Free VPS for Open Source developers with FOSSVPS
msatt
ProviderOG 
Welcome to the evolved FOSSVPS
This was also published on LET and they removed the post (why). So currently this is exclusive to LES 
I am Mike Parker aka @msatt on LES and LET.
Tom @Not_Oles asked me to take over the day to day running of his 'baby' the Free Open Source Software Virtual Private Server system.
Background
The original system was expanding and maintenance, tracking and management was taking up a lot of Tom's time. Tom had kindly given me a free server in which I had installed Proxmox then Tom and I entered into discussions about using Proxmox for FOSSVPS. Tom was very willing to accept the idea and quickly asked me to take over the service. My feelings are that FOSSVPS is Tom's creation and as such he is still 'the boss' but I have followed his original guidelines and started streamlining the service.
Contributions
FOSSVPS is absolutely non profit in fact we have no money and will not ask for any. Our VPS's are made available because of the fantastic generosity of some of the great hosts on LES and LET, currently Onlyservers, Hosteroid and Alexhost and can offer a free VPS in the UK, Romania and Moldova.
Rules for a free VPS
Free and open source software only.
White hat only.
Not for commercial use.
No service level agreement.
Ephemeral. Could disappear at any moment!
Clueless™ Administrator!
The VPS is free for Open Source developers. If you would like a VPS, post a message here and one of the team will get in touch via PM. They will want to know what you are developing and preferably some links to your previous developments. Acceptance will give you 2 VCPU, 4GiB Ram, 64GiB hdd and provide NAT + IPv6 /96 access with either Ubuntu, Debian or Alpine in your preferred location. The servers won't last forever but we will always give you as much notice as possible, it all depends on our fantastic donors.
Finally this is Open - we will need your email address (purely for admin) so don't make a request if you wish to be anonymous.
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Comments
Steps for application?
@somik
Assume that was a question, If you would like a server you would be welcome, just lmk.
Mike
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Ah, no, just asking cause the steps to apply was not easily identifiable in your post
Is nested virtualization supported? I can't find a suitable test machine when I need to test a VM for my project, if it's supported I think I need to request an instance.
My project: https://github.com/oneclickvirt/oneclickvirt/blob/main/README_EN.md
My virtualized amusement park: https://github.com/oneclickvirt
Yes - nested virtualization is supported. Looks like an interesting project.
I have sent you a PM to register.
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
@spiritlhl - PM - have fun
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Thanks
My virtualized amusement park: https://github.com/oneclickvirt
Great project! You must be good people if Tom trusts you!
@hornet - thank you and I also trust Tom
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Application for Open Source Project Machine
Project Repository: https://github.com/fscarmen2/pic-hosting-cluster
Project Overview:
Pic-Hosting-Cluster is an open-source distributed image hosting solution that supports intelligent distribution across multiple storage platforms, including GitHub, GitLab, Cloudflare R2, and Backblaze B2.
Built on Cloudflare Workers, it provides a highly reliable and fault-tolerant system for image storage and content delivery.
Although I don't need it temporarily, thank you for your support of the open-source project.
@fscarmen PM sent.
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Thanks to @msatt for kindly taking over leadership of FOSSVPS! Thanks to Hosteroid, Onlyservers, Alexhost, and @fmxm for kind server node donations! Thanks to @netixen for facilitating the Onlyservers donation.
Thanks to @igctt, @shayneeo, and @pixia1234 for joining the FOSSVPS Team. The Team is helping administer requests, set up VPSes, and build infrastructure for FOSSVPS. There is a lot of good work going on in the background and likely a lot of improvements coming soon.
Due to huge community preference for Proxmox, @msatt has installed Proxmox on the Bucharest and London/Fareham/UK servers.
Existing VPSes on Chisinau are still running on cloud-init and virt-install on Ubuntu. Chisinau also will be installed with Promox soon, but no date has been set.
Los Angeles will expire on November 10. No change is planned for LA between now and the expiration date. Thanks to @babywhale for making the LA VPSes with his great BashVM tool.
I expect to remain busy elsewhere working with two new servers, a very fast one in Germany, and a 64-core behemoth in Texas. Thanks to everyone who has helped me get FOSSVPS started and learn a little about cloud-init and virt-install!
