Buying Guide (for beginners)
How to choose a Series / route?
The Series reflects the network route and tier. Generally, for access from mainland China, route quality (and price) ranks: China Optimized·CN2 GIA > China Optimized·Elite > China Optimized > Standard > Lite. Real-world experience depends on the carrier (Telecom / Unicom / Mobile) and peak hours, and individual routes may differ — consider trying a short billing cycle first.
KVM vs LXC: what is the difference?
KVM is full virtualization with its own kernel — better isolation and compatibility (install almost any OS, change the kernel, run Docker / WireGuard, etc.) and stable performance. LXC is container virtualization — lighter, lower overhead and cheaper, but it shares the host kernel, so a few features that need a custom kernel may be limited. Beginners: prefer KVM; choose LXC for simple needs on a tight budget.
Dedicated IP vs Shared IP (NAT)?
Dedicated IP: a public IPv4 all to yourself — host websites/services, use any port, connect directly; the most flexible. Shared IP (NAT): one public IPv4 shared among users with only a few forwarded ports (e.g. SSH); cheaper and fine for learning, keep-alive or outbound use; you can still host over IPv6, but it is not ideal when you need many dedicated public ports.
