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Product Description Cloud Servers

A cloud server is a virtual server of a fixed or arbitrary configuration that runs on Selectel physical resources. Selectel uses the KVM hypervisor as the virtualization system for its physical resources.

Terms of use for the Cloud Servers product are defined by the document Terms of service for individual products: "Cloud Platform" service group and SLA. By default, all cloud servers comply with Federal Law No. 152-FZ.

If mandatory information system attestation, the use of only certified security tools, or the processing of personal data of the first and second protection levels is required, deploy the server in a certified cloud.

In addition to standard cloud servers, Selectel allows you to create preemptible servers with a discount of up to 75%. A preemptible cloud server runs continuously for no more than 24 hours and can be stopped by Selectel at any time. Terms of use do not apply to preemptible servers.

Cloud servers can be created in different regions. For more details, see the Cloud servers subsection of the Product availability by location guide.

Working with cloud servers is supported by user types and roles, projects, and project limits and quotas.

Use cases

  • hosting web projects: web applications, online stores, corporate websites, portals, and other internet resources;
  • hosting software and corporate infrastructure services (CRM, ERP, databases, mail servers, and others);
  • creation, development, and testing of applications;
  • running containerized applications and microservice architectures;
  • performing load testing and organizing CI/CD processes;
  • scaling fault-tolerant web services during peak loads;
  • rendering graphics, animations, and visual effects;
  • performing GPU-accelerated computing for scientific and engineering tasks;
  • inference of machine learning and artificial intelligence models;
  • running and maintaining large language models (LLMs), chatbots, RAG systems, and AI agents;
  • organizing remote workplaces and virtual desktops.

How it works

To get started, create a cloud server. You can create a server:

When creating a server, you choose a line and a specific configuration that fits your tasks. For most lines, two types of configurations are available:

  • fixed configuration — a configuration with a fixed ratio of CPU cores, memory, and disks;
  • custom configuration — a ratio of CPU cores, memory, and disks adjustable to your needs.

Depending on the tasks your cloud server will handle, you can:

How to work with cloud servers

Once you have created a server, you can manage it:

For remote access to your cloud server, you can connect in several ways.

You can track metrics for cloud servers using the Metrics service.

Records of cloud server operations are saved in audit logs.

Areas of responsibility

Areas of responsibility at Selectel correspond to the division of responsibilities in the IaaS cloud service delivery model.

Selectel provides

  • a virtualization environment and computing systems;
  • physical security and fault tolerance of servers, and power supply;
  • collection and analysis of hypervisor and infrastructure component events;
  • protection against DDoS and network attacks;
  • traffic encryption and filtering.

Selectel is not responsible for

  • configuration of cloud servers: the operating system, network, and firewall;
  • security of the virtual network and user accounts;
  • resource access control;
  • cloud server backup;
  • encryption and data integrity verification.

You manage the cloud server yourself: you install and configure the necessary software.

If you need assistance with cloud server administration, order the Managed Services service.

Pricing

Cloud servers are billed using the pay-as-you-go model. Every hour, funds are deducted from your balance for the previous hour of using cloud server resources. You are also charged for external traffic exceeding 3 TB across all Cloud Platform projects. For more details, see the Payment models and pricing guide.

What is included in the price

The price of a cloud server includes:

Limits and restrictions

The total bandwidth for UDP traffic on ports 0, 16, 19, 53, 123, 1900 is limited to 500 Mbit/s.

If the threshold of 150 000 packets per second is exceeded, Selectel limits the bandwidth to 100 Mbit/s.

Selectel sets account limits, project limits, and resource quotas. For more details, see the Quotas and limits guide

By default, Selectel blocks certain TCP/UDP ports, including ports 25, 465, and 587. You can submit a request to unblock ports. To send emails, you can use the Selectel Email Service.

Access to public subnets of electronic government services (the Gosuslugi portal and related services) is also blocked from the Selectel infrastructure. To unblock access, submit a request for access to electronic government subnets.

Nested virtualization is not supported in cloud servers (nested virtualization). If your tasks require nested virtualization, consider dedicated servers or Managed Kubernetes clusters on dedicated servers.