript app on HostingSwift.
Read →Static assets and CDN delivery
Serve CSS, JS and images efficiently, and know when a CDN is worth it.
Read →What is a CDN and do you need one?
How content delivery networks work, when they pay off, and when they are overkill.
Read →domains
Register, transfer and point domain names.
dns
Records, nameservers, propagation and fixing DNS.
Registros DNS explicados em linguagem simples
A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV e NS: o que cada um faz e quando você precisa dele.
Read →Propagação de DNS, TTLs e por que nada é instantâneo
Por que um registro corrigido ainda parece errado por uma hora e como verificar do jeito certo.
Read →Nameservers: where your DNS actually lives
NS records, delegation, and how to move DNS between a registrar and HostingSwift.
Read →Using HostingSwift managed DNS
Host your zones with us, manage records in the panel, and use the DNS troubleshooting tools.
Read →Troubleshooting DNS problems
A systematic method for "the site will not load" and "email is not arriving".
Read →Mailboxes, SPF/DKIM/DMARC and getting into the inbox.
Email DNS: SPF, DKIM and DMARC without the headache
The three records that decide whether your mail reaches the inbox, explained simply.
Read →Setting up email hosting
Create mailboxes, connect a client, and get the MX and authentication records right.
Read →Email deliverability troubleshooting
When mail goes to spam or bounces: diagnose authentication, reputation and configuration.
Read →Sending bulk mail without wrecking your reputation
Newsletters and notifications done right: lists, consent, authentication and pacing.
Read →Self-hosting a mailing list with listmonk
Run your own newsletter platform on a VPS, with proper authentication and pacing.
Read →radio & audio
Set up and run an internet radio station.
Setting up an internet radio station
Create a stream, broadcast from a DJ app, and add AutoDJ for 24/7 playback.
Read →Radio AutoDJ and playlists
Keep a station on air 24/7, schedule shows, and hand over cleanly between live and automated.
Read →Radio bitrates, bandwidth and listener limits
Do the maths on how many listeners you can serve, and pick a bitrate that reaches more people.
Read →Radio troubleshooting: silence, skipping and drops
Diagnose a station that is silent, stuttering, or refusing encoders.
Read →video & streaming
Live streaming, encoding and video on demand.
Setting up live video streaming
Go live with OBS, get an RTMP key, and deliver HLS that plays anywhere.
Read →Video encoding, bitrates and resolution
Pick settings that look good and do not melt your bandwidth or CPU.
Read →Video on demand: hosting and streaming stored video
Upload, organise and deliver recorded video efficiently with object storage and HLS.
Read →Video streaming troubleshooting
Fix a stream that will not go live, buffers constantly, or looks terrible.
Read →vpn & networking
VPNs, private mesh networking and IP addressing.
Setting up your VPN
Create peers, download configs, connect from any device, and stay private.
Read →Private mesh networking between your services
Connect all your servers and services on a private LAN that is never exposed publicly.
Read →IP addresses and networking basics for hosting
IPv4, IPv6, public vs private, ports, NAT and what happens when you run out of addresses.
Read →Self-hosted VPN vs a commercial VPN
The honest trade-offs, and when each one is the right tool.
Read →storage & files
Object storage and self-hosted file platforms.
databases
Managed databases, PostgreSQL basics and performance.
Databases on HostingSwift
Create managed PostgreSQL or MySQL, connect safely, and understand what to back up.
Read →PostgreSQL basics for people who are not DBAs
Connect, create, query and back up a PostgreSQL database without fear.
Read →Database performance basics
Indexes, slow queries and connection pools — the 20% that fixes most slow apps.
Read →Database backups that actually restore
Dump, encrypt, move off-site, and prove you can restore — every time.
Read →ai & api
The OpenAI-compatible AI Router and building with models.
AI Router quickstart: an OpenAI-compatible endpoint
Get an API key, call the endpoint with any OpenAI SDK, and control model routing and spend.
Read →Using AI Chat and building assistants
Use the built-in chat, and connect your own data to a model sensibly.
Read →Deploying an AI app or self-hosted model
From API-consuming app to running your own model — sizing, serving and cost.
Read →API keys and secrets: handling them properly
Store, scope, rotate and revoke credentials without leaking them.
Read →monitoring
Uptime checks, resource graphs and alerting that helps.
Setting up uptime and monitoring checks
Get alerted before your customers notice, with the checks that actually matter.
Read →Monitoring your resources: CPU, RAM, disk and bandwidth
Read the graphs, spot the trend before it becomes an outage, and know what "normal" looks like.
Read →Monitoring alerts that matter (and how to stop ignoring them)
Design alerting so every alert is worth reading, with severity, routing and runbooks.
Read →Monitoring your bandwidth and staying inside your plan
Measure traffic, avoid overage surprises, and find what is actually consuming it.
Read →Reading your server logs
Find errors, follow live logs, and use logs to solve problems instead of guessing.
Read →security
Checklists, hardening and defending against abuse.
backups
Back up, restore, and survive the bad day.
migrations
Move your site, mail and DNS with minimal downtime.
troubleshooting
Diagnose a down site, HTTP errors and bottlenecks.