@Not_Oles @msatt please let me know a couple days before if you switch the China server. I have something on it I am working on and would need a full backup.
The Yeti has left the building.
@AuroraZero There is as yet no date set for any change to the Chisinau server. Nevertheless, I recommend that you make a backup right away. Maybe multiple backups. And test that you can restore from the backups. As you know, stuff happens!
I do a daily backup but there may be something I get caught up in doing and forget. I am only an old Yeti sometimes I forget stuffs.
The Yeti has left the building.
Got it! Thanks!
@AuroraZero At the moment the team is concentrating on Fareham-uk and Bucharest-Romania so you are safe, but we will flag any action with hopefully 1 weeks notice.
BTW so I need to request a tag change?
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Good question... You are not charging money so technically it's fine, but not sure what are the fine prints for this since @Not_Oles has a provider tag... Maybe mods/admin can clarify?
Free and always free services (i.e. does not convert to a paid service after a "free trial" period) do not require a provider tag to offer. Everything looks good from my end.
yabs daddy
I did not have this tag thingy when I posted. I apologize besides have not seen @Mason in so long forgot he existed for a minute. Man the yeti needs to get his shit together.
The Yeti has left the building.
Retired
Always retired, or is it just plain tired now?
The Yeti has left the building.
But could I have one as it adds a bit more respect / credibility to the project.
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Submit a request here with your details: https://support.lowendspirit.com/index.php?a=add&category=2
Yesh give me all your datas!!!
The Yeti has left the building.
Chisinau Node Stays Stable For Now
Thanks to Alexhost for donating the lovely Chisinau Node!
Having talked with @msatt this morning, migration of the Chisinau Node from Ubuntu to Proxmox remains expected, but no date has been set.
FOSSVPS will provide a one week notice prior to migrating the Chisinau Node.
Thanks to everyone who is using the Chisinau Node!
Anything available that has at least 4 core 4gb of ram I need to build a kernel without all "magic" routing crap that listens to me. Might need for a week or so is all iron out the bugs.
The Yeti has left the building.
@AuroraZero
Options include:
Allocating a second VPS for you on FOSSVPS Chhisinau
Cross compile on NetBSD on the LES Community server from @Hosteroid
Use a shell account one one of my current dedis (one, two)
I have some 6 core, 500 GB Epyc VPSes at netcup; other very fast VPSes from Linveo and Virgocube
Thank you for the offer. Debian 12 shell won't do. I am stripping a kernel and customizing it for the MicroNode panel as such need full environmental control. I can do it at home but my net is a bit slow in the download and upload variety.
The Yeti has left the building.
Los Angeles clients!
Are you remembering that the Los Angeles node is scheduled to expire on November 10, nine days from now?
We do not expect the LA node to be renewed.
Also, FOSSVPS does not yet have a replacement node in the US.
Options include requesting a replacement VPS in Bucharest or London/Fareham/UK.
If I or FOSSVPS can help, please let us know by posting here.
Thanks and best wishes!
Tom
Happy to provide that on our UK or Bucharest servers but it would currently be NAT and IPv6 with 64GiB hdd
Latest Debian 13, Ubuntu 24.04 or Alpine 3.22
Sorry no US.
Just drop me a PM.
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Hello!
There is ticket #467501 pending with @Alexhostcom to transfer the Chisinau Node and its account to @msatt. Once the server and the account are transferred, @msatt will give notice and wait a week before wiping the server and reinstalling with Proxmox.
The LA node expiration is coming up on November 10. The UK and Bucharest nodes already have been transferred and installed with Proxmox and free VPSes are being offered to the community in this thread, above.
Thanks to all donors for their kind donations. Thanks to @msatt for kindly taking over FOSSVPS. Thanks to @shayneeo, @igctt, and @pixia1234 for joining the FOSSVPS volunteer staff.
Best wishes!
Tom
Just to confirm we the China server will be reinstalled correct? If so I need a backup of my entire vm. which is happenign as we speak.
@msatt Thank you for the reply I have that handled already the Yeti moves quickly. Had a job got it done. Now I need storage fr my backups lol. Maybe some kind soul can float me some space.
The Yeti has left the building.
I guess that's an autocorrect mistake and that you meant Chisinau.
Yes.
Yeape was a mistake. Yeape I make them. Backups are completed now to stash them.
The Yeti has left the building.
