Best VPS for Jenkins CI/CD in 2026

Jenkins is the most popular open-source CI/CD server — powering millions of builds daily. Self-host it on a VPS and skip the $50-300/month managed CI bills from GitHub Actions, CircleCI, or GitLab CI.

Why Self-Host Jenkins?

Factor	Managed CI (GitHub Actions)	Self-Hosted VPS
2,000 build minutes/mo	$40+/mo	~$7/mo (unlimited)
8,000 build minutes/mo	$160+/mo	~$15/mo (unlimited)
Concurrent builds	Limited	You decide
Build cache	Reset each run	Persistent
Plugins	None	1,800+

Self-hosting gives you unlimited build minutes at a flat monthly cost.

VPS Requirements

Jenkins is CPU and RAM hungry during builds. Here's what matters:

RAM (Critical)

• Jenkins master needs 2-4GB just to run
• Each build executor uses 512MB-2GB depending on your stack
• Java-based — memory usage grows over time
• 8GB minimum for production, 16GB+ for multiple concurrent builds

CPU (Critical)

• Builds are CPU-bound — compilation, testing, Docker builds
• More cores = more parallel builds
• 4 vCPU handles 2-3 concurrent builds
• 8+ vCPU for teams with heavy pipelines

Storage

• Build artifacts and workspace eat disk fast
• Docker layer caching needs space
• NVMe SSD dramatically speeds up I/O-heavy builds
• 100GB minimum, 200GB+ for Docker-heavy pipelines

Network

• Pulling dependencies (npm, Maven, Docker images) needs bandwidth
• 1Gbps+ recommended
• Good connectivity to your Git provider

Best VPS for Jenkins

1. Hostinger KVM4 (Best Overall) ⭐

$10.99/mo | 4 vCPU, 16GB RAM, 200GB NVMe

16GB RAM handles Jenkins master plus 3-4 concurrent builds comfortably. 200GB NVMe gives room for Docker caches and artifacts. Best price-to-performance for CI workloads.

Best for: Small-to-medium teams, 2-4 concurrent builds

→ Get Hostinger VPS

2. Hetzner CPX31 (Best Budget)

€15.59/mo | 4 vCPU, 8GB RAM, 160GB NVMe

Excellent AMD EPYC performance per core. 8GB is tight but works for solo developers or small teams with sequential builds.

Best for: Solo developers, small projects, budget setups

→ Get Hetzner VPS

3. Hetzner CPX41 (Best for Growth)

€28.49/mo | 8 vCPU, 16GB RAM, 240GB NVMe

Double the CPU cores means double the parallel builds. Sweet spot for growing teams that need concurrent pipelines.

Best for: Growing teams, 4-6 concurrent builds

→ Get Hetzner VPS

4. Contabo VPS L (Most Resources)

€16.49/mo | 8 vCPU, 30GB RAM, 400GB NVMe

Nobody gives you more RAM and storage per dollar. 30GB RAM handles heavy Java/Maven builds and Docker-in-Docker setups with ease.

Best for: Large pipelines, Docker-heavy builds, monorepos

→ Get Contabo VPS

5. Vultr High Frequency (Best Performance)

$48/mo | 4 vCPU (3GHz+), 16GB RAM, 256GB NVMe

Highest clock speed means fastest individual builds. When your pipeline bottleneck is single-threaded compilation.

Best for: Compile-heavy builds (C++, Rust, Go), time-sensitive deployments

→ Get Vultr VPS

Quick Comparison

VPS	RAM	vCPU	Storage	Price	Best For
Hostinger KVM4	16GB	4	200GB NVMe	$10.99/mo	Overall best
Hetzner CPX31	8GB	4	160GB NVMe	€15.59/mo	Budget
Hetzner CPX41	16GB	8	240GB NVMe	€28.49/mo	Growth
Contabo L	30GB	8	400GB NVMe	€16.49/mo	Max resources
Vultr HF	16GB	4	256GB NVMe	$48/mo	Performance

How to Install Jenkins

Docker (Recommended)

