Manage Your Servers

Bare metal. Automated provisioning. Containers at no extra cost.

Hoody gives you physical servers with the automation of virtual machines - the best of both worlds.

The Hoody Server Model

Traditional hosting forces a choice: Fast provisioning (VPS) OR Physical control (bare metal). Hoody provides both.

What You Get:

Bare metal servers - Full physical machine, no noisy neighbors — every core, byte, and disk is yours
Automated provisioning - each listing shows its own estimated setup time; in-stock machines are ready shortly after purchase
Fair pricing - Competitive rates for dedicated hardware
Reliable infrastructure - Carefully selected datacenters worldwide
Infinite containers - One server → hundreds of isolated containers

Why This Matters:

The container revolution promised infinite isolated environments, but traditional VPS hosting charges per VM. Hoody flips the model: rent one physical server, spawn unlimited containers.

Traditional VPS:          Hoody Bare Metal:
Per-VM monthly fee       One server rental
Multiple VMs needed      Unlimited containers
Expensive at scale       Cost-effective scaling

The Free Tier

Eligible accounts can claim a free server while free-tier capacity is available. It is a slice of a shared machine (a subserver), not a dedicated box — a real container host with hard resource caps, and it has no rental expiry.

	Free slice	Rented bare metal
Security	Shared host: your containers are isolated by their own bridge and an unprivileged user namespace, but the kernel and the hardware are shared with other tenants	The whole machine is yours — no other tenants on the hardware, and no one else’s workload shares your kernel
Containers	10 by default	No fixed cap unless the operator sets one
Snapshots per container	10	1000
Network	100 Mbit/s per direction	The machine’s full link
Swap	None	Machine-dependent
Proxy aliases	20	5000
CPU / RAM	Shared compute, no per-slice figure	The whole machine
Disk	A per-slice quota set by the operator	The machine’s disks
Expiry	Never	Rental period, then a hold

That security line is the real reason to move off the free tier. Containers are unprivileged system containers, not virtual machines, so every container on a host shares one kernel — on a free slice that kernel is shared with strangers; on a machine rented to you, everything on the hardware answers to you alone. See Security & Permissions, Layer 3 for what that changes and what it does not. Disk encryption is not part of that gap: every Hoody host runs LUKS full-disk encryption, free slice or rented metal alike.

Managed Infrastructure Model

You control the containers. Hoody manages the host.

Unlike traditional bare metal where you install and maintain the OS, Hoody servers come fully managed:

What Hoody Manages:

Host operating system (cannot be modified or customized)
Full-disk encryption (LUKS, always on — the key is held off the machine and supplied at boot, so a stolen or seized server is ciphertext)
Container runtime and infrastructure
Security updates and patches
Hardware health monitoring
Platform service updates
Automatic failover and recovery

What You Control:

All containers and their configurations
Container OS choices and customization
Network rules and firewall settings
Storage organization and shares
Resource allocation across containers

Why This Matters:

No SSH access to bare metal host means:

Zero maintenance burden on you
Guaranteed platform compatibility
Automatic security updates
Consistent performance across all servers
Hoody ensures optimal container runtime

You get bare metal benefits (isolation, performance) without bare metal complexity.

How Server Management Works

1. Browse Available Servers

Hoody maintains a marketplace of instantly-available bare metal servers across multiple datacenters.

Browse by:

Location (country, region, city)
Specifications (CPU, RAM, storage)
Pricing tiers (duration-based discounts)

See: Rent Servers →

2. Rent Instantly

Click rent → Server provisioning begins → estimated setup time → Deploy containers.

No:

Manual setup required
Weeks of waiting
Hardware configurations
Commitment contracts

Yes:

Automated provisioning
Production-ready instantly
Flexible rental periods
No auto-renewal — a rental simply ends at rental_end

3. Organize with Pools

Group servers into Pools for team access and organization.

Default Pool: Your personal servers
Custom Pools: Shared team servers with role-based access

See: Share Servers →

4. Deploy Unlimited Containers

Once you have a server, spawn containers without limits or per-container costs.