Troubleshooting a down website
A calm, ordered method for "my site is down" — from DNS to database.
Read →HTTP error codes and what to do about them
What every 4xx and 5xx you will actually meet means, and how to fix each one.
Read →Bandwidth vs CPU: finding the real bottleneck
Work out whether your server is limited by network, CPU, memory or disk — and fix the right one.
Read →How to use DNS lookup and propagation tools (and what the records mean)
How to check any domain's DNS records and whether a change has gone live — explained for people who are not DNS engineers.
Read →How to use email tools to fix deliverability (MX, SPF, DKIM, blacklists)
A walkthrough of the free email tools — MX lookup, SMTP/IMAP testers, blacklist and SPF/DKIM checks — and how to act on what they show.
Read →How to use website performance tools to find what is slow
Use TTFB, compression, caching, HTTP/2 and uptime tools to diagnose a slow site step by step, and know which fix to apply.
Read →How to use SSL, header and security tools to check a site safely
What our free SSL, security-header, HSTS, DNSSEC and open-redirect tools check, and how to interpret and act on each result.
Read →How to use ping, traceroute, port and IP tools to diagnose connectivity
When a server is unreachable, these free network tools tell you where the problem is — DNS, routing, firewall or the service itself.
Read →How to use domain tools: availability, privacy, typosquat and subdomain checks
What domain availability, WHOIS privacy, typosquatting and subdomain-finder tools do, and how to use them before and after you register.
Read →open source
The upstream projects behind our platform, with links.
Nextcloud: what it is, what it does, and when to self-host it
Nextcloud is a self-hosted alternative to Google Drive, Dropbox and Office 365. Here is what it actually replaces, who it suits, and how to run it.
Read →The open source we run on, and why we credit it
Every upstream project behind our platform, with links to its site and source code.
Read →Jellyfin vs Plex vs Emby: which media server should you self-host?
A plain comparison of the three big self-hosted media servers — licensing, clients, transcoding and who each one suits.
Read →Vaultwarden: a self-hosted Bitwarden password manager
Vaultwarden is a lightweight, self-hosted server compatible with the Bitwarden apps — your passwords, on your hardware, for free.
Read →Immich: the self-hosted Google Photos replacement
Immich gives you Google-Photos-style backup and browsing for your own photos and videos, on your own server. What it does, who it suits, and how to run it.
Read →n8n: self-hosted workflow automation (Zapier, but yours)
n8n is a visual automation tool — connect apps and APIs with a drag-and-drop flowchart. What it does, where it fits, and how to self-host it.
Read →Self-hosted team chat: Mattermost and Rocket.Chat explained
The two leading open-source Slack alternatives — what they do, how they differ, and when self-hosting team chat makes sense.
Read →Matrix & Synapse: a self-hosted, federated chat network
Matrix is an open protocol for decentralised, end-to-end-encrypted chat; Synapse is its reference server. What it means and how to run your own homeserver.
Read →S3-compatible object storage: MinIO and Garage explained
MinIO and Garage give you an Amazon-S3-compatible object store you run yourself. What object storage is, why it matters, and which of the two to pick.
Read →Ghost vs WordPress: self-hosting a blog or publication
Ghost is a modern publishing platform with memberships and newsletters built in. How it compares to WordPress and which to self-host.
Read →Self-hosting for a small business: which apps are worth it
A practical shortlist of the open-source apps that save a small business real money and control — and the ones that are not worth the hassle.
Read →Self-hosted Git: Gitea, Forgejo and GitLab compared
Run your own GitHub — what Gitea, Forgejo and GitLab CE are, what each is known for, and which to pick for private repos, CI and code review.
Read →code-server and OpenVSCode Server: VS Code in your browser
Run VS Code on a server and use it from any browser. What code-server is, what it is known for, and why developers self-host their editor.
Read →Prometheus and Grafana: self-hosted monitoring and dashboards
What Prometheus and Grafana are, what they are known for, and why self-hosting your own metrics and dashboards beats a per-host SaaS bill.
Read →Uptime Kuma: a self-hosted status and uptime monitor
What Uptime Kuma is, what it is known for, and why it is the easiest self-hosted way to watch your sites and get alerted when they go down.
Read →Paperless-ngx: the self-hosted document manager
Turn a pile of PDFs and scans into a searchable, tagged archive. What Paperless-ngx is, what it is known for, and how to run it.
Read →Home Assistant: self-hosted smart-home control
One private app for every smart-home device. What Home Assistant is, what it is known for, and why people run their own smart-home hub.
Read →Self-hosted help desk: Zammad and osTicket
What Zammad and osTicket are, what each is known for, and how to choose a self-hosted ticketing system for support or IT.
Read →Moodle: a self-hosted learning management system
What Moodle is, what it is known for, and when to self-host a learning platform for courses, quizzes and student tracking.
Read →Self-hosted music and audiobooks: Navidrome and Audiobookshelf
What Navidrome and Audiobookshelf are, what they are known for, and how to stream your own music and audiobook libraries to any device.
Read →How to choose what to self-host (a priority order)
A decision framework for what to self-host first — ranked by savings, control gained, and how much maintenance each app really costs you.
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