# Rent Servers

**Page:** foundation/servers/rent

[Download Raw Markdown](./foundation/servers/rent.md)

---

# Rent Servers

**Browse. Click. Deploy. 1-5 minutes.**

Hoody's bare metal marketplace provides instant access to physical servers worldwide - no waiting, no setup, no complexity.

## The Instant Bare Metal Revolution

**Traditional bare metal:** Days to weeks provisioning (typically 1-7 days), manual configuration, long contracts
**Hoody bare metal:** 1-5 minutes from click to deploy containers

This speed unlocks **AI-driven infrastructure** - when servers materialize in minutes, AI agents can manage your entire stack.


By renting a server, you agree to Hoody's [Terms of Service](https://hoody.icu/terms) and [Acceptable Use Policy](https://hoody.icu/aup). Please review these before proceeding.


## How to Rent a Server



1. **Browse the Marketplace**
   
   View available servers filtered by location, specs, and price via the [Servers API](/api/servers/).

2. **Select Your Server**
   
   Choose based on:
   - Location (datacenter proximity to users)
   - Specifications (CPU, RAM, storage)
   - Pricing tier (duration discounts)

3. **Configure Rental**
   
   - Choose rental duration (available durations vary by offer)
   - Optionally assign to a [Pool](/foundation/servers/share/)
   - Review and confirm pricing

4. **Complete Payment**
   
   Server cost deducted from your [general balance](/api/wallet/). Payment processed instantly.

5. **Automatic Provisioning**
   
   Watch the progress: Hardware allocated → OS installed → Services initialized → Ready

6. **Deploy Containers**
   
   Server ready! Immediately start spawning unlimited containers.



## API Endpoints Summary

Renting servers uses these endpoints:

**[Browse Available Servers](/api/servers/)**
- `GET /api/v1/servers/available` - List marketplace inventory
- Filter by location, specs, availability
- View pricing tiers and duration discounts

**[Rent Server](/api/server-management/)**
- `POST /api/v1/servers/{id}/rent` - Provision a server
- Specify duration and pool assignment
- Automatic payment and provisioning

**[Manage Wallet](/api/wallet/)**
- Add funds to general balance
- View transaction history
- Download invoices

## Marketplace Inventory

**Browse available servers via the [Servers API](/api/servers/).**

Hoody maintains ready-to-provision bare metal servers across reliable datacenters worldwide.

### What the Marketplace Shows

**Server Listings Include:**
- Datacenter location (country, region, city)
- Hardware specifications (CPU cores, RAM, storage)
- Available rental durations
- Pricing for each duration
- Current availability status

**Filter and Sort By:**
- Geographic location
- Hardware specifications
- Price range
- Availability

**Server specifications and pricing vary by:**
- Datacenter location
- Current market availability
- Rental duration selected
- Hardware tier


**Always check the marketplace for current offerings.** Available servers, locations, and pricing change based on datacenter partnerships and demand.


## Rental Pricing Model

**Duration-Based Discounts:**

**Servers can be rented for as little as 1 day.** Longer rental durations receive automatic discounts for better rates.

Available durations vary by server offering. Common options include daily, weekly, and monthly rentals, with best rates for longer commitments.

**How Billing Works:**

- **Upfront Payment:** Full rental period charged when you click "Rent"
- **Auto-Deduction:** Amount taken from your general balance via [Wallet API](/api/wallet/)
- **Invoice Generated:** Automatic invoice for your records
- **No Hidden Fees:** Price includes bandwidth, storage, everything

### Rental Lifecycle

**Active Rental:**
- Server fully operational
- Deploy unlimited containers
- Full resource access
- Monitor usage in dashboard

**Approaching Expiration:**
- Email reminders sent
- Option to renew before expiration
- Manual renewal required

**Grace Period (Hold Period):**
- Server remains active briefly after expiration
- Renew during this time to keep data
- No additional charges during grace period
- Typically 24-72 hours

**After Grace Period:**
- Server deprovisioned
- All data deleted  
- Cannot be recovered


**Important:** Always renew critical servers before expiration. Set calendar reminders and monitor expiration dates. Data loss after grace period is permanent.


## Server Provisioning Process

**What happens after you click "Rent":**

### 1. Hardware Allocation (15-30 seconds)

Physical server selected from available pool in chosen datacenter. Resources reserved exclusively for you.

