onionvps

Operating system

FreeBSD VPS hosting on KVM in Panama City

14.3 · 13.5Min 512 MBRecommended 2 GBFreeBSD Foundation
Short answer

FreeBSD is a complete operating system rather than a kernel plus a distribution, which shows in how coherent it feels. ZFS is first-class, jails are lighter than containers, and pf is the best firewall syntax in existence. It runs on any OnionVPS instance because we give you real KVM, not a Linux container.

Strengths

  • Native ZFS with snapshots and send/receive
  • Jails for lightweight isolation
  • pf firewall
  • Coherent base system

Trade-offs

  • Smaller software ecosystem
  • Some Linux-only software needs the compatibility layer

Best suited to

Storage serversRouters and firewallsZFS workloadsLong-lived infrastructure

FreeBSD on a KVM virtual server

FreeBSD on KVM means the kernel you boot is the kernel you own. Because our instances are true KVM virtualisation, not containers, the FreeBSD kernel runs unmodified, with its own /proc, its own device tree and full control of ZFS. A container VPS shares the host kernel and cannot offer that. Know this: you administer the system yourself, and some Linux-only software needs the compatibility layer. If you want a clean, self-contained BSD system with no shared namespace, this is the platform.

People run FreeBSD here for storage servers and routers, where native ZFS snapshots and send/receive, jails for isolation and the pf firewall earn their keep. The coherent base system suits long-lived infrastructure. The smaller ecosystem means you may rely on the compatibility layer for some Linux software.

How much machine FreeBSD actually needs

FreeBSD boots in 512 MB, but that is a floor, not a target. The operating system itself, with ZFS and a few services, costs you a decent share of 1 GB before your application has taken a byte. For real work, plan on 2 GB of memory. Disk: start with the base NVMe; ZFS benefits from room to snapshot.

Plans that suit FreeBSD

Skiff

Skiff 2

$ 7 /month
vCPU
1 × shared
RAM
2 GB
Storage
40 GB NVMe SSD
Transfer
3 TB
IPv4 / IPv6
1 / /64 routed
Configure
Skiff

Skiff 4

$ 12 /month
vCPU
2 × shared
RAM
4 GB
Storage
60 GB NVMe SSD
Transfer
4 TB
IPv4 / IPv6
1 / /64 routed
Configure
Cutter

Cutter 4

$ 19 /month
vCPU
2 × dedicated
RAM
4 GB
Storage
80 GB NVMe SSD
Transfer
6 TB
IPv4 / IPv6
1 / /64 routed
Configure

Frequently asked questions

How much RAM does FreeBSD need?

FreeBSD boots in 512 MB and is comfortable with 2 GB. Add whatever your application needs on top of that — the operating system baseline is a floor, not a budget.

Can I run FreeBSD on a VPS?

Yes, on true KVM virtualisation, which is what every OnionVPS instance runs. This would not be possible on OpenVZ or LXC-based virtual servers, which share the host kernel and can only run Linux.

How long is FreeBSD supported?

5 years per major release

Can I run FreeBSD jails on OnionVPS?

Yes. Jails are a FreeBSD feature, not a virtualisation feature, and they work exactly as they do on bare metal because you have the real FreeBSD kernel. Use VNET for networked jails, manage them with iocage or bastille, and keep ZFS snapshots of individual jails.

What does native ZFS give me here?

Native ZFS means the root filesystem can be ZFS, with checksums, compression and instant snapshots. You can replicate snapshots to another machine with send/receive. The three included snapshots are filesystem-level, so they capture the whole system state, not just a disk image.