Simafri VPS for Open Source
Free VPS for open source projects, fully managed by Simafri
Simafri VPS for Open Source, a program of Fondation Simafri, provides a free VPS for open source projects. Our teams keep watch over the server, install operating system updates and back it up each night. You focus on the project, we take care of the server.
What you get
Everything your project receives
A managed VPS that Fondation Simafri provides at no cost, for as long as the project is alive.
- Managed VPS: 2 vCPU, 4 GB of RAM, 50 GB of NVMe storage
- Monitoring of the server
- Operating system updates
- Backups every night
- Provided for the whole life of the project
This offer is subject to available stock.
Use cases
What your project can host on it
The server hosts the parts of your project that its users see and rely on.
A live demo
People curious about your project can try it online, with nothing to install. The demo runs at the address you pick, over HTTPS.
Your docs
Your guides, reference pages and examples remain available online, branded with your project's name, on a plain subdomain if that suits you.
Your forum
Your community gets a place of its own, where past answers are easy to find again. Email from the forum is sent through an authenticated SMTP relay.
What we take on
A managed VPS: our teams operate the server
Servers need ongoing care. Our teams handle it, so your hours go to the project.
Monitoring
Our teams keep an eye on the server at all times. When an alert fires, they handle it themselves and let you know about every intervention.
Operating system updates
Security fixes and system upgrades are scheduled at a time that fits the rhythm of your project.
Backups every night
Each night, the whole server is copied, encrypted and written to storage outside the machine, where seven days of history are kept. Should your project need a copy back, our teams restore it when you ask.
Hardware
Datacenter-grade hardware for your open source project
Your project runs on the same hardware as our managed VPS, built to stay up around the clock.
- Processor
- 2 vCPU on server-class Intel Xeon
- Memory
- 4 GB of ECC memory that corrects errors
- Storage
- 50 GB of mirrored, datacenter-grade NVMe SSD
- Integrity
- Every block your project stores is checksummed
- Backup
- Encrypted copy every night, kept off the server, seven days of history
- Network
- Anti-DDoS filtering that shields your demo
- HTTPS
- A certificate issued and renewed for every address you use
- System
- Linux: Debian, Ubuntu, Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux
Eligibility
Who the program is for
Projects that meet the following conditions can take part.
- A recognized open source license The project is released under a recognized open source license.
- An active project The project is alive and still moving: new commits keep coming in.
- A genuine need for a server There is a demo, documentation or a forum to host.
- A named maintainer One identified person leads the project and remains our contact.
- No commercial offering on the server The VPS is reserved for the project: hosting its demo, documentation and forum.
- Your code remains yours We take care of the server, and your project's code stays in your hands.
Your side of the deal
What we ask in return
A single line, placed in the project's README and on its website:
Hosting sponsored by Simafri (managed VPS)
That line is all we ask: no praise required.
Simple
Submitting your project in 3 steps
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Fill in the form
Tell us the project's name, the link to its repository, its license, the maintainer's name and what the server will host.
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We review your project
We go over the program conditions and get back to you in writing.
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Your server goes live
We bring the VPS online; on your side, the line goes into the README and onto the project website.
To do things well, the Foundation takes on a limited number of projects. This offer is subject to available stock.
More programs from Fondation Simafri
A free VPS for open source projects, genuinely managed
Simafri VPS for Open Source provides open source projects with a free VPS that Simafri manages for them: 2 vCPU, 4 GB of RAM and 50 GB of NVMe storage, along with server monitoring, operating system updates and backups every night. Fondation Simafri covers it for as long as the project is alive. Your code stays under your control, and your attention stays on the project.
Why Fondation Simafri backs open source projects
Fondation Simafri puts our expertise to work for people who help others. It already provides a free website for nonprofits. An open source project serves the public in a similar way: its code, its documentation and the hours its maintainers put in benefit everyone who relies on them. That is why we take the server off their hands, so those hours go to the project.
Free while the project is alive, and operated by our teams
Trial offers end on a fixed date, and a free server that nobody operates leaves you to face its updates and outages alone. With this program, the VPS remains free for as long as the project is alive, and our teams operate it. You can therefore make it the long-term home of your project's demo, documentation or forum.
Managed VPS hardware, put to work for your project
Your demo, docs and forum run on the same hardware as our managed VPS: Intel Xeon processors, mirrored datacenter-grade NVMe SSDs and ECC memory, with checksums protecting the integrity of everything you store. Anti-DDoS filtering is always on, in front of your public demo.
Addresses that carry your project's name
Your project keeps its own identity. Your website and email can stay exactly where they are: you only need to point a subdomain at the VPS, for example demo.your-project.org or docs.your-project.org. Every page is served over HTTPS, and we take care of its certificate.
Frequently asked questions
What is Simafri VPS for Open Source?
It is a Fondation Simafri program giving open source projects a free managed VPS for the whole life of the project: 2 vCPU, 4 GB of RAM and 50 GB of NVMe storage.
Is the VPS truly free?
Yes. Fondation Simafri covers the VPS for the whole life of the project. All we ask in return is that the project website and its README carry this line: “Hosting sponsored by Simafri (managed VPS)”.
What comes with the VPS?
A managed server with 2 vCPU, 4 GB of RAM and 50 GB of NVMe storage, plus server monitoring, operating system updates and backups every night.
Which projects qualify?
Active projects whose code is released under a recognized open source license, that genuinely need a server (for a demo, documentation or a forum) and that have a named maintainer. No commercial offering runs on the server.
What does “for the whole life of the project” mean?
The VPS remains free while the project stays active. If twelve months go by without a commit, we notify you three months ahead of shutting the server down, and you can export your data at any time.
What if the line is removed from the README?
We contact you. If the line is not put back, the server is stopped within thirty days and your data is handed back to you.
Who looks after the project's code?
You do. We take care of the server; the project's code stays in your hands.
Is a domain name required?
The server works without one. If your project already has a domain, you can point a single subdomain at the VPS and leave everything else where it is.
Can the forum send email?
Yes: its messages are sent through an authenticated SMTP relay.
Can a backup be restored?
Yes. Encrypted copies from the last seven nights are kept off the server: let us know which night you want back, and our teams will restore it.
How do we submit our project?
Use the form on this page: the project's name, the repository link, its license, the maintainer's name and what the server will host. You can also write to fondation@simafri.com. To do things well, the Foundation takes on a limited number of projects, and this offer is subject to available stock.