Choosing a VPS for AI Coding
Claude Code needs at least 4 GB of RAM. How to pick a VPS for AI coding by four criteria: requirements, outbound network access, billing, and ways to roll back.
- When choosing a VPS for AI coding, check the tool's requirements, outbound network access, billing model and rollback before price.
- Claude Code officially needs 4 GB+ RAM on x64 or ARM64, so start from plans with 4 GB or more; npm installs need Node.js 22+.
- If you restrict outbound traffic, allow at least api.anthropic.com, claude.ai/claude.com, platform.claude.com, downloads.claude.ai and registry.npmjs.org.
PR: This article contains affiliate links (VPS). We chose them only by region and billing model, and payouts don’t change our assessment.
When you pick a VPS for AI coding, look past the cheapest price. Check four things first: the tool’s requirements, outbound network access, how billing works, and whether you can roll back when something breaks. This article covers only that choice. For running an always-on agent on a VPS, see Run an AI Agent 24/7 on a VPS. We don’t list prices here. Prices change, so check each provider’s official page before you sign up.
Decide what the server is for
The same VPS gets judged differently depending on how you use it.
| Use | What matters most |
|---|---|
| You SSH in and work interactively | Distance from you, and what you pay while it’s idle |
| Unattended runs from cron or a daemon | Uptime, outbound network limits, disk for logs |
| Trying things without touching your own machine | Fast to create and delete, and a way to roll back |
Does it meet the requirements?
Claude Code’s official system requirements:
- OS: Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+, Alpine Linux 3.19+, and others
- Hardware: 4 GB+ RAM, x64 or ARM64 processor
- Network: an internet connection
(source: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup, checked 2026-10-20)
Start from plans with 4 GB of RAM or more. Anything smaller doesn’t meet the official requirement. An npm install also needs Node.js 22 or later (same source). The docs don’t say how much memory several parallel sessions need (unverified). If you run sessions in parallel, each worktree gets its own dependencies, so check free disk space too.
Can it reach the right hosts?
Claude Code connects to a fixed set of hosts over HTTPS. If you restrict outbound traffic with the VPS firewall, allow at least these:
| Host | Used for |
|---|---|
api.anthropic.com | Claude API requests |
claude.ai / claude.com | Signing in with a claude.ai account |
platform.claude.com | Console sign-in, plus OAuth token exchange and refresh |
downloads.claude.ai | The native installer and auto-updates |
registry.npmjs.org | npm installs |
(source: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/network-config, checked 2026-10-20)
You can set a proxy with standard variables such as HTTPS_PROXY. SOCKS proxies are not supported (same source). Whether you can filter outbound traffic by destination depends on the provider. Before you sign up, check that its firewall lets you write outbound rules.
Region and billing
For interactive use, pick a region close to you, because every keystroke makes a round trip. We haven’t measured latency (unverified).
The billing model shapes how you use the server. ConoHa VPS’s official page says hourly billing is charged per hour with a monthly cap and no minimum term, and prepaid plans of 1 to 36 months get bigger discounts. Its support site also has setup examples for the Tokyo region.
(sources: https://vps.conoha.jp/ and https://support.conoha.jp/v/dbnetwork/, checked 2026-10-20)
One catch: on ConoHa VPS, stopping the server doesn’t change the charge. You pay per contract, and you have to delete the server to stop billing (source: https://support.conoha.jp/vps/faq/vps-q/service-q/, checked 2026-10-20). Hourly billing doesn’t automatically mean a stopped server is cheap.
XServer VPS’s official page lists 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB plans with a suggested use for each, and says its data centers are in Japan. Billing is by monthly contract; we found no mention of hourly billing. We couldn’t confirm how a stopped server is billed (unverified).
(source: https://vps.xserver.ne.jp/, checked 2026-10-20)
Both are Japan-focused services, with Japanese-language sites and data centers in Japan. They fit best if you work from Japan.
VPS options (Japan): ConoHa VPS
offers hourly billing in its Tokyo region, and XServer VPS
lets you choose by memory size. Prices and plans change, so check the official pages before you sign up.
Can you roll back?
When an AI runs commands on the server, check whether you can get back to a known-good state.
- ConoHa VPS: snapshots are free and meant as a temporary save before work; they’re deleted automatically 24 hours after you take them. Automatic backups are a paid option, once a day, keeping up to 30 generations (source: https://vps.conoha.jp/, checked 2026-10-20)
- XServer VPS: the official comparison lists automatic backups as not included on the standard VPS plans. The cloud VPS includes daily automatic backups, kept for up to 7 days (source: https://vps.xserver.ne.jp/, checked 2026-10-20)
Push work on the server to a remote repository often. A restore still loses whatever you did after the last backup. For keeping secrets off the server, see Keep Secrets Away from Claude Code.
Checklist
| Criterion | What to check |
|---|---|
| Requirements | 4 GB+ RAM, Ubuntu 20.04+ or similar, x64 or ARM64 |
| Network | Can you write outbound rules, and do they reach the hosts above |
| Region | Close to where you work |
| Billing | Hourly or monthly, whether a stopped server is still billed, whether billing runs until deletion |
| Rollback | Snapshots or automatic backups, and whether they cost extra |
Summary
- Decide the use first (interactive, unattended, or just trying) and weigh the criteria to match.
- Follow the official requirement of 4 GB+ RAM. For parallel runs, check disk space as well.
- If you restrict outbound traffic, allow
api.anthropic.comand the other hosts Claude Code needs. - For interactive work, pick a region close to you.
- Some VPS providers keep billing a stopped server. Check the billing rules on the official page before you sign up.
- Check for snapshots and backups, and push your work often.