title: 'Tested Cost-Effective Servers (Various Usage Scenarios)'
date: 2023-02-02 18:59:52
tags: [VPN, Internet Freedom, Server Evaluation]
published: true
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feature: https://img.a8dog.com/i/2023/02/02/wblojy.webp
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Creating a collection of servers that I have personally used and found to be good. I will indicate the best usage scenarios for each server to provide reference for everyone! Note: No affiliate links are included. In the future, I will add servers that I haven't used but may be useful.
First, let me explain the meaning of my usage scenarios.
- CDN: Accelerating websites for mainland China (choose whether to accelerate images based on broadband conditions)
- Blog: Blogs with low traffic.
- Internet Freedom: Moderate and heavy internet freedom usage, requiring high broadband speed for streaming 4K and 8K videos.
- Light Internet Freedom: Browsing websites, with less emphasis on speed and broadband, suitable for watching 1080p videos, etc.
- Transit: Used for transit in various scenarios, such as server-to-server transit, non-internet freedom transit.
- Large-scale Services: Requires powerful CPU or GPU computing capabilities.
BandwagonHost#
Quite well-known, but I still want to mention it!
Usage scenario: CDN-Blog-Internet Freedom
Official website: https://bandwagonhost.com/
Mainstream routes include Hong Kong CN2 GIA, Japan CN2 GIA, and the US CN2 GIA! (Sorted by price from high to low)
When purchasing the US CN2 GIA, there will be an additional Osaka, Japan data center, which has good latency and speed, and offers the best cost-effectiveness!
I have used the Osaka data center for internet freedom and the speed was very good!
CLOUDCONE#
They have small servers priced around $10-$20 per year, with average routes!
Usage scenario: Transit-Light Internet Freedom
Official website: https://app.cloudcone.com/
The mainstream route is Los Angeles, USA, but I don't know the details.
It can be used as a testing server or for transit when connecting to other servers.
Currently, I have purchased several yearly plans to build some auxiliary tools for my own use.
RAKsmart#
They have data centers in the US, Japan, and Hong Kong, but the broadband is relatively low!
Usage scenario: Blog-Transit
Official website: https://billing.raksmart.com/
They have CN2 Only route in Silicon Valley, USA, and the latency for optimizing mainland China in Japan is also relatively low, but the broadband is very small.
I have used the servers in Silicon Valley, USA for simple CDN, and the servers for optimizing mainland China in Japan for image acceleration.
JustHost#
It was popular for internet freedom a few years ago when it was priced at 11 RMB, and now they seem to have more funds and more data centers.
Usage scenario: Light Internet Freedom-Blog-Transit
Official website: https://justhost.ru/zh
I tried it a long time ago, and at that time, there was a route that was more friendly to China Unicom and China Mobile.
I used it for CDN to accelerate images. I don't make specific recommendations for this data center, you can check online reviews!
RackNerd#
All servers are in the US, and the routes are average, but I feel they are better than CLOUDCONE servers mentioned above.
Usage scenario: Transit-Blog-Light Internet Freedom-Large-scale Services
Official website: https://my.racknerd.com/
They also have yearly plans priced around $10-$20, and I have also purchased them for simple functions.
In addition, they have servers with AMD Ryzen/EPYC, and the highest specification server is AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X.
This CPU is quite powerful, with a specific configuration of 3970X+256RAM+2TB NVMe+8TB SATA HDD+1G broadband+40T traffic.
Vultr#
They have multiple routes, including the US, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, but they are not optimized for mainland China. They can be used as landing servers for internet freedom.
Usage scenario: Transit-Blog-Light Internet Freedom-Large-scale Services
Official website: https://my.vultr.com/
They also have AMD EPYC servers and provide object storage and cloud database services, but the cost-effectiveness is not particularly high!
For running large-scale services, you can use RackNerd's 3970X or 3960X servers.
V.PS#
They have multiple routes, and they have Hong Kong, Japan, and San Jose for mainland China. The Tokyo server in Japan has good cost-effectiveness!
Usage scenario: Transit-Blog-Internet Freedom-CDN
Official website: https://vps.hosting/
I have only used the Tokyo server, and the latency and speed are similar to the Osaka server of BandwagonHost, which is also very good. Less than 6 euros per month for 1TB traffic.
Of course, they also have mini servers with yearly plans, which have less traffic than regular servers. When I purchased it, Hong Kong was out of stock, so I don't know the current situation.
It is very good for CDN, blog, and internet freedom. I don't know the situation during peak hours yet.
ReliableSite#
All servers are in the US, and the route situation is unknown, but they have powerful 3990X servers.
Usage scenario: Blog-Large-scale Services
Official website: https://www.reliablesite.net/
I have used the 3970X server, and at that time, I felt it was not enough, so I bookmarked this service provider.
But I haven't purchased or used it yet. The 3970X server alone is already very powerful, not to mention the 3990X!
NextCli#
A Chinese service provider that accepts payment in USDT, and the routes are optimized for mainland China.
Usage scenario: CDN
Official website: https://my.nextcli.com/
You can only pay with USDT, and it is a service provider for Grey Shovel. I haven't used their servers.
I have tested their jump servers, which consist of a Hong Kong Linux installation of Next Terminal and a Windows server.
Next Terminal: https://a8dog.com/post/KHiHXWmq7/
The cost-effectiveness of the jump server is low. You can buy a Japan server from V.PS for a few USDT, and then buy a Japan Windows server from Vultr for a few tens of dollars.
The total cost is much lower than buying from NextCli, and the server configuration and broadband are higher.
InterServer#
An old service provider, with high cost-effectiveness for storage servers!
Usage scenario: Storage
Official website: https://www.interserver.net/
They offer $6 per month for a server with 2GB RAM and 1TB HDD, which is a good choice for file backup! The broadband is not specified.
Recommendations on GitHub#
GitHub: https://github.com/mack-a/v2ray-agent/blob/master/documents/donation_aff.md
These are machines with good routes. Usage scenario: CDN-Internet Freedom-Website Hosting
WikiHost#
Fast speeds for Hong Kong and Japan, with high broadband but limited traffic servers.
Usage scenario: CDN-Internet Freedom-Website Hosting
Official website: https://idc.wiki/
I don't know why, but I like these service providers with high broadband but limited traffic. Maybe it's because I use very little traffic.
Those Hong Kong or Japan servers with a few Mbps or tens of Mbps and unlimited traffic are expensive!
DMIT#
I haven't purchased it, so you can read reviews yourself.
Usage scenario: Website Hosting-Internet Freedom
Official website: https://www.dmit.io/
I have read some reviews that say it is good for mobile networks, but other routes may take detours.
But the latency is also quite low, so it can be used as a landing server if needed.
The main consideration is latency and whether it performs well during peak hours.
DigitalVirt#
A Chinese service provider with CMI and SoftBank GIV routes!
Usage scenario: Website Hosting-Internet Freedom-CDN-Transit
Official website: https://digitalvirt.com/
I purchased the Hong Kong CMI route. The speed is good, and I bought it during peak hours.
LightNode#
They have Simplified Chinese and charge by the hour!
Usage scenario: Website Hosting-Landing Server
Official website: https://www.lightnode.com/zh-CN/home
I haven't purchased it, but I bookmarked it because of the hourly billing feature.
Sometimes, when I want to try something before actually implementing it, I like to have an hourly server for testing before going into production!
Note: The translation may not be 100% accurate.