Linode is a reliable and developer-focused Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platform, known for its simplicity, transparent pricing, and solid performance across a global network of data centers.
With Cloudways, you can easily deploy and manage scalable applications on Linode’s robust infrastructure, while enjoying the convenience and control of our managed hosting environment.
The powerful combination of Cloudways Managed Hosting Platform and Linode’s efficient servers ensures optimal performance, cost-effectiveness, and reliability; backed by 24/7 expert support that’s always ready to assist.
Table of Contents:
Linode Server Lineup at Cloudways
Cloudways offers multiple Linode server types to accommodate a wide range of application requirements, from simple websites to resource-intensive workloads.
This section outlines the available Linode server families and their ideal use cases, helping you choose the most suitable option for your project.
Linode Server Family Lineup
To ensure optimal performance for various types of applications, Linode’s server lineup at Cloudways is divided into three main families:
Standard
General Purpose
CPU Optimized
Each server family is designed to address specific workload requirements—from basic hosting needs to compute-heavy processes.
Choosing the right server type plays a key role in maintaining application speed, stability, and efficiency.
Let’s explore what each Linode server family offers.
Standard
The Linode Standard series is well-suited for general-purpose workloads such as personal blogs, small websites, staging environments, and low to moderate traffic applications.
These servers offer a cost-effective balance of compute, memory, and storage, making them a practical choice for developers and small teams getting started on Cloudways.
Refer to the table below for available Standard server configurations:
Memory | Processor |
1GB | 1vCPU |
2GB | 1vCPU |
4GB | 2vCPU |
8GB | 4vCPU |
16GB | 6vCPU |
32GB | 8vCPU |
64GB | 16vCPU |
96GB | 20vCPU |
128GB | 24vCPU |
192GB | 32vCPU |
General Purpose
Linode General Purpose servers are designed to offer a consistent balance between vCPU and RAM, making them ideal for business websites, eCommerce platforms, and production applications that require predictable performance.
These instances provide stable performance across various workloads while offering the flexibility to scale as your application grows.
Check the table below to explore General Purpose server configurations:
Memory | Processor |
4 GB | 2vCPU |
8 GB | 4vCPU |
16 GB | 8vCPU |
32 GB | 16vCPU |
64 GB | 32vCPU |
96 GB | 48vCPU |
128 GB | 50vCPU |
256 GB | 56vCPU |
CPU Optimized
The CPU Optimized series from Linode is purpose-built for compute-intensive workloads such as background processing, video encoding, machine learning, and high-traffic APIs.
These servers deliver dedicated vCPU resources, ensuring stable and high-speed processing for demanding applications.
On Cloudways, these instances help maintain application responsiveness under heavy computational load.
Review the table below for details on CPU Optimized server plans:
Memory | Processor |
4 GB | 2vCPU |
8 GB | 4vCPU |
16 GB | 8vCPU |
32 GB | 16vCPU |
64 GB | 32vCPU |
96 GB | 48vCPU |
128 GB | 50vCPU |
256 GB | 56vCPU |
Want to learn more about Linode's High-Performance General Purpose & CPU Optimized? Click here.
Benchmarks
We conducted performance benchmarks across different Linode server families on Cloudways to compare their processing power and webpage loading speed.
Note:
These benchmarks focus on CPU-intensive tests and may not fully reflect the balanced nature of General Purpose servers.
General Purpose instances are designed for applications that require both CPU power and memory bandwidth—making them ideal for use cases such as:
Magento 2 — which uses services like Elasticsearch, Redis, and RabbitMQ, increasing memory usage.
Laravel — depending on the setup, can benefit from balanced CPU and memory resources.
For such workloads, General Purpose servers often provide the best overall performance.
Benchmark Setup
We used the k6-wordpress-benchmarks methodology to test server performance. The benchmark simulates real user interactions—visiting pages, logging in, browsing, and loading assets—all with no caching enabled to reflect uncached performance.
Configuration:
WordPress App with k6 loadouts
Varnish: Disabled
Redis Object Caching: Disabled
Caching Plugins: Removed
Test Instances:
Standard Series — 6 vCPU / 16 GB RAM
General Purpose Series — 8 vCPU / 16 GB RAM
CPU-Optimized Series — 8 vCPU / 16 GB RAM
Load Storm (k6) Benchmark Sequence:
Home Page: Simulates an initial visit to the home page
Login Page: Navigates to wp-login and submits stored credentials
Sitemap Pages: Iterates through URLs found in the sitemap
Asset Loading: Retrieves CSS, JS, and image assets, mimicking real user behavior
Note:
The test ramps from 1 to 10,000 users over 20 minutes, then holds at peak load for 10 minutes.