# docker-compose.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
  jenkins:
    image: jenkins/jenkins:lts
    restart: unless-stopped
    user: root
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
      - "50000:50000"
    volumes:
      - jenkins_home:/var/jenkins_home
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
    environment:
      - JAVA_OPTS=-Xmx4g -Xms2g

volumes:
  jenkins_home:

docker compose up -d

# Get the initial admin password
docker compose exec jenkins cat /var/jenkins_home/secrets/initialAdminPassword

Ubuntu/Debian

# Install Java 17
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y openjdk-17-jre

# Add Jenkins repo
curl -fsSL https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian-stable/jenkins.io-2023.key | sudo tee \
  /usr/share/keyrings/jenkins-keyring.asc > /dev/null
echo deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/jenkins-keyring.asc] \
  https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian-stable binary/ | sudo tee \
  /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jenkins.list > /dev/null

# Install Jenkins
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y jenkins

# Start Jenkins
sudo systemctl enable jenkins
sudo systemctl start jenkins

Performance Tuning

JVM Optimization

# /etc/default/jenkins or JAVA_OPTS in Docker
JAVA_OPTS="-Xmx4g -Xms2g -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch"

• Set -Xmx to ~50% of total RAM
• G1GC handles Jenkins' memory patterns well
• -AlwaysPreTouch reduces GC pauses

Build Optimization

// Jenkinsfile — parallel stages
pipeline {
    agent any
    stages {
        stage('Parallel') {
            parallel {
                stage('Test') {
                    steps { sh 'npm test' }
                }
                stage('Lint') {
                    steps { sh 'npm run lint' }
                }
                stage('Build') {
                    steps { sh 'npm run build' }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Disk Management

# Auto-clean old builds — add to crontab
0 3 * * * find /var/jenkins_home/jobs/*/builds -maxdepth 1 -mtime +30 -exec rm -rf {} \;

# Clean Docker build cache weekly
0 4 * * 0 docker system prune -af --volumes

Executor Configuration

VPS RAM	Recommended Executors	JAVA_OPTS -Xmx
8GB	2	3g
16GB	4	6g
32GB	8	12g

Security Checklist

• Set up reverse proxy (Nginx/Caddy) with HTTPS
• Enable Jenkins security realm (create admin accounts)
• Never expose port 8080 directly to the internet
• Use role-based access control plugin
• Store credentials in Jenkins Credential Manager
• Enable CSRF protection (on by default)
• Keep Jenkins and plugins updated
• Restrict agent-to-master access

# Nginx reverse proxy example
server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name jenkins.yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Jenkins vs Managed CI

Service	5,000 min/mo	Concurrent	Caching	Plugins
GitHub Actions	$80/mo	20	Limited	Actions
CircleCI	$90/mo	5	Good	Orbs
GitLab CI	$75/mo	10	Good	Limited
Self-Hosted Jenkins	$11-16/mo	Unlimited	Persistent	1,800+

For teams running more than 2,000 build minutes/month, self-hosted Jenkins pays for itself immediately.

FAQ

How much RAM do I need for Jenkins?

8GB minimum. Jenkins master uses 2-4GB, and each build executor needs 512MB-2GB. For 3-4 concurrent builds, go with 16GB.

Can Jenkins run on a cheap VPS?

For solo developers with sequential builds, a $6-8/month VPS with 4GB RAM works. For teams, invest in 8GB+ RAM.

Should I use Jenkins or GitHub Actions?

Jenkins if you want full control, unlimited builds, and 1,800+ plugins. GitHub Actions if you want zero maintenance and tight GitHub integration.

How do I scale Jenkins?

Start with a single server, then add Jenkins agents on separate VPS instances. The master coordinates, agents run builds.

Is Docker-in-Docker safe for Jenkins?

Mounting the Docker socket works for most cases. For production, consider using Kaniko or building with separate Docker agents.

Our Pick

Hostinger KVM4 at $10.99/month gives you 16GB RAM and 4 vCPU — enough for a Jenkins master with 3-4 concurrent builds. That's unlimited CI/CD for less than what you'd pay for 2,000 minutes on GitHub Actions.

→ Get started with Hostinger