Best linux cloud service

Top Free Linux Cloud Servers to Test or Host Your Web Applications

You can try Linux cloud server platforms for free. Here’s how!

If you want to test your web application or service, you need a Linux server. Thanks to the advancement of cloud computing, deploying preconfigured Linux server has become child’s play.

Moreover, many cloud server providers also offer free credits to try their platform. You can take advantage of these offers to deploy Linux servers and test your web application or service.

This not only helps in reducing costs, you also get the opportunity to figure out whether a certain platform suits your needs and skills or not.

Free Linux cloud servers

You should keep in mind that though some cloud servers offer hefty credits, they might have time restriction.

Please note that some links in this article are affiliate links.

Linode

Linux Handbook is official partner of Linode. Linux Handbook website is hosted on Linode. We also use Linode servers for testing and validating the tutorials we cover here.

You can deploy Linux servers of your choice (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, SUSE, Arch, Slackware etc) within minutes and with a few clicks. You can shut down or restart the server from the dashboard itself.

Not only that, with Linode Marketplace, you can deploy Linux servers preconfigured with a web-service like WordPress, WireGuard VPN, Discourse and more.

Want more? You also get to deploy Load Balancer, object storage, Kubernetes clusters among other DevOps focused tools.

You can also configure regular automatic backups for your servers.

Linode offers $60 free credit to Linux Handbook readers. Credits last for 60 days.

Digital Ocean

Digital Ocean is another good platform where you can get free cloud Linux server.

Like Linode, Digital Ocean is also developer focused. This means you can deploy bare Linux servers or preconfigured with a web service of your choice.

Kubernetes clusters, databases, load balancers, object storage, automatic backups and everything else you saw with Linode are also available in Digital Ocean.

Everything is click and deploy which makes your work much easier.

New Digital Ocean users get $100 free credits and the credits last for 60 days. You can sign up for Digital Ocean here.

Vultr

Another cloud server provider similar to Linode and Digital Ocean.

I use Vultr occasionally for deploying test servers for testing Linux tutorials.

They have micro-nodes with 10 GB SSD storage and 512 MB RAM for just $2.5 a month (or $0.004/hr). This is ideal for me when I want to avoid cost and don’t need high configuration Linux server.

You can deploy Linux server of your choice and you can also use their One Click Apps to deploy preconfigured servers.

Vultr offers $100 free credits to try out their platform and the credits are valid for 30 days. You can sign up for free Linux cloud server with Vultr here.

UpCloud

My other website, It’s FOSS, is hosted on UpCloud.

Unlike Linode and Digital Ocean, UpCloud doesn’t have a marketplace to allow you to deploy preconfigured web-services on Linux server.

However, they do have APIs available to easily integrate your app with UpCloud infrastructure.

You can deploy Linux servers of your choice within minutes and the Linux servers offered by UpCloud have superb performance thanks to their MaxIOPS block storage.

Automatic server backups are available to give you peace of mind.

You can get free Linux cloud servers on UpCloud with a credit line of $25. They are strict with free credits and free trials.

Google Cloud Platform

So far all the entries in this list of free cloud Linux servers are from medium players.

Bigger cloud players like Microsoft, Amazon, Alibaba and Google also offer free credits.

These big platform might be overwhelming and personally, I am averted to using corporate giants. I prefer to support smaller players given that they have good product and service.

Anyway, Google offers $300 credits to try out its Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The credits last for a year.

You see the difference here? Other smaller player are restricted to 2 months with hardly $100 free credits. And a giant like Google with deep pockets can afford such hefty offer to hurt its competitors.

Which free cloud Linux server do you use?

I shared my experience with cloud server providers here. I hope the free credits allow you to test some of these platforms.

What’s your choice of cloud service? Do you know some other reliable cloud server providers that offer free credits? Why not share it with the rest of us in the comment section?

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The 9 Best Linux Cloud Storage Solutions for 2023

Cloud storage is arguably the best way to back up you personal data. It takes the physical action of backing up out of your hands and leaves you with an accessible archive of data.

But cloud storage can be expensive with the wrong provider. If you’re looking for cloud storage for your Linux PC, finding the right service can take a while. To help you out, we’ve collected the best Linux cloud storage providers for you to consider.

Free space offered: 2GB.

Dropbox is one of the preferred cloud storage options in the market currently. It’s available for Linux, Windows and Mac users. This service provider offers different storage plans, but the basic plan offers 2GB storage space only, which can be one of its most prominent downsides.

Our guide to Dropbox will highlight why this cloud solution is so popular for Linux users.

Dropbox cloud features for Linux (and other OSs):

• Multiple OS compatibility: sync multiple files across multiple OSes, like Linux, Windows, and Mac, which appear collectively in the Dropbox server
• Back up files: save all documents and media files in the Dropbox folder on your computer for automatic Linux cloud backup (works with other OSs)
• File recovery: restore files deleted in the last 30 days
• Collaboration: seamlessly collaborate by sharing files with multiple people at the same simultaneously

Download: Dropbox (Free | Premium)

Free space offered: 10GB of free storage, which is extendable up to 20GB.

