📝 Written ● Beginner Updated 2026-05-13

Buy a server from Linode (Akamai Cloud)

Linode is the VPS that taught a generation of developers to rent Linux boxes. Founded 2003, acquired by Akamai in 2022, now branded "Akamai Cloud Computing." The underlying product is recognizably the same — competent, stable, slightly pricier than DO or Hetzner — but the brand is in flux.

Before DigitalOcean, before the hourly-billed indie-cloud market existed, there was Linode. They've been renting virtual Linux servers since 2003 — predating most of the modern VPS market — and built a reputation for being the developer-friendly, technically-sound alternative to enterprise hosting. The community formed around their forums; their guides taught Linux administration to a generation of self-taught web developers; their pricing was honest in an era when honesty wasn't standard.

In 2022 Akamai bought Linode. The product is still here, the customer experience has mostly survived, but the brand is increasingly absorbed into Akamai Cloud's enterprise positioning. New users today see "Akamai Cloud Computing" first, "Linode" as a sub-brand. The pricing structure is unchanged; the dashboard is mostly the original Linode one with a slow drip of Akamai integrations.

For developers today, Linode is essentially "DigitalOcean's older sibling, slightly more expensive, slightly more enterprise-feeling, with the same indie-cloud shape underneath." The honest case for it is loyalty — if you've been there for a decade, no reason to leave. The honest case against is that DigitalOcean has surpassed it on docs and onboarding, and Hetzner beats it badly on price. Linode's spot is "third place" in a market where third place doesn't have a strong identity.

What you'll learn

What's the same and what's different post-Akamai
Linode's plan structure (similar to DO)
Creating a Linode and SSHing in
The Linode docs library — still the best part of the platform
When to pick a different VPS

Step 1: Sign up

cloud.linode.com

Sign up at cloud.linode.com. The signup process is straightforward; payment method on file required before you can spin up anything. New accounts often get a small free credit ($100, 60 days) as a sign-on incentive — Linode runs these promotions regularly.

You'll also see references to "Akamai Cloud" — same product, different branding. Don't be confused; the URL cloud.linode.com is the canonical place.

Step 2: Pick a plan

Shared CPU is the entry tier

Linode's plan families:

Nanode 1GB — entry tier, $5/month, 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB SSD. Comparable to DO's $5 droplet.
Linode 2GB / 4GB / 8GB — shared CPU, scaling up. Same pattern as DO's basic tier; same prices.
Dedicated CPU — guaranteed-no-noisy-neighbors instances, ~2× the price.
High Memory, GPU — specialized tiers for specific needs.

The shared CPU plans cover almost all use cases. Bigger plans for bigger workloads; the entry tier is real and usable.

Step 3: Create a Linode

Same shape as any VPS

Click Create → Linode. Fill in:

Distribution: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
Region: closest to your users. Linode has 20+ regions; coverage is good in North America and Europe, decent in Asia.
Plan: from Step 2.
Label: your server name.
Root password: required, even if you'll only use SSH keys later. Generate something long and discard it.
SSH keys: paste your public key (~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub). This is the credential you'll actually use.

Click Create Linode. Provisioning takes 1–2 minutes (a bit slower than DO/Hetzner). You'll see the public IPv4 in the dashboard when it's ready.

Step 4: SSH in, harden

Same routine as everywhere else

The first-ten-minutes hardening is identical to other VPSs:

ssh root@<linode-ip>
apt update && apt upgrade -y
adduser deploy
usermod -aG sudo deploy
rsync --archive --chown=deploy:deploy ~/.ssh /home/deploy
ufw allow OpenSSH && ufw enable
# After verifying deploy user works: edit sshd_config, PermitRootLogin no

Linode has a built-in Cloud Firewall product (free for Linodes) that runs at the network edge before traffic reaches the VM. Use it alongside ufw — defense in depth.

The Linode docs library. Even post-acquisition, the linode.com/docs tutorial library is one of the best free Linux administration resources on the web. Hundreds of guides, written carefully, kept up to date. Even if you don't use Linode, the docs are worth reading. (DigitalOcean's are also excellent; the two are the gold standard for indie-cloud documentation.)

Step 5: Backups and snapshots

Two related products

Linode offers two backup-like features:

Backups — paid add-on per Linode (~$2–5/month depending on plan). Automatic daily/weekly/biweekly snapshots, retained on a rotation. The right choice if you want set-and-forget data protection.
Snapshots — on-demand point-in-time captures, free to take but billable while stored. Right for "before this risky change."

For non-critical projects, snapshots before risky operations are enough. For anything you'd be sad to lose, turn on Backups for the cost of a coffee per month.

Step 6: When to pick differently

Be honest: there are usually better choices

Better polish. DigitalOcean has surpassed Linode on UI polish and onboarding ease. If you want the friendliest indie cloud, pick DO.
Better prices. Hetzner is significantly cheaper for similar specs. If price-per-RAM matters, pick Hetzner.
Wider geography. Vultr has more regions in Asia/Latin America. If you need a specific exotic location, check Vultr.
Akamai-specific integrations. If you're already on Akamai for CDN or other services, Linode's increasing integration with the Akamai platform is a real benefit. This is the one place "post-acquisition" is a plus.

The honest pitch for Linode in 2026: pick it if you already know it and are happy. Don't migrate to it from somewhere else without a specific reason.

Step 7: Point your domain

Standard A record

At your DNS provider: A record with name @ or app, value = your Linode's IPv4. See Connect your domain to a server.

Linode also has its own DNS Manager (free, separate from the Linode itself). You can delegate your domain's nameservers to Linode if you want DNS and compute in the same dashboard — but the registrar's free DNS or Cloudflare's free DNS works equally well.

The Akamai re-branding is gradual. Some pages say "Akamai Cloud," some say "Linode," some say both. The product is the same; the inconsistency is purely cosmetic but can be momentarily disorienting. Documentation pages may be at linode.com or techdocs.akamai.com depending on age.