You can now supply your own installation and configuration scripts to an Infrawire VPS. They are picked up when the machine boots, so you don't have to log in and repeat every step by hand.
The idea is simple: the server arrives in the state you decided on, not in a generic state that you then have to fix. This article explains what the option changes in day-to-day use and which profiles benefit most.
What the new option does in practice
Until now, a freshly delivered VPS was a clean system that you had to customise yourself: packages, users, firewall rules, services, configuration files. Each step is trivial, but together they take time and leave room for mistakes and omissions.
With boot scripts, that preparation becomes part of your order instead of a chore afterwards. You describe once what the server should contain, and it applies it by itself when it starts.
Why it matters beyond saving time
The first benefit is obvious: fewer manual steps. The second is less obvious and counts for more over time: reproducibility.
Two servers configured by hand always end up drifting apart, sometimes on a detail that only shows itself during an incident. Applying the same script to every machine narrows that gap. You know what is running, because you wrote it.
Then there is rebuilding. If you need to reinstall a VPS, migrate it or create an identical second one, your configuration no longer depends on your memory or a notebook. It lives in your script.
Who it is for
This option suits anyone who prefers to start from a known baseline.
- Developers and teams: identical test or staging environments, created on demand.
- System administrators: a common base (accounts, hardening, monitoring tools) applied to every new server in a fleet.
- Agencies and resellers: consistent provisioning for several clients, with less manual work.
- Traders: a server prepared with the tools you want, useful on a Forex VPS or a VPS for MetaTrader 5 that you want to get back in the same state every time.
- Personal projects: a small self-hosted service you can redeploy without starting from scratch.
Which VPS plans support it
The option is part of the Infrawire VPS range. You choose the resources and location that suit your project, for example France, Germany, the United States or Hong Kong, then attach your own startup logic.
If your target environment is Linux, the Linux VPS page presents the suitable plans. For a remote desktop or Windows applications, the Windows VPS page covers RDP access. For the exact versions and conditions under which scripts are supported on each plan, refer to the page of the plan itself.
What it does not replace
A boot script automates your configuration, but it does not make that configuration correct. A poorly tested script will produce a badly configured server, perfectly reproducibly. Get into the habit of trying it on a test machine before rolling it out more widely.
Also keep in mind that secrets (passwords, access keys) need particular care: avoid leaving them in plain text in a script that you share or keep under version control. To go deeper into the basics of server administration, the Infrawire tutorials are a good place to start.
Getting started
If you already have a script or a series of commands that you repeat on every new server, that is your candidate. Browse the VPS catalogue, pick the configuration that matches your workload, then add your script when you set up the server. The server starts, applies your configuration, and you find it ready to use.
FAQ
Your script is picked up at boot, which lets you install and configure what you need without manual intervention. The details of the behaviour depend on the plan and are listed on the page of the plan concerned.
No, but you do need to be able to write or adapt a script for your system. If you already run the same commands on every new server, you have most of the content. Test it first on a non-critical machine.
Infrawire VPS cover both families of operating systems. See the Linux VPS and Windows VPS pages for the available plans, then check support on the plan you choose.
Yes, and that is one of the main benefits. Applying the same script to several VPS limits configuration drift between machines and makes it easier to rebuild a server identically.