Windows VPS: what it is for and what size you need

The question comes in three variants: do I even need Windows on the server, how big does the machine have to be, and what does it cost? This article answers all three by working through the use cases that people typically order a Windows VPS for.

What a Windows VPS is

A Windows VPS is a KVM-based virtual machine running Windows Server. At KernelHost you choose between Windows Server 2016, 2019 and 2022 and start the installation yourself from the customer panel. Cores, RAM and NVMe storage belong exclusively to your machine, and on top of that come an always-on 3.2 Tbps Arbor DDoS protection and three backup slots with a weekly emergency backup. Three properties set it apart from the PC under your desk:

• Always on. The server runs around the clock in the maincubes datacenter in Frankfurt am Main (TÜV TIER3+ certified), independently of your own computer and your internet connection.
• A fixed address. Every server has its own IPv4 address and a /64 IPv6 network. You need that as soon as a broker, a bank or a customer restricts access to a fixed IP.
• RDP access. You work with the full Windows desktop over Remote Desktop, from any computer and from a tablet. If RDP fails, the VNC console in the customer panel remains as your way back in.

When Windows, when Linux

Windows is the right call when the software demands it: MetaTrader, accounting and industry-specific programs, applications on the classic .NET Framework, IIS, SQL Server, Office automation or a program that needs a Windows desktop. The same goes for a graphical workstation that you want to reach from anywhere.

A Linux VPS is the better choice when your application runs there: web servers, databases, Docker, most game servers, bots in Python or Node.js. Linux needs considerably less RAM and no operating system license. That is why the KVM plans for Linux start at €9.99 per month with 2 GB RAM, whereas a Windows server with that little memory is no fun to work on.

Use cases and the right size

Windows Server with Desktop Experience uses more RAM at idle than Linux does, and the system drive grows with every cumulative update. The minimum figures Microsoft quotes are enough to install the system, not to run it.

Remote desktop workstation

A browser, Office and a handful of specialist applications. RAM decides this case: a browser with twenty tabs open takes several gigabytes on its own. Sensible figures are 4 cores, 12 GB RAM and 100 GB NVMe, which is the smallest Windows plan; for video calls in the browser or large spreadsheets, 16 GB.

Trading software and bots

MetaTrader 4 and 5, cTrader and your own trading bots are a typical reason for a Windows VPS. A terminal with a few Expert Advisors needs very little: one to two cores and 4 GB RAM are enough for one or two terminals, and every additional one costs roughly a core and one to two gigabytes. The Strategy Tester runs optimizations in parallel and benefits from more cores.

Location matters more than size. Many brokers run their European trading servers in Frankfurt or London. Your server sits in the maincubes datacenter in Frankfurt am Main, right next to the DE-CIX internet exchange, and therefore a short hop away from them. Check in your broker's terminal where its server stands: the ping to that server is what counts, not the ping to where you live.

Windows applications and accounting

Accounting, inventory management and industry-specific software usually brings its own database along. For a single user, 4 cores and 12 GB are appropriate; with several concurrent users or larger data sets, 16 to 24 GB. Plan the NVMe storage with headroom for the backups the application writes itself.

Development and testing with IIS, .NET and SQL Server Express

IIS, a .NET application and SQL Server Express run from 8 GB upwards, comfortably from 16 GB once Visual Studio or a build agent joins them. SQL Server Express uses at most four cores and caps every database at 10 GB, so extra cores only help the other services. Colleagues and customers reach the test instance through the fixed IP, even when your laptop is closed.

Small game servers and bots

Some games ship their dedicated server only as a Windows build, and Discord or automation bots built on .NET run on Windows without any detours. For a handful of players, 4 cores and 12 GB are a good start, while games with large worlds need 24 GB and more. If the server also runs on Linux, a KVM plan is the cheaper choice.

Remote access for teams

If several people work on the server at the same time, budget 4 GB as a baseline plus 2 to 3 GB per active session: five users end up at 16 GB and 4 cores, ten at 32 GB and 8 cores. Without the Remote Desktop Services role, Windows Server allows only two concurrent administrative sessions; for more users you need the Remote Desktop Session Host, whose licensing you settle with Microsoft or a certified Microsoft Partner just as you do the server license.

