Cutter 8
$ 34 /month
- vCPU
- 4 × dedicated
- RAM
- 8 GB
- Storage
- 160 GB NVMe SSD
- Transfer
- 10 TB
- IPv4 / IPv6
- 1 / /64 routed
Solution
VPS as a remote development environment
Cutter 8 · $34/moCutter 16 · $62/mo
Short answer
A remote development box turns a thin laptop into a workstation. Four dedicated cores and 8 GB handle most language servers, test suites and a database; large monorepos want 16 GB. The real win is that builds continue when you close the lid, and the environment is identical from any machine you connect from.
What you need
| Resource | What you actually need |
|---|---|
| CPU | 4 dedicated cores; language servers are surprisingly hungry |
| RAM | 8 GB minimum, 16 GB for a monorepo with a local database |
| Disk | 160–320 GB NVMe |
| Latency | Under 50 ms to you, or typing feels wrong over SSH |
Recommended plans
Cutter 16
$ 62 /month
- vCPU
- 6 × dedicated
- RAM
- 16 GB
- Storage
- 320 GB NVMe SSD
- Transfer
- 15 TB
- IPv4 / IPv6
- 1 / /64 routed
Clipper 16
$ 92 /month
- vCPU
- 8 × dedicated
- RAM
- 16 GB
- Storage
- 400 GB NVMe Gen4 SSD
- Transfer
- 30 TB
- IPv4 / IPv6
- 1 / /64 routed
Recommended locations
Location is usually the decision that matters most for this workload — either because latency dominates, or because jurisdiction does.
Why OnionVPS for this
- Choose a region near you: development over SSH is the one workload where your own latency matters most.
- Snapshots make "try a risky refactor" a free operation.
- Full root and nested virtualisation, so Docker and local Kubernetes both work.
- Flat monthly pricing rather than per-second billing you forget to stop.
How to set it up
-
Deploy a Cutter 8 in the region closest to you
Latency to the box is what decides whether this feels good.
-
Harden SSH first
Keys only, no password authentication, no root login.
-
Install your toolchain, or use a devcontainer
Devcontainers make the environment reproducible.
-
Connect with VS Code Remote-SSH or JetBrains Gateway
Both run the heavy half of the IDE on the server.
-
Keep work in tmux or zellij
Your session survives a dropped connection, a closed laptop and a flight.
Frequently asked questions
Is a VPS good for remote development?
Very. You get consistent performance, builds that survive a closed laptop, and an environment that is identical from every machine. The one requirement is low latency to your own location.
How much RAM for a remote dev environment?
8 GB handles most single-project work. Language servers on a large monorepo, plus a local Postgres and a Docker stack, will use 16 GB without trying.
Can I run VS Code Server on it?
Yes — code-server, the official VS Code Server, or Remote-SSH. All three work on any instance.