Best VPS for MySQL in 2026

MySQL powers over 40% of all databases on the internet — from WordPress to enterprise apps. Self-host it on a VPS and skip the $50-300/month managed database fees.

Why Self-Host MySQL?

Factor	Managed (AWS RDS)	Self-Hosted VPS
2 vCPU, 4GB RAM	$100+/mo	~$7/mo
4 vCPU, 8GB RAM	$200+/mo	~$15/mo
Control	Limited	Full
Tuning	Restricted	Full my.cnf access
Backups	Extra cost	Free (you manage)

Self-hosting costs 90% less for equivalent specs.

VPS Requirements

MySQL is RAM and I/O hungry. Here's what matters:

RAM (Critical)

InnoDB buffer pool should hold your working dataset
Rule of thumb: buffer pool = 70-80% of total RAM
4GB handles most small-to-medium apps
8GB+ for databases over 10GB

Storage (Critical)

NVMe SSD is non-negotiable — random I/O performance defines MySQL speed
Size: 2-3x your database size (for logs, temp tables, backups)
IOPS matters more than throughput for transactional workloads

CPU

MySQL 8 uses parallel query execution
More cores = better for concurrent connections
2 vCPU for small apps, 4+ for production

Network

Low latency to your application servers
Same datacenter whenever possible
1Gbps for replication setups

Best VPS for MySQL

1. Hostinger KVM2 (Best Overall) ⭐

$5.99/mo | 2 vCPU, 8GB RAM, 100GB NVMe

8GB RAM means a 5-6GB InnoDB buffer pool — enough to keep most databases entirely in memory. 100GB NVMe gives room for data growth and backups.

Best for: Most MySQL workloads — web apps, CMS, SaaS backends

→ Get Hostinger VPS

2. Hetzner CX22 (Best Budget)

€5.39/mo | 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 40GB NVMe

Solid AMD EPYC performance with enough RAM for a 3GB buffer pool. Great for development and small production databases.

Best for: Small apps, WordPress, development

→ Get Hetzner VPS

3. Hetzner CX32 (Best for Growth)

€10.49/mo | 4 vCPU, 8GB RAM, 80GB NVMe

4 cores handle concurrent queries well, and 8GB keeps your dataset cached. Excellent price-to-performance for growing apps.

Best for: Growing SaaS apps, e-commerce databases

→ Get Hetzner VPS

4. Vultr High Frequency (Best Performance)

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

Highest single-core performance available. 16GB RAM for a massive buffer pool. When your database is your bottleneck.

Best for: High-traffic production, complex queries, analytics

→ Get Vultr VPS

5. Contabo VPS M (Best Value)

€10.49/mo | 6 vCPU, 16GB RAM, 200GB NVMe

Maximum RAM and storage per dollar. Perfect for large databases that need to stay in memory.

Best for: Large datasets, data warehousing, reporting databases

→ Get Contabo VPS

Quick Comparison

VPS	RAM	vCPU	Storage	Price	Best For
Hostinger KVM2	8GB	2	100GB NVMe	$5.99/mo	Overall best
Hetzner CX22	4GB	2	40GB NVMe	€5.39/mo	Budget
Hetzner CX32	8GB	4	80GB NVMe	€10.49/mo	Growth
Vultr HF	16GB	4	256GB NVMe	$48/mo	Performance
Contabo M	16GB	6	200GB NVMe	€10.49/mo	Best value

How to Install MySQL

Ubuntu/Debian

# Install MySQL 8
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y mysql-server

# Secure installation
sudo mysql_secure_installation

Key configuration in /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf:

[mysqld]
# InnoDB Buffer Pool (70-80% of RAM)
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 6G

# Log file size (25% of buffer pool)
innodb_log_file_size = 1G

# Flush method for best SSD performance
innodb_flush_method = O_DIRECT

# Connection limits
max_connections = 200

# Temp table size
tmp_table_size = 64M
max_heap_table_size = 64M

# Query cache (disabled in MySQL 8 — use ProxySQL if needed)
# Slow query log
slow_query_log = 1
slow_query_log_file = /var/log/mysql/slow.log
long_query_time = 2

# Binary logging for replication/PITR
log_bin = mysql-bin
binlog_expire_logs_seconds = 604800

sudo systemctl restart mysql
sudo systemctl enable mysql

Docker (Recommended)