Chisinau Rebuild Schedule and Reapplication Procedure
Dear Chisinau Clients,
As requested, Alexhost has kindly transferred the Chisinau server and the FOSSVPS account on their control panel to @msatt.
The wipe and reinstall to Proxmox of the Chisinau Node is expected to begin on Monday 10th of November starting at ~10:00 GMT.
Please back up your VPS, because everything will be gone!
Chisinau Clients are requested by @msatt to please re-apply in order to continue using the Chisinau Node. To re-apply, please PM @msatt if you are on LET or LES. If you are on Nodeseek, please PM @typhoon.
Thanks to Alexhost, all our Chisinau Clients, @msatt, and the new FOSSVPS Team. I have had a lot of fun getting the Chhisinau node and FOSSVPS started!
Always best wishes!
Tom
PM's sent to LES clients on Chisinau, if I have missed anyone please PM me.
There is a lot going on.....
Mike
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
@msatt
Hello!
If you have time and inclination, please consider posting a screenshot of your terminal plus a brief comment into my current LES Talk thread at https://lowendspirit.com/discussion/10113/how-do-you-set-up-your-terminal. I would love to see what you are using!
Thanks!
Tom
I have to apolgize to @msatt I dendied his app for provider and it was a mistake on my part. Yes even the Yeti DOES make mistakes.
I apologize man I have rectified that now. Also any mods or admins disagree can fight me naked for it.
The Yeti has left the building.
Just checked in on the LA server. Looks like everything is running smoothly, which is great!
Only three days until expiration on Novemeber 10!
Thanks to @fmxm for his kind donation!
Thanks to all the LA users. 
This morning we do have one available dedicated IPv4 VPS in Chisinau. I do not see much point since the wipe and rebuild of the node with Proxmox is scheduled for tomorrow, but if someone wants the VPS, please let me know.
Thanks to Alexhost for donating the Chisinau server node!
Besides the Chisinau rebuild tomorrow, the Los Angeles node is set to expire. Thanks to @fmxm for kindly donating the LA node!
The LA server has been fun to have, and a lot of use has been made of it, which is great!
Best wishes, everyone!
UPDATE
Chisinau (now called mol1) rebuild is going through some final tests, much faster than expected with big thanks to Alexhost
Emails will be sent to all that completed our registration form.
The standard configuration is dual stack NAT + IPv6, 2vCPU, 4GiB, 64GiB
If you did have a static IPv4 send me a PM with your VM ID (from the email) and IP address and I will do my best to get you set up, but understand I won't be able to do this immediately. I will need a rest, this has taken a lot of planning.....
Anyway have fun
Mike
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Congrats!
Well that was quite a day...
Just to give you a brief outline of what was going on.
Alexhost generously donated one of their dedicated servers to FOSSVPS in Chisinau (Moldova). It has
40 x Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2680 v2 @ 2.80GHz (2 Sockets), 2.2TiB hdd and 251GiB RAM.
Rough timeline
10:00 GMT started the installation of Proxmox.
10:50 Started the configuration for IPs, firewall, file share, email etc.
14:00 Launched the first test VM
16:00 26 Client VMs built with static IPs or NAT plus IPv6 and various OS, sent email configs
During those times were client support messages and a bit of lunch
Whole process would have been much faster if we used our new registration system (more details on that to follow). The old registration system meant it was lots of copying, pasting and checking.
Hopefully in the next few days as things 'settle down', we will introduce the new registration system (making my job a lot easier). So anyone developing Open Source software can currently get a FREE server in the UK, Bucharest or Moldova.
Any providers reading this, if you have an old dedi which is just sitting in a shelf doing nothing why not make a short term donation and we would all
you for it.
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Dont you mean Dual Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2680 v2 @ 2.80GHz (2x10 cores) 2.2TiB hdd and 251GiB DDR3 RAM
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/75277/intel-xeon-processor-e52680-v2-25m-cache-2-80-ghz/specifications.html
I mean what Proxmox tells me
Get your FREE VPS if you develop Open Source software
Moron.
"It's a hard life- to be a stick insect." - Karl Pilkington
2x10 core with HT is 40 vCPUs, so proxmox isn't wrong, but not correct either. I mean this is what my proxmox shows but I'll still call it Dual 18 core Xeon CPU.
Be nice!