Server Provisioning
Provision a new cloud server through Devpilot. Choose a supported provider, configure your instance, and watch each step complete in real time.
Server Provisioning
Devpilot can provision new cloud servers on your behalf. You select a supported cloud provider, pick a region and instance type, configure disk size, and Devpilot creates the server in your account, generates SSH keys, and prepares it for management. The process typically takes a few minutes.
Provisioning creates a billable resource with your chosen cloud provider. Devpilot shows an estimated monthly cost before you confirm, but the actual charges come from the provider. Devpilot does not add a markup to provider compute costs.
Supported Cloud Providers
Devpilot provisions servers through five cloud providers:
Amazon Web Services (EC2)
AWS EC2 provides a broad selection of instance families across a global footprint. Devpilot provisions EC2 instances using AMIs that it resolves for your chosen region — for example, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS AMIs.
- Regions across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, South America, and Africa.
- General-purpose, compute-optimized, and memory-optimized instance types.
- EBS-backed root disks with a configurable size.
AWS is a strong fit when you need global reach, mature compliance certifications, or tight integration with other AWS services.
Microsoft Azure (Virtual Machines)
Azure VMs are available across a global data center network. Devpilot provisions Linux VMs using Canonical's Ubuntu images (for example, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, both x64 and ARM64).
- Regions across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East.
- General-purpose (B-series, D-series), compute, and memory instance families.
- Managed disks with configurable sizing.
Azure is a good choice if your organization is already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Google Cloud Platform (Compute Engine)
Compute Engine offers custom and predefined machine types. Devpilot provisions instances using Google's public Ubuntu images (for example, ubuntu-2404-noble or ubuntu-2204-jammy).
- Regions spanning the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
- Per-second billing after a one-minute minimum.
- Persistent disks (pd-standard, pd-ssd).
GCP is a strong option if you value per-second billing granularity or expect to integrate other Google Cloud services.
DigitalOcean (Droplets)
DigitalOcean Droplets offer predictable flat-rate pricing and a developer-friendly experience. Devpilot provisions Ubuntu 22.04 x64 droplets by default.
- Data centers across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
- Shared-CPU Basic Droplets, General Purpose, CPU-Optimized, and Memory-Optimized plans.
- SSD storage included with every Droplet.
DigitalOcean is ideal when you want simple, predictable pricing without complex configuration.
Vultr (Cloud Compute)
Vultr runs a global network of compute locations with flexible configurations. Devpilot provisions Ubuntu-based Vultr instances.
- Locations across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and Africa (including Johannesburg).
- Regular Cloud Compute (shared CPU) and High Frequency plans.
- SSD or NVMe storage depending on plan.
Vultr is a good fit for globally distributed deployments at competitive prices.
Hosting providers like Hetzner, Linode, Namecheap, and other "Others" providers are not currently supported for direct provisioning, but you can run a server on any of them and bring it into Devpilot using Connect an Existing Server.
Before You Start
Before your first provisioning run, you need:
- A cloud integration for the provider — Devpilot needs API credentials for your AWS, Azure, GCP, DigitalOcean, or Vultr account. Configure these under your workspace integrations. Devpilot uses temporary credential storage and resolves the right credentials automatically during provisioning.
- A workspace billing method (optional) — If you want Devpilot to track recurring monthly cost for the server, attach a payment method during provisioning. Cloud charges themselves still come from the provider.
Provisioning Flow
Start a new provision
Open Servers in your workspace sidebar, click Add Server, and choose Provision New Server. Select the cloud provider you want to use. If you haven't connected that provider's credentials yet, Devpilot prompts you to do so first.
Choose a region
Pick the region geographically closest to your users to minimize latency. Available regions depend on the provider and, for some providers, on whether your account has opted into them.
Select an instance type
Pick the instance type (called a size, plan, or machine type depending on the provider). Devpilot shows the vCPU count, memory, and estimated monthly cost for each option in the chosen region.
For dev/test, a small general-purpose instance is usually enough. For production, leave headroom for traffic spikes and background work.
Configure disk size
Set the root disk size in gigabytes. Defaults vary by provider. Most providers let you increase disk size later but not decrease it.
Larger disks cost more even when the server is idle. Pick a size that covers current needs with reasonable growth, not your worst-case projection.
Name the server and review
Give the server a descriptive name — for example, production-api or staging-worker-01. Devpilot shows a summary: provider, region, instance type, image, disk size, server name, and estimated monthly cost. Confirm to kick off the build.
Track provisioning progress
Devpilot streams each provisioning step to a live progress screen. Every step is stored in the provision log with a status, message, and duration. Typical steps include:
- Validating your cloud credentials and preparing the build.
- Creating the cloud instance in your provider account.
- Waiting for the instance to boot and expose its public IP.
- Generating SSH keys and establishing the first SSH connection.
- Installing the Devpilot management agent.
- Registering the server in your workspace.
Provisioning typically takes 2–5 minutes depending on the provider. If a step fails, you can see the exact error and, where applicable, retry or let Devpilot roll back the partially created resources.
Provision Status
Provision runs go through the following statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Completed | The server was created successfully and is attached to your workspace. |
| Failed | A step failed. The log shows the failing step and error message. Partially-created cloud resources may be cleaned up by the rollback step. |
| Cancelled | You stopped the provision before it finished. |
| Rolled Back | Provisioning failed and Devpilot rolled back the resources it had created in the provider. |
| Destroyed | The server and its cloud resources were torn down via Devpilot after provisioning completed. |
Cost Estimation
Before you confirm, Devpilot shows an estimated monthly cost based on your selected instance type and disk size. The estimate is derived from published provider pricing.
Actual cloud provider charges may differ based on data transfer, snapshot storage, reserved pricing, or negotiated discounts. The estimate Devpilot shows is a guide — the source of truth is your provider's billing console.
If you attach a workspace payment method during provisioning, Devpilot tracks the recurring monthly cost against that method and exposes it on the server record. Compute costs themselves are still billed by the provider.
What Happens After Provisioning
When the provision completes:
- The server appears in your server list with status Active.
- Devpilot installs the management agent and starts collecting CPU, memory, disk, and network metrics.
- You can open the browser terminal, browse files, install software from the App Store, create databases, run scripts, and configure backups — no manual SSH setup required.
You can destroy a provisioned server later from its settings. Destroy releases the cloud resources from your provider account, so you stop paying for them.