Not every project fits a ready-made recipe from the catalog. Sometimes you need a Discord bot, your own daemon in Go or Rust, a game server, or simply an environment for experiments - without a framework imposing a structure. A clean server on Saplo is an empty Debian 12 container with full root access via SSH, exactly like a regular VPS, but without paying for it separately and without leaving the Saplo ecosystem - the same backups, CPU/RAM monitoring, and firewall as the rest of the Boxes.
Every Box on Saplo with an SSH access plan is already a Linux container that you access via a key. A "clean server" in the catalog is an option for situations where you prefer to start completely from scratch instead of deleting the starter skeleton of another recipe - no pre-installed runtime, no application waiting to be replaced, just a bare system.
Who is a clean Linux server on Saplo for?
Before you decide, check if it's the right choice for your project:
- you prefer to do everything your way, without a forced stack - you install exactly what you need, in the version you need, using
apt, - you have an unusual technology stack that is not in the catalog as a ready-made recipe - your own language, a rarer runtime, a game server,
- you need a testing environment for experiments - a sandbox with full root access that you can configure and delete without affecting other applications,
- you have a ready-made startup script and just want to run it - without waiting for someone to write a dedicated recipe for it.
If your project fits one of the ready-made stacks (Node.js, Docker, Django, and others), it's usually simpler to use it instead of manual configuration from scratch - you get automatic process restarts and deployments via git push without having to write systemd config yourself.
Requirements
To get full access to a clean Linux server, you need:
- A Box on plan L or higher - SSH access with your own key is available from this level upwards (Box S and M deploy applications exclusively from the panel, via CLI, Git, or MCP, without a terminal).
- Your own SSH key pair (the private key stays with you, the public key goes into the panel).
- Basic knowledge of Linux administration - Saplo does not interfere with the system configuration inside the container, so you are responsible for what you install.
Step-by-step access
- Generate an SSH key pair if you don't have one yet:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "you@example.com". - In the Saplo panel, go to SSH / SFTP Access and in the SSH Public Keys section, paste the contents of the
.pubfile - Saplo uploads the key to your Box in a few seconds. - You'll find the host and port for the connection on the same page of the panel (the port is individual for your Box). You connect with the command
ssh -p <port> saplo@<host>. - Login works exclusively with a key, without a password - this eliminates brute-force attacks. You have full root access to the system inside the container (
sudoadditionally available from the Box XXL plan). - You install what you need via
apt-get install- Saplo has not pre-installed any runtime or applications.
Exposing your own service under a domain
If you're writing your own HTTP server (bot, API, anything listening on a port) and want to expose it under a domain with automatic SSL, the easiest way is to connect it like any other application from the catalog via saplo.yaml with the linux stack. You specify the start command, and Saplo directs traffic from the domain to its port:
name: my-project
stack: linux
start:
command: ./start.sh
port: 8080
Backups and monitoring work for this type of application just like for any other stack in the catalog.
Bare Linux Server on Saplo vs. Alternatives
| Regular VPS | Cloud (EC2, Droplet) | Bare Linux Server on Saplo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup from scratch | Yes, all responsibility on your side | Yes, plus network and firewall configuration | Yes, but firewall and LXC isolation already configured |
| Billing | Separate server subscription | Resource usage, grows with traffic | Included in Box price, along with other applications |
| Backups | You configure yourself | Separate service, additional cost | Built into the plan, like for any other application |
| Other applications alongside | Separate server for each project | Separate instance for each project | The same Box, other applications from the same catalog |
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a plain server and regular SSH access to a Box? Nothing in terms of access - every Box from plan L upwards has SSH with a key. A plain server in the catalog is a starting option without a pre-installed application, for someone who wants to start with an empty system instead of removing the boilerplate of another recipe.
Why does SSH require plan L, and not work from S? This is due to isolation and responsibility - higher plans assume you know what you're doing on the server. On Box S and M, applications are deployed without a terminal: from the panel, via Saplo CLI, git or MCP.
Can I install any package with apt? Yes, you have full root inside the container. The only limitations are the resources allocated to your plan (RAM, disk, vCPU).
What about security - can anyone else see my container? No, each Box is a separate, unprivileged LXC container, isolated from other clients.
Do backups also cover files outside of application directories? Backup covers the entire Box according to the plan (Box L - 7 days, Box XL - 14 days, Box XXL - 30 days plus offsite copy), so changes made directly via SSH are also covered.
A plain Linux server on Saplo is a starting point for anything that cannot be described by a ready-made recipe - full root, no imposed conventions, the same backups and monitoring as the rest of the Box. If you realize along the way that your project fits one of the ready-made stacks, you can move to it without changing servers.
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