Capacity depends on:

Container resource requirements (CPU, RAM, storage)
Workload types (lightweight vs. heavy)
Server specifications (varies by marketplace offering)
Dynamic resource sharing across containers

Browse marketplace to see server specs and estimate container capacity.

API Endpoints Summary

Server management uses these APIs:

Servers API

GET /api/v1/pools - List your pools and their servers
POST /api/v1/pools - Create pools for team organization
GET /api/v1/servers/available - Browse marketplace
POST /api/v1/servers/{id}/rent - Rent a server

Server Management API

GET /api/v1/servers/{serverId}/available-commands - List executable commands
POST /api/v1/servers/{serverId}/execute-command - Run commands on server

Wallet API

Manage balance for server rentals
View transaction history
Handle payments

The Bare Metal Advantage

Why Hoody uses bare metal servers:

The Whole Machine Is Yours

Your containers run on hardware you control:

No shared hypervisor — the hardware runs only your work
Nothing you didn’t start is on the box
Single-tenant hardware, which also makes compliance stories (GDPR, HIPAA) straightforward

Your containers run on hardware you control:

No shared hypervisor with strangers
No virtual partition vulnerabilities
Complete physical separation
Zero trust in shared infrastructure

Critical for:

AI-generated code you can’t fully audit
Client data isolation (agencies, consultancies)
Compliance requirements (GDPR, HIPAA)
Single-tenant hardware

Performance Predictability

No “noisy neighbor” problems:

100% of CPU/RAM/storage is yours
Consistent, predictable performance
No resource contention
Full disk I/O bandwidth

Economic Transformation

The VPS model is dead for container workloads:

Agency with multiple clients, multiple environments each

Traditional VPS:
Separate VM per environment = High monthly costs per client

Hoody Bare Metal:
Few servers, unlimited containers = Massive cost reduction
Plus: Unlimited additional containers for experiments

Instant Provisioning: The Game Changer

This is Hoody’s killer infrastructure advantage.

Most bare metal requires:

Days to weeks provisioning time (typically 1-7 days)
Manual configuration and OS installation
Long-term contracts
Complex setup and maintenance

Hoody bare metal:

Estimated setup time shown per listing, from rent to ready
Fully automated provisioning
Production-ready immediately
No auto-renewal — a rental simply ends at rental_end

Why This Enables Automation:

When infrastructure materializes on demand, AI can manage it directly:

// AI agent conversation becomes infrastructure
User: "I need a staging environment for client demo"

AI: *Rents server via API, waits for provisioning to complete*
    "Staging server ready: https://client-demo.hoody.icu"
    "Containers deployed: frontend, backend, database"
    "Mock data populated. Demo URL: ..."

Bare metal with VPS-feel unlocks AI-driven infrastructure.

Server Locations

Hoody servers available in reliable datacenters worldwide. Browse current locations and availability via the Servers API marketplace.

Location selection considerations:

Choose datacenters closest to your users for lowest latency
Consider data residency requirements for compliance
Multiple regions available for geographic redundancy

Need a specific location? Contact support for custom datacenter requests or check the marketplace for currently available regions.

How to choose:

Place servers closest to your users (minimize latency)
Consider data residency requirements (compliance)
Use multiple regions for redundancy

Viewing Your Servers

# List all your pools and their servers
hoody pools list

# Get details for a specific pool
hoody pools get $POOL_ID

# Browse marketplace for new servers
hoody servers marketplace

# Execute a command on your server
hoody servers exec $SERVER_ID \
  --command-slug check-uptime \
  --wait

import { HoodyClient } from 'hoody-sdk';

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

// List all pools
const pools = await client.api.pools.list();

// Get pool details
const pool = await client.api.pools.get(poolId);

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

// Execute a server command
const result = await client.api.serverCommands.execute(serverId, {
  command_slug: 'check-uptime',
  wait: true,
});

# List all pools
curl "https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/pools" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HOODY_TOKEN"

# Get pool details
curl "https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/pools/$POOL_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HOODY_TOKEN"

