How to Monitor VPS Resource Usage Like a Pro

Whether you’re running a website, application, or a private service, keeping an eye on your VPS (Virtual Private Server) is crucial. Poor resource monitoring can lead to downtime, sluggish performance, or even security issues. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best tools and techniques to monitor your VPS resource usage like a seasoned sysadmin.


Why VPS Monitoring Matters

When you rent a VPS, you’re allocated limited resources like:

  • CPU
  • RAM
  • Disk space
  • Network bandwidth

If any of these are overused or misconfigured, your entire server performance can degrade — affecting uptime and user experience. Real-time monitoring helps prevent:

  • Unexpected crashes
  • Performance bottlenecks
  • Security breaches (like DDoS or crypto mining)
  • Exceeding bandwidth quotas

Key VPS Metrics to Monitor

  1. CPU UsageHigh CPU usage over time may signal bad code, a process gone rogue, or even a hacked server.
  2. Memory (RAM) UsageRunning out of RAM can cause your apps to crash or your OS to start swapping.
  3. Disk I/O and SpaceIf disk space fills up, backups fail, logs get lost, and the server might even crash. Also watch for high I/O which can slow everything down.
  4. Network TrafficMonitor both inbound and outbound traffic. Spikes could mean viral traffic — or an attack.
  5. Load AverageGives you a quick look at how stressed your system is overall, especially on Linux.

Tools to Monitor VPS Resources

Here are some tools — from basic to advanced — to help you monitor effectively:

🛠️ Basic Linux Commands (Good for SSH Users)

  • top or htop – Real-time CPU, memory, and process monitoring
  • free -m – RAM usage
  • df -h – Disk usage
  • iotop – Disk I/O monitoring
  • nload, vnstat – Network bandwidth tracking
  • uptime – Load average

📊 Web-Based Monitoring Tools

  • Netdata – Beautiful, real-time dashboards for CPU, RAM, Disk, Network, and more.
  • Glances (with Web UI) – A terminal-based tool with optional web dashboard.
  • Cockpit – Lightweight admin panel for basic server monitoring and control.
  • Grafana + Prometheus – Powerful combo for enterprise-grade, customizable monitoring.

🔔 Alerts and Uptime Monitoring

  • UptimeRobot / BetterUptime – Alert you when your server goes down.
  • Monit – Local monitoring tool that can also auto-restart services if they crash.
  • Zabbix / Nagios – Enterprise-level solutions with alerting and distributed monitoring.

Automate and Optimize Monitoring

  • Set Threshold Alerts – Get notified when CPU hits 90% or disk drops below 10% space.
  • Use Crontabs for Logs – Automate scripts to log and analyze stats daily.
  • Centralize Logs – Use tools like Logwatch or Logrotate to keep logs manageable and secure.

Security Tip

If you notice sudden CPU or network spikes, investigate immediately. Could be malware, brute-force attacks, or unauthorized scripts.


Final Thoughts

You don’t need to be a DevOps engineer to monitor your VPS like a pro. Start with basic Linux commands, move to visual dashboards like Netdata, and eventually automate your monitoring with alerting systems.

Regular monitoring saves time, money, and the reputation of your services. Don’t wait for an outage to start caring — make it part of your server maintenance habit today.


Need a Reliable VPS?

Choose from our high-performance Intel KVM or Ryzen VPS solutions across US and EU with full root access and 10Gbps ports. Monitor with ease and scale effortlessly.

👉 Explore VPS Plans

One-Click Linux Malware & Rootkit Scanner Using ClamAV and RKHunter

Secure Your Linux VPS in One Click with Our Rootkit & Malware Scanner

Running a VPS or dedicated server? One of the most overlooked but critical steps is making sure your system is free of rootkits and malware.

