--- title: "Creating Cloud Servers | Hostman Docs" description: "Learn our step-by-step guide on how to create cloud hosting servers on Hostman for scalable and efficient project deployment." --- > For the complete documentation index for AI agents, see [llms.txt](https://hostman.com/llms.txt). To create a cloud server, click **Create** **Server** in the [Cloud Servers](https://my.hostman.com/servers) section of your dashboard. ![16ede13f D706 4638 B90b D9f459430c96](https://content.hostman.com/assets/23daa7b4-70a8-4422-a6e0-fd781a9bcff1.png?width=1517&height=867) ## 1\. Choose a Region Select where your server should be located.  ![C33ac5a2 4b2b 410a Af32 98b1a680b87b](https://content.hostman.com/assets/81d8b984-759a-4435-bd96-6bddaef41fea.png?width=747&height=640) ## 2\. Choose an Image Select the image you want to install on the server.  - In the **Operating system** tab you’ll find Unix-based distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian and CentOS, without additional software. You can select the specific version you need.  ![B7b7a20c 1bc7 4846 Aa54 Ec9ffbb88c87](https://content.hostman.com/assets/ad60f803-fc0c-4927-a466-931c16de5257.png?width=757&height=360) - [Marketplace](https://hostman.com/marketplace/) offers a selection of pre-configured images and apps such as LAMP, Docker, GitLab etc. When available, you can also specify the operating system version. ![150fb9a1 Dac8 4ad1 Abc0 E8e498ed47eb](https://content.hostman.com/assets/172c772c-6f52-402b-bf61-085a1353e183.png?width=760&height=646) - **Custom image** allows you to upload your own Unix-based image into the dasboard and install it on the [cloud](https://hostman.com/cloud-server/) [server](https://hostman.com/cloud-server/). You can also select one of the images already uploaded.  ![A4e9be20 B2a3 47b8 90d5 2c7d49e79bfe](https://content.hostman.com/assets/3b2791e5-6ae6-4fea-8cbb-e9bf982655f2.png?width=758&height=544) ## 3\. Choose Plan Select server configuration choosing the amount of RAM, CPU and disk size you need.  If later on your server needs more resources you will be able to increase the plan. However, changing the plan to a lesser one will not be possible. Should you need several servers with identical configurations, you can create them all at once by specifying the number of servers. Keep in mind that you need to have enough balance to pay for all the servers you’re creating. ![D4114044 6c5b 48a8 Aee4 Ec9686a2aeb0](https://content.hostman.com/assets/a9352524-9405-46db-8a75-f3e2135ed1ba.png?width=754&height=703) ## 4\. Configure Network Settings Decide whether the server should have a public IP and needs to be in a private network. This can be changed further on. ![9fa6678d 23a0 4bbf 9101 048c7298fc3e](https://content.hostman.com/assets/809730c9-56b3-4ec0-944d-946389d0016d.png?width=760&height=384) For private networks, you can choose one of the following options: - Select one of the existing private networks on your account. We will only display the networks available for this server, i.e. created in the same region. - Add a new private network. In this case, you’ll need to set the IP address range for it with the following parameters. | Available ranges | Maximum CIDR size | Minimum CIDR size | | --- | --- | --- | | 10.0.0.0/x | /8 | /28 | | 192.168.0.0/x | /16 | /28 | | 172.16.0.0/x | /12 | /28 | You can also manually assign a private IP for this server. ## 5\. Enable Backups In the **Security** section, the **Backups** option is automatically selected.  ![E7ee22f4 D5e1 4156 98af 70890e5d7866](https://content.hostman.com/assets/badbd07d-bf29-4f43-a06a-8719e31f0e6a.png?width=753&height=359) If you leave it enabled, we will automatically create an auto backup rule for creating one copy of your data daily. Each new copy will replace the previous one. You can change the auto backup plan later on or disable it altogether. The backup cost is $0.07 for 1 GB of disk space so the total depends on the disk size. If you don’t need backups at the moment, unselect the option. You can enable backups later at any time. ## 6\. Configure Authorization Methods This step is optional.  By default, you can connect to the server via SSH using your `root` password. For extra security, you can: - **Set up the SSH keys authentication**. You can choose one of the existing SSH keys that you’ve already uploaded on your account or add a new one. More information about how to create an SSH key can be found [here](https://my.hostman.com/sshkeys/create). - **Disable password authentication for SSH**. If you disable password authentication at this stage and later decide to enable it, you will need to remove or rename the `/etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/50-cloud-init.conf` file. If you want to keep using password authentication, skip this step. ![31b0dadb 909a 497f 9026 72a18d986ef2](https://content.hostman.com/assets/ab8a4173-8122-4b14-9b1d-5842617648a3.png?width=756&height=453) ## 7\. Add Cloud-Init Script This step is optional.  Cloud-init scripts allow you to configure the server at the installation stage. To use cloud-init, paste your script in the form. The script should begin with `#cloud-config` or `#!/bin/sh`. More about cloud-init can be found [here](https://hostman.com/docs/cloud-servers/cloud-init). ![8630a03d 8093 4913 9e2c E45236080e8d](https://content.hostman.com/assets/a7850777-9fde-472f-b49b-c9183f417c36.png?width=752&height=558) If you don’t need to use cloud-init, leave it blank and proceed to the next step. ## 8\. Finalize Details Edit the server name and comment if necessary and choose the project to add the server to. These settings can be changed later on. ![3a19d507 1fb9 4576 A383 63094403b62f](https://content.hostman.com/assets/c4a2d7af-e062-4c7a-8fa6-1528c23e40af.png?width=760&height=470) Check all your chosen parameters and if everything is correct, click **Create**. The server will be installed in a couple of minutes. The moment it’s ready, we will send you an email notification. You can find the server IP address, copy your `root` password and a quick command for SSH connection in the server **Dashboard**. ![508425dc E16a 432e A61e 6a06346b8173](https://content.hostman.com/assets/e477092a-3a84-44d0-a14d-8095eadbd0ae.png?width=1517&height=1155)