### 2. OS Installation (1-3 minutes)

Custom Hoody OS deployed to bare metal:
- Optimized container runtime
- Security hardening
- Network configuration
- Storage setup

### 3. Service Initialization (30-90 seconds)

Platform services activated:
- Container management
- Monitoring agents
- API endpoints
- Health verification

### 4. Ready to Deploy (Total: 2-5 minutes)

Server status: **READY**  
You receive:
- Email notification
- Dashboard update
- API webhook (if configured)

**Start spawning containers immediately.**

## Choosing the Right Server

**Consider These Factors:**

### Location Selection

**Latency:** Place servers closest to users
```
Users primarily in Americas → Choose US datacenters
Users primarily in Europe → Choose EU datacenters
Global user base → Consider multiple regional servers
```

**Data Residency:** Compliance requirements
- GDPR compliance → EU datacenters required
- Regional regulations → Choose appropriate datacenter
- Custom requirements → Contact support

**Development Servers:**
**Always place development servers as close as possible to your physical location.** This is critical for performance when using interactive services:
- **hoody-display** - Desktop environments need low latency for smooth interaction
- **hoody-terminal** - Command execution feels local when server is nearby
- **hoody-agent** - AI agent responsiveness improves dramatically with proximity
- **hoody-code** - VS Code instances work best with minimal network delay

Production servers should be near users. Development servers should be near developers.

### Specifications

**Container capacity varies by:**
- Container resource requirements (light vs. heavy workloads)
- Server hardware specifications (check marketplace)
- Operating system overhead
- Resource sharing efficiency

**General guidance:**
- Lightweight containers (APIs, scripts) pack densely
- Resource-intensive containers (databases, AI) require more headroom
- Production workloads need 20-30% overhead for stability
- Monitor actual usage and adjust as needed

### Budget

**Start Small:**
- Begin with lower-tier server to test requirements
- Monitor actual usage during first rental period
- Upgrade only when consistently hitting resource limits

**Scale Strategically:**
- One well-utilized server beats multiple idle servers
- Consolidate low-usage containers
- Use snapshots instead of duplicate containers
- Check marketplace for best duration pricing

## Assigning to Pools

**Every server belongs to a Pool.**

When renting, you can specify which [Pool](/foundation/servers/share/) the server joins:

- **Default Pool:** If no pool specified, server automatically assigned to your personal default pool
- **Team Pool:** Shared access for collaborators
- **Client Pool:** Isolated per-client servers (agencies)
- **Environment Pool:** Group by dev/staging/prod

**How Assignment Works:**

**Specify pool during rental:**
```json
{
  "pool_id": "507f1f77bcf86cd799439011",
  "rental_days": 30
}
```

**Or omit for default pool:**
```json
{
  "rental_days": 30
}
// Automatically assigned to your default pool
```

Server immediately accessible to all pool members based on their roles.

## Use Cases

**Solo Developer Experimenting**
- Rent: 1 server, short duration
- Use: Test Hoody, experiment with containers
- Benefit: Low-risk trial with flexible rental periods

**Startup Building MVP**
- Rent: 1 mid-tier server for longer duration
- Use: Dev, staging, prod all on one server
- Benefit: Professional infrastructure, cost-effective scaling

**Agency with Multiple Clients**
- Rent: Multiple servers (one per major client)
- Use: Perfect client isolation via dedicated servers
- Benefit: Client data separation, transparent billing

**Enterprise Team Global Deployment**
- Rent: 10+ servers distributed globally
- Use: Geographic redundancy, massive container deployment
- Benefit: High availability, compliance, worldwide performance

## API Example: Rent a Server


  
    ```bash
    # Browse marketplace for available servers
    hoody servers marketplace

    # Rent a server (30-day rental, assigned to a pool)
    hoody servers rent $SERVER_ID \
      --pool-id "507f1f77bcf86cd799439011" \
      --rental-days 30

    # Check your rental status
    hoody servers list
    ```
  
  
    ```typescript
    import { HoodyClient } from '@hoody-ai/hoody-sdk';

    const client = new HoodyClient({ baseURL: 'https://api.hoody.icu', token: process.env.HOODY_TOKEN });

    // Browse available servers
    const available = await client.api.serverRental.browse();

    // Rent a server
    const rental = await client.api.serverRental.rent(serverId, {
      pool_id: '507f1f77bcf86cd799439011',
      rental_days: 30,
    });

    // Check rentals
    const rentals = await client.api.serverRental.list();
    ```
  
  
    ```bash
    # Browse marketplace
    curl "https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/servers/available" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $HOODY_TOKEN"

    # Rent a server
    curl -X POST "https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/servers/$SERVER_ID/rent" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $HOODY_TOKEN" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{"pool_id": "507f1f77bcf86cd799439011", "rental_days": 30}'
    ```
  


**Browse marketplace:**



**Response shows available servers with specs and pricing.**

**Rent selected server:**



**Response includes:**
- Rental confirmation
- Provisioning status
- Estimated ready time
- Transaction details

**Monitor provisioning:**

Poll server status until ready, then deploy containers via [Container API](/api/containers/).

