Provider Guides
Terrarium works beautifully across many cloud providers, but the absolute best experience comes from following one simple pattern:
- Create a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 or 26.04 VPS.
- Add your SSH key during creation (so you don't need a password).
- Attach a separate block storage volume (if your provider offers it).
- Run the Terrarium installer in
diskmode.
By putting your containers on their own dedicated volume, you keep your system clean and give your ZFS time machine plenty of room to operate.
Recommended Cloud Providers
Here are step-by-step guides for creating the perfect VPS on popular cloud platforms:
| Provider | Supports Extra Storage? | Clustering Network? | Best Terrarium Mode | Setup Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | Yes | Yes (VPC) | disk | Read Guide |
| Hetzner Cloud | Yes | Yes (Networks) | disk | Read Guide |
| Vultr | Yes | Yes (VPC 2.0) | disk | Read Guide |
| Hostinger | No | No | file | Read Guide |
Note: Hostinger is included because it's popular for low-cost setups. However, because it lacks attachable block storage, we highly recommend DigitalOcean, Hetzner, or Vultr for the best Terrarium experience.
A Note on Clustering (Advanced)
If you plan to link multiple Terrarium servers together into a cluster:
- Use Private Networks: Always put your servers in the same provider-level VPC or Private Network.
- Stay Regional: Keep your servers in the same physical region to ensure low latency and compatibility.
- Let Terrarium Handle the Mesh: Terrarium uses WireGuard to securely connect your servers. You only need to allow WireGuard traffic (
51820/udp) through your provider's firewall between the specific IP addresses of your servers. Terrarium handles all the complex container networking inside that secure tunnel.
Ready to cluster? Check out the Clustering Guide once your servers are up.
Running LXD virtual machines
Check virtualization on the selected server with trm status before planning VM workloads. Cloud guests need nested KVM; bare-metal hosts need hardware virtualization enabled. Provider plans can differ. Containers continue to work on hosts without VM support. See VM host requirements.