# Browse marketplace
curl "https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/servers/available" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HOODY_TOKEN"

# Execute a server command
curl -X POST "https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/servers/$SERVER_ID/execute-command" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HOODY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"command_slug": "check-uptime", "wait": true}'

List All Your Pools and Servers

View all pools you own or are a member of:

GET List all pools you own or are a member of

/api/v1/pools

Click "Run" to execute the request

Response shows:

All pools you have access to (owned or member)
Your role in each pool (owner or member)
Number of servers in each pool
Member count

View Specific Pool Details

Get detailed information about a pool:

GET Get detailed information about a pool

/api/v1/pools/{id}

Click "Run" to execute the request

Response includes:

Complete pool information
List of all servers assigned to pool
All pool members and their roles
Pool settings and quotas

Server Details

Browse available servers in the marketplace:

GET List available servers for rental

/api/v1/servers/available

Click "Run" to execute the request

Shows server locations, specifications, pricing, and availability.

Executing Server Commands

Hoody ships a small catalog of predefined commands for uptime, memory usage, and emergency reboot. Operators can configure the live catalog, so list the commands available on the target server rather than assuming others exist.

Eligibility: Non-platform-admin users can run server commands only on a dedicated physical host that their account actively rents. Free-tier servers, subserver slices, system hosts, and physical hosts shared with child slices are not eligible; attempting execution returns 403. Pool membership does not grant this permission.

List Available Commands

See what commands can run on your server:

GET List available commands for a server

/api/v1/servers/{serverId}/available-commands

Click "Run" to execute the request

Filter by:

category - filter commands by their category (e.g. system)
risk_level - maximum risk level: low, medium, high, critical

Execute a Command

Run predefined commands on your servers:

POST Run predefined commands on your servers

/api/v1/servers/{serverId}/execute-command

Click "Run" to execute the request

Command Execution:

Commands are predefined and safe (you can’t SSH to host)
Risk levels protect against dangerous operations
High-risk commands require confirmation tokens
Results returned immediately or via status polling

Available commands are a small, safe catalog — the shipped set is exactly three:

System uptime (check-uptime)
Memory usage (check-memory)
Emergency kernel reboot (kexec-reboot)

Commands that would expose filesystem paths, running processes, service state or network reachability are deliberately not offered. List what your server supports via GET /api/v1/servers/{serverId}/available-commands.

Monitoring Server Status

Track your server health and usage:

Resource Monitoring

Check CPU, RAM, storage, network usage:

Via Hoody dashboard (visual graphs)
Via API (programmatic access)
Via server commands for memory only (check-memory); storage and network reports are not available as server commands

Container Distribution

View containers per server:

List all containers on a server
See resource usage per container
Identify heavy vs. light workloads
Rebalance if needed

Rental Status

Track rental lifecycle:

Active rental period
Expiration date
Days remaining
Grace period status

Renewal Management:

Set calendar reminders for expiration
Monitor via API or dashboard
Renew before expiration to avoid data loss

Rental Model

Duration-Based Pricing:

Servers can be rented for as little as 1 day, with automatic discounts for longer periods. Longer rentals provide better rates.

Available durations vary by marketplace offer - check current options when browsing servers.

Flexible Terms:

No long-term contracts
Grace period after expiration (hold period)
Renew anytime during hold to avoid data loss
Manual renewal required before expiration
No early cancellation and no refund for unused time — a rental runs to rental_end, enters the hold period, and is then deprovisioned unless you renew

Payment:

Deducted from general balance (see Wallet)
Automatic billing on rental
Transparent invoicing

Use Cases

Solo Developer

Rent 1 server for all projects
Run dozens of containers (personal + client work)
Each project: dev, staging, prod environments
AI experimentation playground

Small Team (5-10 people)

Rent 2 servers
Organize into pools for team access
Many containers across all team projects
Shared resources, isolated projects

Digital Agency

Rent multiple servers
One pool per major client (perfect isolation)
High container density per server
Transparent per-client billing

