How ShieldHost is different
Most VPS providers hand you a raw image and leave security as your problem. We start with it.
Typical VPS provider
- Ships a blank image — you harden it yourself
- All ports open by default
- Password SSH enabled on root
- No firewall rules configured
- Security updates are your responsibility
- Public IP exposed to the internet
ShieldHost
- Every server boots hardened — no manual steps
- Deny-all firewall policy from first boot
- Key-only SSH with fail2ban pre-configured
- ClamAV malware scanning + rkhunter rootkit detection
- Automatic security updates enabled by default
- Private Tailscale networking — zero public exposure
Security isn't an add-on or a premium tier. It's the foundation every ShieldHost server is built on.
Unmanaged-plus.
Root access. No shared kernels. No surprise bills. We ship a hardened base image—automatic updates, private-only networking, key-only SSH—so you can deploy in minutes, not days.
From $12/month • On your Tailscale network • Secure by default
Made by devs for devs. Deploy once. Sleep well.
Pre-hardened at launch
Read-only root filesystem where feasible
rpm-ostree / unattended-upgrades
Passwords disabled at boot
Geo-blocking capabilities ready
No public-facing ports by default
Zero-config private access
Dual-stack IPv4/IPv6
What you get out of the box
A consistent security baseline on every node. No configuration drift. No open ports by default.
Hardened OS image
Fedora CoreOS / Debian with read-only root, automatic updates.
Private-first networking
Tailscale mesh by default. No public admin ports.
SSH lockdown
Key auth only, non-standard port, fail2ban, geo-blocking ready.
Firewall defaults
Deny-all inbound; established-state-only exceptions.
DDoS protection
Network-layer mitigation with dual-stack IPv4/IPv6.
One-click app installs
Deploy n8n, Clawdbot, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and more. Perfect for isolated automation workloads.
Minimal attack surface
Only essential packages installed. No bloat, no unnecessary services running.
Rootkit detection
rkhunter and chkrootkit pre-installed for continuous integrity monitoring.
Malware scanning
ClamAV configured for on-demand and scheduled malware detection.
Hardened Quick Launch App Stack
Pre-configured, secured, and ready to use. Select during server creation — no manual setup required.
OpenClaw
AI messaging gateway for routing and managing LLM traffic. Auto-generated gateway token, Docker-deployed.
Learn more
n8n
Workflow automation to connect apps and APIs. Auto-generated admin credentials, Docker-deployed.
Available now
PostgreSQL
Powerful relational database. Pre-configured for Tailscale access with auto-generated credentials.
Available nowMore apps coming soon. All packages install via Docker with credentials auto-generated and displayed in your dashboard.
Simple pricing. No egress traps.
Pay for secure infrastructure—not for surprise bandwidth bills.
Small Secure Node
Personal automation scripts, single bot instances, development environments
- 1 vCPU (KVM)
- 2 GB RAM
- 60 GB NVMe SSD
- Tailscale integration
- 1 TB monthly transfer
- Full hardening stack
Add-on services
We secure the foundation.
You own the workload.
Clear boundaries. No blame games.
Our responsibility
- Host availability & networking
- Hypervisor & base image updates
- Initial hardening & Tailscale setup
- DDoS mitigation
Your responsibility
- Application config & updates
- Tailscale ACL policies
- SSH keys & access control
- Firewall changes after deploy
Secure defaults. Customer autonomy.
Built for developers who'd rather ship than harden.
You know how to run a server—but you don't want to chase CVEs at midnight. We give you a clean, secure substrate so you can focus on logic, not plumbing.
Self-hosting without anxiety.