How to Check VPS Network Stability Before Buying

VPS_FASTVPS_FAST
in General

Hi everyone,

Before choosing a VPS, I think it's useful to check network stability, not just CPU and RAM.

Here are three basic things to check:

  1. Latency: Use ping to check response times.
  2. Packet loss: Look for lost packets during testing.
  3. Network route: Use traceroute or tracert to see the path to your server.

It's also a good idea to test from the location where you will actually use the VPS.

What tools do you usually use to test a VPS network before purchasing?

Thanks for sharing your experience!

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Comments

  • AnthonySmithAnthonySmith AdministratorProviderOG

    mtr

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  • skorousskorous OG

    mjj

  • yoursunnyyoursunny OG

    @VPS_FAST said:
    It's also a good idea to test from the location where you will actually use the VPS.

    It doesn't matter where the operator will use the VPS.
    It matters where the readers will access the website hosted on the VPS.

    The last flan is taken. 🍮 affbrr

  • mizzikmizzik

    apt moo

  • slowserversslowservers Provider

    I had a customer who checked against one of my IPs for a while before he bought. He was also checking for jitter. Shortly after they signed up, the jitter got worse. I was able to improve some of it, but it won't get much better until I have faster router hardware.

    One thing that helped, which is just a bandaid, is capping my rsync bandwidth when I sync my OpenBSD partial mirror.

    Slow Servers VPSs hosted on OpenBSD's VMM on secondhand, low power hardware in Spokane, WA, USA. Cryptocurrency accepted, optionally no KYC.

  • jmaxwelljmaxwell

    Oh cool, wonderful approach.
    We all just buy first and then trash the sales thread with endless whining.

    Why?

  • ascicodeascicode

    Does location mean same datacenter?

  • david3david3
    edited October 18

    I run a script to ping the test IP (both IPv4 and IPv6) and log any packet loss. Ideally, I like to run it for at least a week, both weekdays and weekends.

    I have a script like that run on my main servers all the time, so I know what I'd consider good or bad already, so I can compare it to the test IP.

    Also, you can run ping.pe reports and compare them to catch anything obvious.

  • jadenjaden OG

    I sometimes add the looking glass IP to my HetrixTools account, but more often I buy the VPS for a month to see how it performs.

  • LetrangerLetranger

    using looking glass IP mostly

  • VPS_FASTVPS_FAST

    Thanks for sharing! I’ll check out Looking Glass tools as well. Testing latency and packet loss over several days sounds like a good way to understand a VPS provider’s network stability before committing long-term.

  • FinCoderFinCoder

    A few things that make the test more meaningful than a plain ping:

    Use mtr in report mode (mtr -rwzbc 200 ) instead of a one-off traceroute. Only loss that persists to the last hop is real; loss on a middle hop is usually just a router rate-limiting ICMP.
    Test at different times of day, especially the evening peak. Congestion often shows up then, not at 3am.
    For throughput, run iperf3 in both directions (-R for reverse) against a couple of public servers. Asymmetric results say a lot about peering.
    Leave the test IP in a monitor (HetrixTools, Uptime Kuma) for a week to catch jitter and intermittent loss.

  • misakamisaka New Member

    using Looking Glass.
    but some provider optimize network performance for Looking Glass ONLY， that's terrible

  • XiaoBiXiongXiaoBiXiong New Member

    It matters where the readers will access the website hosted on the VPS

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