Size recommendations at a glance

The four Windows plans on the Rent a Windows VPS page are called WIN-VPS-1 through WIN-VPS-4. Anything below, between or above them (up to 12 cores, 64 GB RAM and 300 GB NVMe) you put together in the Windows configurator.

When in doubt, go one step up on RAM, not on cores: once memory runs out, Windows starts paging to disk and every RDP session turns sluggish. All plans are PrePaid with no minimum term, so you can start small and grow later.

License and installation

Windows Server is not included in the server price. For testing and migration rehearsals there is the free Windows Server Evaluation from Microsoft, which runs for 180 days: functionally complete, but limited in time. For permanent operation you bring your own regular license (Bring Your Own License), obtained from a certified Microsoft Partner or directly from Microsoft. KernelHost provides hardware and virtualization, licensing of Microsoft products is the customer's responsibility.

You start the installation in the customer panel: pick the image, confirm, wait. After the order the server is provisioned in about 30 seconds; a reinstall with a different Windows edition or with Linux is possible at any time and overwrites the existing data. The first steps after that, from password and time zone to switching from the evaluation to a regular license without reinstalling, are covered in Setting up Windows Server on a VPS.

Three things stay your responsibility: installing Windows updates and scheduling the reboots, backing up the application data off the server on a regular basis (backup slots and the emergency backup are an addition, not a replacement) and hardening the server before it goes into production.

Hardening in five steps

1. RDP port. A port other than 3389 keeps the bulk of the scanners away, but on its own it is not a security measure. Change the RDP port without rebooting shows how to do it while the server keeps running.
2. NLA. Enforce Network Level Authentication so that the server checks credentials before it builds a session. If a client reports an error afterwards, RDP error: Network Level Authentication failed will help.
3. Firewall. Restrict RDP to your own IP addresses or to a VPN, leave the Windows Firewall active in all profiles and never open file sharing (TCP 445) to the internet. Every step, including the safety net against locking yourself out, is in Secure RDP: protect Windows Server against attacks.
4. Updates. Patch before you install roles and applications, not afterwards, and keep space free on the system drive for updates.
5. Accounts. A second administrator account under its own name, long passwords, account lockout switched on, and the built-in Administrator account disabled as soon as the new one demonstrably works. If the account lockout locks you out yourself, RDP error: unlock a locked out Windows account will help.

What a Windows VPS realistically costs

The Windows plans are billed monthly in advance, with no minimum term, no notice period and no setup fee: WIN-VPS-1 with 4 cores, 12 GB and 100 GB NVMe costs €19.99, WIN-VPS-2 with 4 cores, 16 GB and 120 GB costs €24.99, WIN-VPS-3 with 6 cores, 24 GB and 140 GB costs €34.99 and WIN-VPS-4 with 8 cores, 32 GB and 200 GB costs €49.99. In resources and price that matches the KVM plans KVM-4, KVM-5, KVM-6 and KVM-8 on the Rent a VPS page.

Three examples: a single remote workstation or an accounting setup lands at €19.99 per month with WIN-VPS-1. A development environment with IIS and SQL Server Express, or a team of five users, comes to €24.99 with WIN-VPS-2. A small trading setup with 2 cores and 4 GB sits below the smallest plan; that is exactly what the Windows configurator is for, at a €5.00 base price plus the resources you pick, with the total calculated as you select them. In every case the Windows license comes on top, and its price depends on the edition and where you buy it, or you run on the evaluation version for the first 180 days.

Conclusion

A Windows VPS pays off when the application needs Windows or when you want a desktop that is always running and reachable from anywhere. For trading, a small configuration from the configurator is often enough, and the decisive factor is the Frankfurt location. For a workstation, accounting and development, WIN-VPS-1 or WIN-VPS-2 fits, and for teams WIN-VPS-4 or the configurator. Be generous with RAM, bring your own license and secure RDP before the first application is installed. More on location and connectivity is on the Datacenter page; the servers are operated by KernelHost GmbH, based in Vienna.