Enterprise Development

Rent 10+ servers distributed globally
Production, staging, development separated
Hundreds or thousands of containers
Geographic redundancy and compliance

Best Practices

Server Selection:

Start with mid-tier server, monitor usage first month
Upgrade only when consistently hitting >80% resource usage
Don’t over-provision speculatively

Organization:

Use pools to group related servers (team, client, environment)
Name servers clearly (purpose, location, tier)
Document which containers run on which servers

Cost Management:

Monitor container density - are you utilizing the server?
Delete unused containers to free resources
Use snapshots instead of keeping idle containers running
Consolidate low-usage containers to fewer servers

Security:

Separate production from development servers
Use different pools for different clients/teams
Enable appropriate firewall rules per server
Rotate credentials regularly

Performance:

Place latency-sensitive containers on servers closest to users
Group communicating containers on same server
Monitor resource usage and rebalance as needed

Useful Questions

How long does server provisioning really take?

Each marketplace listing shows its own estimated setup time, and in-stock machines are ready shortly after purchase — Hoody maintains a pool of ready-to-provision hardware across datacenters. Most bare-metal providers take days to weeks; Hoody’s automated provisioning removes that wait. Hoody maintains a pool of ready-to-provision hardware across datacenters for instant availability.

What if I need more than what’s in the marketplace?

Contact support with your requirements (location, specs, quantity). We work with reliable datacenter partners and can provision custom configurations, though it may take longer than instant marketplace rentals.

Can I have servers in multiple regions?

Yes! Rent servers in different locations as needed. Containers on different servers communicate via their public URLs (through Hoody Proxy). Use Realms to isolate API visibility/control across environments, tenants, or automation.

What happens when my rental expires?

You enter a hold period (grace period) where the server remains active but you’re prompted to renew. If you renew during this time, no data is lost. After the hold period, the server is deprovisioned and data is deleted.

Can I move containers between servers?

Yes, through container copy/sync. You can copy or move containers from one server to another, preserving all state, files, and configuration.

How do I know which server a container is running on?

Container URLs include the server identifier. The Hoody dashboard also shows server assignments. You can manage this through the API or UI.

What’s included in server rental cost?

The tier price covers hardware, bandwidth, storage, automated management, updates, monitoring, and support - no bandwidth overages, no storage tiers, unlimited containers. Some listings additionally carry a one-time setup fee (pricing.setup_fee_cents) charged once when the rental starts and never on renewal; pricing.price_tiers[days].total_first_payment is the full amount debited on that first payment.

Troubleshooting

Server Provisioning Takes Longer Than the Listing’s Estimate

Cause: High demand in specific datacenter or rare hardware allocation delay

Solution: Check the dashboard for status updates — provisioning may be retrying automatically. If it sits well past the listing’s estimated setup time with no progress, contact support.

Can’t Spawn Containers on Server

Cause: Server still completing post-provisioning setup, or resource exhaustion

Solution: Wait 1-2 more minutes for complete initialization. Check server resource usage in dashboard. If server shows “ready” and resources available but containers won’t spawn, check error logs or contact support.

Server Performance Degraded

Cause: Too many containers or resource-heavy workloads

Solution: Check resource usage in dashboard. Identify resource-heavy containers. Consider: setting resource limits on specific containers, moving some containers to another server, or upgrading to higher-tier server.

Payment Declined During Rental

Cause: Insufficient balance or payment method issues

Solution: Add funds to your general balance via Wallet. Ensure payment method is valid and not expired. Rental will retry automatically once balance is sufficient.

Lost Access to Server After Expiration

Cause: Hold period ended, server deprovisioned

Solution: If still within hold period, renew immediately to restore access. If already deprovisioned, server and data are gone. Always set calendar reminders for critical server renewals.

What’s Next

Ready to rent your first server?

Rent Servers → - Browse marketplace and provision instantly

Need team collaboration?

Share Servers → - Organize servers with Pools

Understand the foundation:

Projects & Containers → - What runs on servers
Server Management API → - Full API reference
Wallet → - Manage billing and payments