Swiss cloud storage service pCloud has had a great reputation for secure cloud storage since its 2013 launch.

Its initial provision is 10GB of free storage, and if this isn’t enough you can invite friends. You even have the option to utilize the pCloud referral program to extend your free cloud storage space.

Pcloud is one another Linux cloud storage provider with the option to take a paid subscription with great storage limits.

pCloud Linux cloud features:

• Efficient collaboration: send and receive files with collaborators with shareable upload and download links
• Encryption: pCloud’s encryption features offer users’ unbreakable file security protocols, which are aimed at protecting the user’s sensitive information, private documents, etc.
• Integration between the web and the cloud: save your images directly from the web to the pCloud’s server
• Android/iOS friendly

Download: pCloud (Free | Premium)

Free space offered: 20GB of free storage.

Mega is one of the biggest names in cloud storage, boasting over 200 million users worldwide. It is one of the most secure cloud storage options available, with end-to-end encryption of all data.

Mega’s features are available for anyone looking for a free Linux cloud storage account.

• Encryption at the source
• Security at its best: all data is heavily guarded in the Mega cloud, and you can recover data only by using the associated unique account recovery key.
• Balance between features and interface
• Additional features: versioning, file sharing, and file syncing, among others.
• Compatibility: Mega is compatible with Linux, Windows, and Mac.

Download: Mega (Free | Premium)

Free space offered: Cozy Drive offers 5GB of free storage space to its users.

Apart from being just a Linux-friendly cloud storage provider, French company Cozy also offers a digital locker. This lets you safely store bank statements, health records, and other confidential information in one place.

Meanwhile, French citizens can connect a Cozy account to French income tax accounts, for a better experience. And of course you can use Cozy to set sync data from a Linux PC to the cloud.

Some additional features worth a mention include:

• Multiple platforms, one central location: Cozy can download bills, health records, and other confidential information in one go
• Import data from Google: sync Google calendar and contacts into Cozy

Download: Cozy (Free | Premium)

Free space offered: Up to 10GB is available free with Internxt.

Internxt Drive is a “zero-knowledge file storage service that’s based on absolute privacy and uncompromising security.” This makes it a great choice for anyone concerned about how their cloud data is used.

For the free storage, you start with 2GB. The further 8GB comes from installing desktop and mobile apps, sharing links, and inviting five friends.

• Designed to be secure
• Multi-device support: Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, also a web interface
• Files are encrypted

Paid accounts also get access to Internxt Photos and Internxt Send (a secure file-sending app).

Download: Internxt (Free | Premium)

Free space offered: 10GB with 3GB daily bandwidth.

Offering apps for mobile and desktop devices, Icedrive is another cloud storage service offering encryption as a key feature.

Icedrive can be installed on Linux (with an AppImage), Windows, or Mac. It also provides apps for Android and iPhone. It also offers a web interface.

• Easy to manage cloud storage: use Icedrive as if all files were local
• Encryption: uses the “bulletproof” twofish algorithm, stronger than AES encryption
• Collaboration: create a showcase page for collaborators to work with
• Apps for home, mobile, and office

Download: Icedrive (Free | Premium)

Cloud Storage With Third Party Linux Clients

In addition to cloud storage services that support Linux, some third party developers provide Linux clients for popular cloud services.

So, if you’ve noticed Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Box are missing from the list above, don’t worry. All three have good third-party clients that run on Linux.

7. OneDrive Client for Linux

If your requirements for cloud storage rely on Microsoft OneDrive (perhaps you’re a Windows refugee, or it’s a work thing), you’re in luck. Several OneDrive tools are available for Linux users.

Probably the best is OneDrive Client for Linux, which you can learn more about on the project’s GitHub page.

Our easy set-up guide for OneDrive Client for Linux will have you up and running in minutes.

8. Google Drive

If you want to use Google Drive with Linux, various tools are available. If you’re using a GNOME desktop, however, you can keep it simple. GNOME’s Online Accounts tool has Google integration, which extends to Google Drive. This can be integrated into the file manager for easy access to your cloud.

For more information check our guide on setting up Google Drive on GNOME desktops.

9. ExpanDrive for Linux

A network file manager for Linux, Mac, and Windows, ExpanDrive has support for multiple cloud solutions. These include:

• Dropbox
• Google Drive and Google Team Drives
• Amazon Drive
• Box
• OneDrive and OneDrive for Business

Of particular note in that list are Amazon Drive and Box. While alternative solutions exist for both of these, ExpanDrive is a good all-round tool for cloud storage on Linux. The shortcoming is that ExpanDrive will set you back around $30 for an annual subscription (with $15 renewal every year for updates and support) or a one-time $45 payment with all the updates and support.

Which Free Linux Cloud Storage Service Is Best for You?

With so many cloud storage options for backup and syncing available to Linux users, you’re spoiled for choice. My own preference is Dropbox, one of the rare occasions when a popular tool on Windows works perfectly on Linux. It’s perfect for cloud backups of Linux-based documents and media.

Of course, your mileage may vary. Whatever your eventual choice, take the time to test the free options before upgrading to larger storage and committing to a monthly subscription.

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