NAT VPS: How to get started?
Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum and I would like to buy a NAT VPS. When I choose the VPS it asks me for a fully qualified domain name and some nameservers (defaults are ns1 and ns2). Where do I get these informations? I would like to get a free domain, even a subdomain would be fine (eg. test.example.com). I'm currently registered to no-ip. Can I buy this servers for a year using paypal and a prepaid card?
Comments
When ordering a server you can typically put whatever you want in those fields, and use them more for your own reference.
Open to correction, but my understanding is the ordering system requires those fields and providers can't make them optional.
Mash your keyboard, I'm not even kidding.
Some TLDs are dirt cheap you sure you don't want to spend even a buck or two? otherwise stick with no-ip.
Yes, LE providers generally aren't strict about card types (debit/prepid/credit) as long as they get their moolah.
For starters check out @Abdullah (WebHorizon) and @cam (Gullo's Hosting)
Yes, I'm currenrly experimenting, so I want to spend as little as possible per year.
Thank you!
The nameservers and the fully qualified hostnames are provided by the domain provider where I bought the domain, right?
They are, a lot of providers either don't care or don't know how to make them optional. I just avoid those providers as it shows they can't use WHMCS properly.
What provider do you use?
I generally stay away from NAT services to begin with, too many hoops to jump through. WebHorizon is pretty good from what I remember, there's also Gullo VPS. Depending on use case it's probably worth it to either get an IPv6 only VPS from someone like Scaleway than it is to deal with super small providers offering NAT vms.
MrVM has been very good to me. As you say, totally depends on the use case.
Was that the one that deadpooled? It was MrVM or ExoticVM or VMSpecialist or one of those.
For domain, you might also want to check out
https://freedns.afraid.org/
I never used it, but iirc the only downside is that you can't use Cloudflare's free 4to6 proxy with it
MrVM is @mikho . He may or may not be selling the business to someone but it's always been solid. I never dealt with ExoticVM or VMSpecialist but I do have a vague memory about VMSpecialist going down.
Checked and it 100% was VMSpecialist. It looks like MrVM is going through some turbulence as well though.
I'd use 'uncertainty' more than 'turbulence' but, yeah. I have a couple Gullo's, a couple NatVPS, a couple MrVM, and a few ancient Inception Hosting. They're great for tiny webservers, vpn/proxy nodes, and nebula lighthouses.
I just keep a few of those HostHatch bundles handy, I think individually they're like $6/year or something like that. A little more than NAT but it's nice having NVMe, 10g, and private networking, as well as my own v4 and /64 v6. Probably not great advice considering those bundles are definitely not returning. Agreed on the webserver bit though, I used to run a few static sites on a 128mb ram NAT box a few years ago. Worked great
Why do you want a NAT VPS? What will you do with it? If it is about learning the basics, did you consider creating a Linux server virtual machine on your personal computer to get started?
https://www.virtualbox.org
Yes, if you already have a domain, then the nameservers can be provided by your domain registrar ("domain provider"). Nearly all domain registrars offer a free DNS service that you can use. That is what I do. The domain registrar will give you the two nameservers that you should enter at the NAT VPS provider. The nameservers will look something like "ns1.namecheap.com" and "ns2.namecheap.com". They may not start with "ns1" and "ns2", so don't guess. Look it up on the domain registrar's website.
You get to choose the hostname for your VPS, like naming a baby. If your domain is "example.com" and you choose a hostname like "micheleserver1" then the fully qualified domain name to give the VPS provider would be "micheleserver1.example.com" or "micheleserver1.example.com." depending the format that they want to see.
Here are the steps if you already have a domain name with a domain registrar:
1. Go to your domain registrar. Confirm that they offer free DNS (they will). Get their nameserver names from their website.
2. Think of a one-word hostname for your NAT VPS. "micheleserver1" was my example, but you pick any name you like.
3. Take your newly chosen hostname and combine it with your domain name to create the fully qualified domain name.
4. Sign up for the NAT VPS and enter the information. The VPS provider will provision a server for you and give you its public IP address.
5. Go to the domain registrar's DNS configuration page. Create a new "A" record and enter your hostname and the IP address. Each domain registrar has its own unique way of doing that, so you will have to figure it out.
6. Be patient. It can take up to a day or more for your entry to propagate around the internet. Usually it takes a few hours.
What if you don't have your own domain? You can get a free fully qualified domain name and DNS services from:
https://freedns.afraid.org
I have used freedns.afraid.org for many years. I can personally vouch for the owner. You think of a hostname like "michelleserver1" and add it to one of their many pre-existing domains like "mooo.com" to get "michelleserver1.mooo.com". They have many domains to choose from. Here are the steps:
1. Go to freedns.afraid.org and create a free account.
2. Pick a domain you like. Click on Subdomains and click on the Add link. Click on the Domain pulldown to see the available list of domains. Choose one from that list of 7 weird domains. Avoid the "many more available" list. Don't create the A record yet - you don't know the NAT VPS IP address. You are here only to see the list of domains to decide which one you like. I use "mooo.com".
3. Choose a hostname (like "micheleserver1") and create a fully qualified domain name from the domain you like, something like "micheleserver1.mooo.com"
4. Sign up for the NAT VPS and enter the fully qualified domain name. Enter "ns1.afraid.org" and "ns2.afraid.org" as the nameservers.
5. The VPS provider will provision a server for you and give you its public IP address.
6. Go back to freedns.afraid.org, click on Subdomains, and add an A record. Subdomain is your chosen hostname. Destination is the IP address from your NAT VPS provider.
7. Be patient. It can take up to a day or more for your entry to propagate around the internet. Usually it takes a few hours.
Get a free domain name from freenom
The all seeing eye sees everything...
Not sure whether free eu.org domains are still available.
The push-ups delivery network has been using EU.org free domains since 2021.
It is still operational at the moment.
I don't have webpages on those domains.
They are only for WebSocket or WebTransport endpoints.
Accepting submissions for IPv6 less than /64 Hall of Incompetence.
LMFTFY: no plural of information.
Porkbun for .top domain is pretty cheap, even for renewal.
It wisnae me! A big boy done it and ran away.
NVMe2G for life! until death (the end is nigh)
I usually enter youporn.com into these fields but @jarland got triggered by that.
Free NAT KVM | Free NAT LXC | Bobr
ITS WEDNESDAY MY DUDES
I wonder whether @Michele13 did anything with the step-by-step procedures I posted above, or were they a waste of time?
How is it going Michele? Are you past this step and moving into the next ones?
Shared servers, local domains files, all that jazz 😉
Do everything as though everyone you’ll ever know is watching.