Key Metrics:
Total Requests — Total number of requests generated by k6
p95 — 95th percentile response time (ms)
Page Cum Avg — Average response time for HTML pages (ms)
Asset Cum Avg — Average response time for CSS, JS, and image assets (ms)
WP-Login Avg Response Time — Average response time for wp-login (including redirect validation)
Instance Type | Total Requests | Avg P95 (ms) | Page Cum Avg (ms) | Asset Cum Avg (ms) | WP-Login Avg Time (ms) |
Standard Linode | 588400 | 6193 | 3759 | 738 | 5000 |
General Purpose Linode | 604900 | 5931 | 3554 | 699 | 4000 |
CPU Optimized Linode | 600700 | 5898 | 954 | 298 | 4000 |
Virtual Users: 10,000, Duration: 30 minutes, Cache Status: No-Cache
Discussion
The benchmark results show clear performance differences between the three Linode server types during a 30-minute, no-cache test with 10,000 virtual users:
CPU Optimized Linode:
Delivers the highest request throughput with the lowest latency. ~20% faster WP-Login response, 75% lower cumulative page load times, and 60% lower cumulative asset load times than Standard Linode. Best for high-traffic sites needing consistent, fast performance.General Purpose Linode:
Handles requests well with moderate latency. ~20% faster WP-Login response than Standard Linode. A balanced choice for many workloads but less ideal for heavy concurrent traffic.Standard Linode:
Lowest request throughput and highest latency among the lineup. Best suited for low-traffic sites, development, or staging where performance needs are lighter.
Webpage Speed Benchmark
We also measured page load performance using WebPageTest, which simulates a full page load and captures how quickly different elements appear on the screen.
Results are recorded in seconds.
Key Metrics:
Time to First Byte (TTFB): When the server starts sending content to the browser
First Contentful Paint (FCP): When the first visible text or image appears
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): When the main content of the page finishes loading
Page Speed Benchmark — Configuration:
WordPress App with k6 loadouts
Varnish: Disabled
Redis Object Caching: Disabled
Caching Plugins: Removed
Data Center: Londo
WebPageTest Location: London
Instance Type | Time to First Byte | First Contentful Paint | Largest Contentful Paint |
Standard Linode | 0.27 | 0.49 | 0.529 |
General Purpose Linode | 0.261 | 0.477 | 0.58 |
CPU Optimized Linode | 0.248 | 0.523 | 0.588 |
Discussion
These results highlight how quickly each Linode server type delivers and renders content in a light-load scenario:
Time to First Byte (TTFB): CPU Optimized Linode delivers the fastest initial server response (~0.24s). A lower TTFB means users see the first server response sooner. General Purpose Linode is approximately 3.33% faster on Time to First Byte. CPU Optimized Linode is approximately 8.15% faster on Time to First Byte compared to Standard Linode.
First Contentful Paint (FCP): CPU Optimized Linode leads with the lowest FCP (~0.51s), allowing visible page elements to appear more quickly. General Purpose Linode has slightly higher FCP times (~0.47–0.48s). General Purpose Linode is approximately 2.65% faster on First Contentful Paint compared to Standard Linode.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): CPU Optimized Linode again shows the best result (~0.59s), indicating faster rendering of the main page content. General Purpose Linode has slightly higher LCP (~0.57–0.58s), while Standard Linode is in between.
Launching a New Application on a Linode Server
Follow the steps below to launch a new application on your preferred Linode server through the Cloudways Platform.
Step #1:
Log in to your Cloudways Platform.
From the main dashboard, click the arrow icon next to your current server group under the "Flexible" section to open the server management panel.
Step #2:
Inside the Servers tab, click on the blue “Add Server” button to initiate the server launch process.
Step #3:
Fill out the required details to deploy your managed application:
Select Application – Choose your desired application from the dropdown.
Application Name – Provide a recognizable name for your application.
Server Name – Enter a name for your server.
Select Your Project – Choose or create a project to group your applications.
Choose your application stack. (Learn more about lightning stack by reading this blog)
Under “Select Your Server”, click on the Linode option to proceed with deploying on a Linode server.
You can now choose your preferred database on Cloudways platform from the option below 'Select your Server'.
Step #4:
Choose the Server Type based on your application’s requirements:
Standard - Good starting point for all kinds of general websites.
General Purpose - Upgraded performance for all kinds of websites.
CPU Optimized - Extra processing power for complex websites.
Step #5:
From the Location dropdown on the same page, select the region where you want your Linode server to be deployed (e.g., Northern Virginia).
Once you’ve configured all the options, click the “Launch Now” button to deploy your new application on the selected Linode server.
Note: Server prices may vary based on the selected server type, memory size, and deployment location.
That’s it! We hope this article was helpful.
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