Linode Review: From Slicehost to Linode VPS Hosting

I was with RackSpace Cloud Servers which is owned by RackSpace along with Slicehost where my servers are actually placed. So you can also say I’m moving from Slicehost to Linode. However, the fact that I’m leaving them doesn’t mean they are not good. To the opposite, they are absolutely one of the best VPS hosting providers — the pricing, the uptime, the proprietary control panel and 24/7 live chat support are all their pros. The only downside is that unmanaged VPS hosting can be daunting to those who find Linux a labyrinth. Other than that, they are both fantastic hosting companies to go with.

Linode has been around much earlier than Slicehost and rarely do they pompously promote or advertise their services which is usually a merit you want look at with hosting companies. A host who is stingy of offerings and features and who gives much less promotional discounts than the peer competitors is usually an honest one. From all the hosts I’ve been with, Linode definitely falls into this category.

Currently, they have 4 data centers for you to choose from, namely Fremont, CA, Newark, NJ, Dallas, TX (DC operated by The Planet) and Atlanta, GA. My linode is located at Fremont, CA and after a few HTTP request tests from the DC of DreamHost, Linode is slightly faster than Slicehost.

Linode’s control panel is much more simpler than others’ such as cPanel yet much better organized and filled with indispensable features. You can create and manage different configuration profiles for different VPS. You can create and manage disk images that are easy to move around, cut or mixed. You can even create more than 1 VPS within the most basic plan: Linode 360. Just cut the overall storage allotment and RAM into slices and install Linux and web server software into them respectively.

After a few days of tests, for now, I’m pretty happy with their servers and backbone connections. Will keep you updated.