Directories

MUD Hosting directory

A curated collection of infrastructure providers, security tools, and monitoring services optimized for hosting persistent text-based game worlds. This directory focuses on low-latency, high-uptime solutions suitable for legacy C codebases and modern MUD engines.

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Showing 12 of 12 entries

DigitalOcean Droplets

paid

Virtual private servers with SSD storage and predictable monthly pricing, ideal for hosting small to medium MUD instances.

Pros

  • + Excellent documentation for Linux beginners
  • + Snapshot feature allows for full-disk backups before code changes
  • + Global data center locations for low player latency

Cons

  • Higher cost per GB of RAM compared to budget providers
  • Bandwidth overage charges can be steep
VPSLinuxCloud
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Hetzner Cloud

paid

High-performance cloud servers based in Europe and North America with aggressive pricing for hobbyist budgets.

Pros

  • + Industry-leading price-to-performance ratio
  • + Native IPv6 support included
  • + Fast NVMe storage for quick world-file saves

Cons

  • Identity verification process can be strict
  • Primary data centers are located in Europe
VPSBudget HostingPerformance
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UptimeRobot

freemium

External monitoring service that pings your MUD port to ensure the game process is responding.

Pros

  • + Free tier includes 50 monitors at 5-minute intervals
  • + Supports custom port monitoring (e.g., 4000, 23)
  • + Mobile app alerts for immediate crash notification

Cons

  • Free tier does not include heartbeat monitoring
  • SMS alerts require a paid plan
UptimeAlertsStatus
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Rclone

open-source

Command-line utility to sync MUD player files and source code to cloud storage providers.

Pros

  • + Supports over 40 different cloud storage backends
  • + Can be easily scripted into a cron job
  • + Encryption options for sensitive player data

Cons

  • Command-line only interface
  • Requires manual configuration for each provider
BackupsAutomationCloud Sync
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Fail2Ban

open-source

Intrusion prevention software that protects your server from brute-force attacks on SSH and MUD ports.

Pros

  • + Reduces resource waste from bot connection attempts
  • + Highly customizable filter rules for specific MUD logs
  • + Lightweight and runs in the background

Cons

  • Can accidentally ban legitimate players with unstable connections
  • Requires log parsing configuration
SecurityFirewallHardening
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Healthchecks.io

freemium

A 'Dead Man's Switch' for cron jobs, ensuring your automated backups and scripts are actually running.

Pros

  • + Simple integration via curl or wget
  • + Alerts you if a backup script fails to complete
  • + Generous free tier for personal projects

Cons

  • Only monitors script execution, not server health
  • Requires internet connectivity from the host
CronMonitoringBackups
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Tailscale

freemium

Zero-config VPN that allows secure admin access to your MUD server without exposing management ports to the public internet.

Pros

  • + Secure SSH access without opening port 22 to the world
  • + Easy setup on Linux, Windows, and mobile
  • + Works across NAT and firewalls

Cons

  • Requires installing a client on all admin devices
  • Adds a dependency on a third-party identity provider
VPNAdminSecurity
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Mosh (Mobile Shell)

open-source

A replacement for SSH that handles intermittent connectivity and roaming, perfect for administering MUDs from mobile devices.

Pros

  • + Keeps sessions alive when switching between Wi-Fi and LTE
  • + Provides local echo for reduced perceived latency
  • + Excellent for quick admin fixes on the go

Cons

  • Requires a range of UDP ports to be open on the firewall
  • Does not support scrollback in the same way SSH does
SSHCLIRemote Access
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DigitalOcean

paid

Cloud VPS hosting with straightforward Linux setup for deploying and scaling MUD servers.

Pros

  • + Simple VM provisioning
  • + Good documentation for Linux networking and firewalls
  • + Predictable pricing tiers

Cons

  • Self-managed infrastructure
  • Advanced networking features may increase complexity
VPSInfrastructureReliability
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Docker Hub (i386 Images)

freemium

Repository for 32-bit container images, essential for running legacy MUD codebases (ROM, Circle, Merc) on modern 64-bit hosts.

Pros

  • + Isolates legacy library dependencies from the host OS
  • + Easily replicate the exact build environment across servers
  • + Simplifies migration between different hosting providers

Cons

  • Requires learning Docker containerization
  • Slight overhead compared to bare-metal execution
LegacyDockerCompatibility
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Backblaze B2

paid

Extremely low-cost object storage for long-term archival of MUD world backups and player logs.

Pros

  • + Significantly cheaper than Amazon S3
  • + No minimum storage duration
  • + Simple API compatible with S3 tools

Cons

  • Egress fees apply when downloading backups
  • Web interface is basic
StorageBackupsArchive
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Netdata

freemium

Real-time performance monitoring tool that helps identify CPU spikes or memory leaks in your MUD process.

Pros

  • + Per-second granularity for performance metrics
  • + Zero-configuration auto-detection of system services
  • + Beautiful web-based dashboard for resource tracking

Cons

  • Can be resource-intensive on very small VPS instances
  • Collects a vast amount of data that may be overkill for simple MUDs
MetricsPerformanceTroubleshooting
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