# docker-compose.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
  mysql:
    image: mysql:8.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: your-strong-password
      MYSQL_DATABASE: myapp
      MYSQL_USER: appuser
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: app-password
    ports:
      - "3306:3306"
    volumes:
      - mysql_data:/var/lib/mysql
      - ./my-custom.cnf:/etc/mysql/conf.d/custom.cnf
    command: >
      --innodb-buffer-pool-size=6G
      --innodb-log-file-size=1G
      --innodb-flush-method=O_DIRECT
      --max-connections=200

volumes:
  mysql_data:

docker compose up -d

Performance Tuning

InnoDB Optimization

# Buffer pool instances (1 per GB)
innodb_buffer_pool_instances = 6

# Read/write I/O threads
innodb_read_io_threads = 4
innodb_write_io_threads = 4

# Adaptive flushing for SSDs
innodb_adaptive_flushing = ON
innodb_io_capacity = 2000
innodb_io_capacity_max = 4000

# Redo log optimization
innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit = 1
innodb_flush_neighbors = 0

Query Performance

# Find slow queries
mysqldumpslow -s t /var/log/mysql/slow.log

# Check buffer pool hit ratio
mysql -e "SHOW STATUS LIKE 'Innodb_buffer_pool_read%';"

# Monitor connections
mysql -e "SHOW STATUS LIKE 'Threads_%';"

System Tuning

# Increase open file limits
echo "mysql soft nofile 65535" >> /etc/security/limits.conf
echo "mysql hard nofile 65535" >> /etc/security/limits.conf

# I/O scheduler for SSDs
echo "none" > /sys/block/sda/queue/scheduler

# Swappiness (keep data in RAM)
echo "vm.swappiness = 10" >> /etc/sysctl.conf
sysctl -p

Backup Strategy

Automated Backups with mysqldump

#!/bin/bash
# /usr/local/bin/mysql-backup.sh
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M)
BACKUP_DIR="/backups/mysql"
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

mysqldump --all-databases --single-transaction \
  --routines --triggers --events \
  -u root -p"$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD" \
  | gzip > "$BACKUP_DIR/all-databases-$DATE.sql.gz"

# Keep last 7 days
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "*.sql.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

# Run daily at 3 AM
echo "0 3 * * * /usr/local/bin/mysql-backup.sh" | crontab -

Point-in-Time Recovery

Enable binary logging (shown above) for PITR capability. Combined with daily full backups, you can recover to any point in time.

Security Checklist

Run mysql_secure_installation
Never expose port 3306 to the internet
Use firewall rules (ufw/iptables)
Create app-specific users with minimal privileges
Enable SSL/TLS for remote connections
Set up automated backups
Monitor slow query log
Keep MySQL updated

# Firewall: only allow your app server
sudo ufw allow from YOUR_APP_IP to any port 3306
sudo ufw deny 3306

# Create limited user
mysql -e "CREATE USER 'appuser'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'strong-password';
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE ON myapp.* TO 'appuser'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;"

MySQL vs Managed Alternatives

Service	4GB RAM	Control	Latency
AWS RDS	$100+/mo	Low	~1ms
PlanetScale	$39+/mo	Medium	~5ms
DigitalOcean Managed	$60+/mo	Medium	~2ms
Self-Hosted VPS	$6-15/mo	Full	<1ms

Self-hosted MySQL on a VPS in the same datacenter gives you lowest latency, full control, and massive cost savings.

FAQ

How much RAM do I need for MySQL?

Your InnoDB buffer pool should fit your working dataset. Start with 4GB total (3GB buffer pool) and upgrade when buffer pool hit ratio drops below 99%.

Is MySQL safe to run on a VPS?

Yes. Use strong passwords, firewall rules, and never expose port 3306 publicly. Automated backups give you peace of mind.

MySQL or PostgreSQL?

Both are excellent. MySQL is simpler to set up and has more hosting ecosystem support (WordPress, most PHP apps). PostgreSQL wins for complex queries and advanced data types. Check our PostgreSQL VPS guide too.

Can a $6/month VPS handle production MySQL?

Yes. For small-to-medium apps (under 10GB database, under 100 concurrent connections), a 2 vCPU / 8GB RAM VPS handles it easily. MySQL is well-optimized and runs great on modest hardware.

Our Pick

Hostinger KVM2 at $5.99/month gives you 8GB RAM and 100GB NVMe — enough for a well-tuned MySQL server handling real production traffic. That's less than a single month of any managed database service.

→ Get started with Hostinger

Best VPS for MySQL 2026: Self-Host Your Database