To simplify this task, we at Hosteons have released a free and open-source script that automatically installs, updates, and runs malware and rootkit scans using two of the most trusted tools in the Linux ecosystem:

  • ClamAV – an open-source antivirus engine
  • RKHunter – a rootkit scanner that checks for backdoors, local exploits, and suspicious files

🔧 What the Script Does

  • Detects your Linux distribution (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, AlmaLinux)
  • Installs ClamAV and RKHunter
  • Automatically updates malware and rootkit signature databases
  • Fixes common errors like WEB_CMD=”/bin/false” in RKHunter config
  • Runs full ClamAV scan
  • Executes a complete RKHunter rootkit check
  • Compatible with minimal or fresh VPS installations

📥 Download and Run

Run the following commands to download and execute:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hosteons/linux-malware-scanner/main/scan.sh
chmod +x scan.sh
sudo ./scan.sh

Or get the full packaged ZIP with README and LICENSE:

👉 Download from GitHub


📋 Output and Logs

  • ClamAV scan will output infected files (if any)
  • RKHunter will show warnings and potential issues
  • All actions run with user confirmation and are fully transparent

⚠️ Note

This script is non-destructive – it only scans and reports. It does not automatically delete or quarantine any files. Always review flagged files before taking any action.


🎯 Why Use This?

  • Ideal for hosting providers and system admins
  • Perfect for VPS users looking for a quick, effective scan
  • Good first step after initial OS setup

🙌 Contribute or Report Issues

You can fork, improve, or report bugs directly on GitHub:

🔗 https://github.com/hosteons/linux-malware-scanner

💡 Self-Hosting vs SaaS: Why Developers Are Moving Back to VPS

In recent years, Software as a Service (SaaS) has dominated how we consume tools — from CRMs to project managers and even basic email. But in a surprising twist, developers are increasingly ditching SaaS in favor of good old-fashioned self-hosted applications on VPS (Virtual Private Servers).

At HostEONS, we’re seeing a growing wave of developers deploying self-hosted solutions like Nextcloud, Ghost, Outline, Forgejo, Matomo, and more. Here’s why.


🏗️ The SaaS Problem: Convenience with a Cost

SaaS makes it easy to get started — no server configs, no deployment — just log in and go. But that simplicity comes with hidden tradeoffs:

  • 💰 High monthly fees
  • 🔒 Limited control over data
  • 📦 Feature gating and vendor lock-in
  • 📉 Performance throttling on lower-tier plans
  • 🔕 No control over updates or platform decisions

SaaS is convenient, but you’re renting access, not owning your workflow.


🔁 The Shift: Developers Reclaim Control with Self-Hosting

Today’s developers are tech-savvy and privacy-conscious. Many are turning to VPS-powered self-hosting to take back control — and not just for cost savings.

Here’s why self-hosting is making a comeback:


✅ 1. Full Data Ownership

Self-hosting means your data stays on your terms — not in some multi-tenant cloud environment. Great for:

  • GDPR-conscious projects
  • Security-focused devs
  • Auditable and transparent operations

✅ 2. One-Time Costs, Not Monthly Drain

Most SaaS tools start cheap but scale poorly. Self-hosting on a VPS is:

  • Cost-effective
  • Predictable
  • Scalable without high license jumps

You pay for what you use — not for every user or feature toggle.


✅ 3. Customizability

Open-source, self-hosted tools are often highly customizable. Developers can:

  • Change UI
  • Extend functionality
  • Connect to internal systems without API limits

Try doing that on a closed SaaS dashboard.


✅ 4. Learning and Empowerment

Self-hosting helps devs:

  • Improve their sysadmin skills
  • Master Docker, NGINX, systemd, backups
  • Build portable infrastructure knowledge

Perfect for freelancers, devops engineers, and indie hackers.