## Best Practices

**Before Renting:**
- Estimate container needs (multiply by 1.5 for headroom)
- Choose location closest to users
- Verify sufficient balance in wallet
- Decide on pool assignment

**During Rental:**
- Monitor resource usage weekly
- Delete unused containers promptly
- Document what's running on each server
- Set renewal reminders

**Renewal Strategy:**
- Set calendar reminders for expiration dates
- Review usage before renewing
- Consider switching tiers if consistently over/under-utilized
- Plan ahead - don't wait until last day

**Cost Optimization:**
- Longer rentals = better rates (30-day vs 1-day)
- Consolidate containers to fewer servers
- Use snapshots instead of keeping idle containers
- Delete experiments promptly

**Security:**
- Different servers for different security zones
- Production servers in dedicated pools
- Regular security audits via server commands
- Enable appropriate firewall rules

## Useful Questions

**How quickly can I really get a bare metal server?**

Typically 2-5 minutes, sometimes faster. This is possible because Hoody maintains ready hardware pools at each datacenter. Traditional bare metal providers manually provision, which typically takes 1-7 days.

**What if the server I want is unavailable?**

Check nearby datacenters or different tiers. High demand in one location doesn't affect others. If you need specific specs not in marketplace, [contact support](https://hoody.icu/support) for custom provisioning (longer lead time).

**Can I upgrade a server after renting?**

Not directly - servers are fixed specification. However, you can rent a higher-tier server, copy your containers over using [container copy/sync](/foundation/containers/copy-sync/), then cancel the original. Usually completed same day.

**What happens if I run out of balance mid-rental?**

Your active rental continues - it's already paid. But you can't rent additional servers or renew expiring ones until you add funds to your [wallet](/api/wallet/).

**Can I get a refund if I cancel early?**

No refunds for unused rental time (standard hosting practice). The server and resources were reserved for you. Plan rental duration carefully - start with shorter periods if uncertain.

**Do rentals auto-renew?**

No, rentals do not auto-renew. Servers expire at end of rental period unless you manually renew. You'll receive reminder emails beforehand. Set calendar alerts for critical servers to avoid accidental expiration.

**What's included in the rental price?**

Everything: hardware, bandwidth, storage, platform services, monitoring, support. No surprise overages. The only additional costs are optional services like extra storage shares or premium support packages.

## Troubleshooting

**Payment Fails During Rental**

**Cause:** Insufficient balance or payment method issue

**Solution:** Add funds to general balance via [Wallet API](/api/wallet/). Ensure payment method is valid. Once balance sufficient, retry rental - server selection remains available.

**Provisioning Stuck at "Hardware Allocation"**

**Cause:** High demand in that specific datacenter

**Solution:** Wait 2-3 more minutes - sometimes allocation retries. If > 10 minutes, try different datacenter or tier. Contact support if issue persists.

**Server Shows "Ready" But Can't Deploy Containers**

**Cause:** Post-provisioning services still initializing

**Solution:** Wait 1-2 more minutes for complete startup. Check server logs in dashboard. Verify you have permission to deploy to this server (pool role). If issue continues, contact support.

**Can't See Rented Server in Dashboard**

**Cause:** Browser cache or sync delay

**Solution:** Hard refresh (Ctrl+F5). Check email for rental confirmation. Verify transaction in [Wallet](/api/wallet/) history. If payment processed but server not showing after 15 minutes, contact support.

**Accidentally Let Server Expire**

**Cause:** Missed renewal deadline

**Solution:** If still in grace period, renew immediately to restore access. If already deprovisioned, data is gone - must rent new server and redeploy from backups/snapshots. Prevention: Set multiple calendar reminders and monitor expiration dates closely.

## What's Next

**Server rented and ready?**
- [Projects & Containers →](/foundation/projects-containers/) - Start deploying containers
- [Container Lifecycle →](/foundation/containers/create-edit-delete/) - Create your first containers

**Need team collaboration?**
- [Share Servers →](/foundation/servers/share/) - Organize with Pools

**Manage your infrastructure:**
- [Manage Your Servers →](/foundation/servers/) - Overview of server management
- [Server Management API →](/api/server-management/) - Complete API reference
- [Wallet →](/api/wallet/) - Manage payments and billing