Welcome to HowToShipIt — practical how-to guides for developers: code, AI tools, and servers, explained step by step.

VPS

AWS vs Hetzner in 2026: An Honest Cost Comparison for Side Projects

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AWS vs Hetzner cost comparison: two cloud server stacks on a balance scale

If you are hosting a side project in 2026, the AWS vs Hetzner debate is probably the single biggest money decision you will make. The raw numbers are not close: a small virtual machine that costs you a few dollars a month on Hetzner can run into dozens of dollars on AWS for equivalent hardware. … Read more

How to Set Up a VPS From Scratch: Ubuntu, Nginx, and SSL

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How to set up a VPS with Ubuntu, Nginx and SSL

Introduction: How to Set Up a VPS with Ubuntu, Nginx and SSL This guide walks you through how to set up a VPS with Ubuntu, Nginx, and SSL — from an empty virtual server to a live, HTTPS-secured website. By the end, your server will be hardened with SSH keys and a firewall, serving your … Read more