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.
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.
Adding funds and using account credit
Prepay into your account, pay invoices from the balance, and keep services running.
Read →Understanding your invoice
Line items, pro-rata charges, due dates and what happens if an invoice is not paid.
Read →Paying invoices: payment methods, currencies and receipts
How to pay an invoice, which payment methods and currencies are available, and where your receipts are.
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 →Harden your VPS: a checklist you can finish in 20 minutes
The concrete steps that stop the overwhelming majority of opportunistic attacks.
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 →Free TLS certificates and HTTPS
How automatic HTTPS works, how to issue and renew certificates, and why you should never ship 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.
DNS records explained in plain English
A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV and NS — what each one does and when you need it.
Read →DNS propagation, TTLs and why nothing is instant
Why a corrected record still looks wrong for an hour, and how to check properly.
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.
Read →