// cloudways review
Cloudways Review: Managed Cloud Hosting for Developers
This review is written from the perspective of a backend developer shipping Spring Boot, FastAPI, and Node.js services — not from the perspective of a WordPress agency. Cloudways is a managed-VM platform that sits on top of the major cloud providers (DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, Vultr) and handles the operating system, TLS, backups, caching, staging and vertical scaling for you. Below is what it is genuinely good at, where it falls short, and who should — and should not — use it.
Quick Reference
- ›Underlying clouds: DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, Vultr
- ›Managed: OS patching, TLS (Let's Encrypt), backups, staging, monitoring
- ›Caching stack: Varnish, Nginx, Memcached, Redis available by default
- ›Not managed for you: application-level metrics, log retention, autoscaling policy
- ›Best fit: developers and small teams shipping backend apps without an ops person
- ›Poor fit: teams that need Kubernetes, request-driven autoscaling, or fine-grained IaaS
Cloudways
Managed cloud hosting on your choice of DigitalOcean, AWS or Google Cloud.
You pick a base cloud and instance size, Cloudways provisions the VM with a hardened Linux stack, sets up TLS, and gives you a dashboard to deploy applications, run staging clones, take backups, and scale vertically. SSH is available if you need it; most day-to-day work is done in the UI or via git.
Pros
- +Runs on real cloud VMs (not shared containers) — predictable performance
- +Free SSL, automatic daily backups, one-click staging
- +24/7 human support included on every plan
- +Move between underlying clouds without leaving the platform
Cons
- –Management fee on top of the underlying cloud price
- –No native Kubernetes — this is a managed-VM platform, not a container orchestrator
- –Application-level observability (APM, log retention) is bring-your-own
Best for: Developers who want production hosting without owning Linux administration.
Cloudways vs the alternatives
| Platform | Model | Managed OS | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudways | Managed VMs | Yes | Devs on Spring Boot / FastAPI / Node / Laravel |
| DigitalOcean (raw droplets) | IaaS | No | Devs comfortable owning Linux |
| Render | PaaS (containers) | Yes | Docker-native hobby / MVP |
| Railway | PaaS (usage-based) | Yes | Prototypes and preview envs |
| AWS Elastic Beanstalk / Fargate | PaaS / serverless containers | Partial | AWS-committed teams |
What is Cloudways?
Cloudways is a managed cloud-hosting platform. You pick an underlying cloud provider — DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode or Vultr — and a server size. Cloudways provisions the VM, hardens the OS, installs Nginx and Apache, wires up TLS, configures caching (Varnish, Memcached, Redis) and gives you a dashboard on top of it all.
Historically most Cloudways customers were WordPress agencies. In 2026 it is equally usable for a Spring Boot JAR behind Nginx, a FastAPI service under Gunicorn, a Node.js app under PM2, or any Docker image you SSH in and run. The value it adds is not the stack it opinionates about — it is the ops work you do not have to do.
Features
- Managed OS patching and security hardening
- Free Let's Encrypt SSL with automatic renewal
- Automatic daily backups with one-click restore
- One-click staging environments cloned from production
- Vertical scaling (resize the VM) with a click
- Built-in Varnish, Nginx, Memcached, Redis
- Team collaboration with per-server permissions
- 24/7 human support and monitoring included
Pricing
Cloudways prices are a management fee on top of the underlying cloud. A 1 GB DigitalOcean VM starts around $14/month all-in; a comparable AWS or Google Cloud VM starts higher because the raw AWS/GCP list price is higher. There is a free trial (typically three days, longer with a promo code) so you can test the platform on real infrastructure before paying.
Compared to raw DigitalOcean droplets ($6/month at the same tier), you are paying roughly $8/month for the managed layer — the operating system, TLS, backups, staging and support. That is a good trade for anyone whose time is worth more than an hour a month of server admin.
Performance
Because Cloudways runs on real VMs from the underlying cloud, performance is essentially the same as running that VM yourself. A 2 GB DigitalOcean-backed server handles a well-tuned Spring Boot service comfortably at low-to-mid traffic; latency to users is driven by the region you pick, not by the Cloudways layer.
The caching stack (Varnish for static, Redis for application-level) is a real performance win for read-heavy workloads. For write-heavy or streaming backends, plan your architecture as you would on raw IaaS — the managed layer does not change the fundamentals.
Pros
- ✓ Removes 90% of the routine Linux server-admin work
- ✓ Real VMs on real clouds — no shared-hosting compromises
- ✓ Backups, staging and TLS are on by default, not extras
- ✓ 24/7 human support included at every tier
- ✓ Portable across underlying cloud providers
Cons
- ! Management fee on top of the raw cloud price
- ! No native Kubernetes — bring DOKS/GKE/EKS if you need it
- ! Application observability (APM, log retention) is not included
- ! No request-driven horizontal autoscaling on lower tiers
Who should use Cloudways?
- • Solo developers shipping a Spring Boot, FastAPI or Node.js side project to production
- • Small teams without a dedicated DevOps engineer
- • Agencies hosting multiple client apps and needing per-project staging
- • Developers who want to run on AWS/GCP without learning the full billing model
Who should not use Cloudways?
- • Teams already on Kubernetes at scale — use DOKS, GKE or EKS directly
- • Workloads that need sub-second horizontal autoscaling — use Cloud Run or Fargate
- • Regulated enterprises that require a specific cloud contract or private-cloud region
- • Anyone whose stack requires managed services (RDS, DynamoDB, BigQuery) as core primitives
Real deployment workflow
- Pick an underlying cloud (e.g. DigitalOcean) and server size in the Cloudways dashboard.
- Wait 5–7 minutes for the VM to provision. Cloudways sets up Nginx, TLS, backups and caching.
- Create an "Application" — for a Spring Boot JAR, use the Custom App template and upload the JAR (or pull via git and build on the server).
- Point Nginx at your JAR's port; enable HTTPS with the built-in Let's Encrypt integration.
- Clone the app to a staging URL with one click; test releases there before promoting.
- Enable daily backups and set a retention window that fits your recovery objective.
Further Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cloudways good for Java Spring Boot?
Yes. You can run a Spring Boot JAR behind Nginx, or ship a Docker image and run it under Docker Compose. For Kubernetes-scale Spring Boot deployments, use DigitalOcean Kubernetes (DOKS), GKE, or EKS directly.
Does Cloudways include a database?
Every server comes with a local MariaDB/MySQL instance managed for you. For Postgres, Redis, or high-availability database tiers, we recommend using the underlying cloud's managed database service (e.g. DigitalOcean Managed Databases) alongside your Cloudways application server.
How does Cloudways compare to Render?
Render is a container-first PaaS; Cloudways is a managed-VM platform. Render is a better fit if you are already shipping Docker images and want a serverless-feeling deploy; Cloudways is a better fit if you want a full VM you can SSH into, with staging and backups included.
Can I move off Cloudways later?
Yes. Because Cloudways runs on standard VMs from real cloud providers, migrating off is a normal server migration — export your data, provision a new server on the underlying cloud (or elsewhere), and cut DNS over. There is no proprietary lock-in beyond the managed layer.
Is there a free trial?
Yes — Cloudways offers a free trial (length varies by promotion) so you can provision a real VM and test your workload before entering payment details.