✅ 5. Tool Independence

SaaS services can get acquired, shut down, or pivot. With self-hosting:

  • You’re in control of updates and versioning
  • You’re not forced into UI overhauls or “enterprise upgrades”
  • You can run the exact version you want — forever

🧰 What Developers Are Hosting on VPS

Some popular self-hosted apps we’ve seen deployed on HostEONS VPS plans include:

  • 🚀 Nextcloud (cloud storage & collaboration)
  • 📝 Ghost (blog/CMS)
  • 🧠 Outline or Logseq (internal wikis)
  • 📈 Matomo (privacy-first analytics)
  • 📦 Forgejo / Gitea (self-hosted Git platforms)
  • 💬 Rocket.Chat / Mattermost (chat servers)
  • 📂 FileRun or Seafile (file sharing)
  • 🌍 OpenVPN / WireGuard (self-hosted VPNs)

Need inspiration? We even wrote a guide on How to Install WordPress on a VPS


🖥️ Why HostEONS for Self-Hosting?

We make it easy for developers to self-host without hassle:

✅ KVM VPS with full root access

✅ Free snapshots & backups

✅ Free Blesta license

✅ 1 Gbps (or 10 Gbps for VDS) port speeds

✅ Locations across the US & EU

✅ Flexible payment options — including crypto, Alipay CN, and local gateways

✅ Affordable yearly plans (starting from $17.99/year)

👉 Explore our VPS plans


🧭 Conclusion

SaaS still has its place, but developers are increasingly realizing the power, control, and freedom that comes with self-hosting on a VPS. It’s not just a technical decision — it’s a philosophy of ownership over access.

At HostEONS, we’re proud to power that movement.

🛠️ Top Tools to Monitor VPS Performance and Uptime

Running a VPS comes with responsibility: you need to ensure it’s performing well and stays online. But how do you keep an eye on your server 24/7?

At HostEONS, we always recommend our customers use monitoring tools to stay proactive. Here’s a curated list of top tools (free & paid) to monitor your VPS performance and uptime.


1️⃣ HetrixTools

✅ What it does: Uptime monitoring, performance checks, and blacklist monitoring.

✅ Why we like it: Easy to set up, offers public status pages (we use it: https://status.hosteons.com), and supports plenty of notification methods (email, Slack, Telegram).

💲 Free plan available + premium features.


2️⃣ UptimeRobot

✅ What it does: Simple uptime monitoring every 5 minutes.

✅ Why we like it: Beginner-friendly with public status pages and multiple alert channels.

💲 Free for basic uptime checks; Pro plan unlocks faster checks and advanced monitoring.


3️⃣ Netdata

✅ What it does: Real-time monitoring of CPU, RAM, disk I/O, network, processes, and more.

✅ Why we like it: Insanely detailed and instant metrics visualization with beautiful dashboards.

💲 Free (self-hosted); paid cloud options available.


4️⃣ Zabbix

✅ What it does: Enterprise-grade monitoring for VPS and large infrastructures.

✅ Why we like it: Highly customizable with deep alerting and reporting tools.

💲 Open-source & free.


5️⃣ Monit

✅ What it does: Lightweight utility to monitor services and system metrics. Can automatically restart services if they fail.

✅ Why we like it: Great for self-healing VPS setups.

💲 Free.


6️⃣ Pingdom

✅ What it does: Premium uptime & performance monitoring.

✅ Why we like it: Professional-grade reports, user experience monitoring, global test nodes.

💲 Paid.


7️⃣ Glances

✅ What it does: A cross-platform monitoring tool you can run in the terminal. Tracks CPU, memory, disk, network, and more.

✅ Why we like it: Perfect for sysadmins who love CLI tools.

💲 Free.


✅ Bonus: VPS Tools Built Into HostEONS

Did you know? Every HostEONS VPS comes with:

  • 📊 Real-time resource monitoring (CPU, RAM, disk) via the control panel
  • 📸 One-click snapshot & backup
  • 🖥️ VNC access + rDNS setup

💡 Why Monitoring Matters

Regular monitoring ensures you:

  • Detect bottlenecks early
  • Avoid downtime
  • Respond to issues before your users notice
  • Optimize your server’s performance & resources

🚀 Looking for a reliable VPS provider?

Check out our plans:

👉 https://hosteons.com