Before this:What is deployment?
Deploying to the cloud & VPS
Key takeaways Where you run a deployment is a spectrum trading control against effort: a VPS or your own hardware gives full control but you run everything; a managed platform (PaaS) or container service handles the servers for you at higher cost and less control. Choose by how much operations work you want to own. A service like GopherTrunk runs happily on a cheap VPS or even a Raspberry Pi.
You’ve built and containerized your app. Now — where does it run? This lesson maps the hosting options and how to pick.
The hosting spectrum
Every option trades how much you control against how much you have to operate:
| Option | You manage | Control | Effort | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Own hardware / SBC | everything, incl. the machine | total | high | home labs, GopherTrunk on a Pi |
| VPS | the OS and up | high | medium | most small services |
| Container service | just the container | medium | low-medium | containerized apps that scale |
| Managed platform (PaaS) | just the code | low | low | teams who want zero ops |
Moving down the table, the provider takes on more of the work — and charges for it — while you give up some control and flexibility.
The VPS: the common middle ground
For most small deployments, a VPS — a Linux virtual machine you rent — is the sweet spot. You get a real server you fully control, for a few dollars a month, and you deploy onto it with the tools from this module: install your systemd service or run your container, and you’re live. You reach it over SSH to set it up and manage it.
How to choose
Ask three questions:
- How much control do you need? Special hardware (like GopherTrunk’s USB radio) or custom OS setup pushes you toward a VPS or your own machine — a fully managed platform usually can’t attach a USB dongle.
- How much operations work do you want? More convenience costs money and control; less costs your time.
- Does it need to scale? A single small service is fine on one VPS; something that must grow to many instances leans toward container services or orchestration.
GopherTrunk’s angle
Because GopherTrunk talks to physical radio hardware, it typically runs on a machine that has that hardware — a home server, a mini-PC, or a Raspberry Pi with the SDR plugged in — rather than a hands-off cloud platform. That’s a useful reminder: the right place to deploy is driven by what the app needs, not by what’s trendiest. Wherever it runs, the Linux CLI and this module’s tools are how you get it there.
Quick check: what do you get with a VPS?
Recap
- Hosting is a spectrum trading control for effort — own hardware, VPS, container service, PaaS.
- A VPS is the common middle ground: a full server you control cheaply, managed over SSH.
- Choose by control needed, ops effort wanted, and whether it must scale.
- Let the app’s needs decide — GopherTrunk runs where its radio hardware is.
Next up: keeping a deployment healthy over time — monitoring and updates.
Frequently asked questions
What is a VPS?
A VPS (virtual private server) is a virtual machine you rent from a hosting provider — a small Linux server in the cloud that you control fully. You install and manage everything yourself, which gives maximum control at the cost of doing the operations work. It’s a common, affordable way to run a service like GopherTrunk.
Should I use a managed platform or a plain server?
A managed platform (PaaS) handles the servers, scaling, and much of the operations for you, so you focus on the app — easier, but with less control and usually higher cost. A plain server or VPS gives full control and lower cost but you run everything yourself. Choose based on how much operations work you want to own versus how much control you need.