Castopod Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Deploy Castopod hosting and run a self-hosted podcast hosting platform on a dedicated Cloud VPS. xCloud starts the pinned Castopod 1.15.5 container with a private MariaDB database, keeps episodes, covers and the database on persistent volumes, sets uploads up to 512 MB and serves your shows over HTTPS on your own domain, ready for the setup page that creates your superadmin.

Deploy your Castopod

No terminal
No technical skills needed
No lock-in, cancel anytime

What is Castopod?

Castopod is a free and open-source podcast hosting solution made for podcasters who want to engage and interact with their audience. It publishes an RSS feed for each show, collects listener analytics and publishes to the fediverse over ActivityPub, with comments and follows. Run on your own server it is a self-hosted Castopod, an alternative to a hosted podcast host such as Libsyn, licensed under the AGPL-3.0.

On xCloud it is deployed as two containers pinned by digest: castopod/castopod 1.15.5, the stable release, and a private MariaDB 11.8.9 database. The castopod_media and castopod_db volumes hold episodes, covers and data. Outgoing email is off until you add SMTP, and a redeploy signs everyone out because sessions live in the container, not on a volume.

From Sign-Up to a Live Castopod In Just 3 Easy Steps

A Castopod install normally means a PHP container with ffmpeg and cron, MariaDB, an analytics salt, two volumes, a setup step, a domain and a certificate before the first episode. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account and pick Castopod from the OneClick catalog. Choose a domain you intend to keep and a server; the install form has no application fields, because xCloud generates the database credentials and salt.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We start castopod/castopod 1.15.5 and mariadb 11.8.9, both pinned by digest, mount castopod_media and castopod_db, allow uploads up to 512 MB and publish HTTPS. The first start creates the tables in a minute or two.
Step 03
Finish /cp-install Immediately
Open the setup URL straight away: there is no default account, and the first person to complete it becomes the superadmin. Then sign in at /cp-admin, create your first podcast and publish an episode.

Everything Castopod Does, On Your Own Server

Castopod 1.15.5 runs here as a full podcast host, with episodes, covers and the database kept on volumes you own.

An RSS Feed For Every Show
Each podcast gets an RSS feed that podcast apps subscribe to, so listeners reach your shows through the apps they already use.
Built-In Analytics
Castopod includes listener analytics, using an analytics salt that xCloud generates, with the data stored in your own MariaDB database.
Fediverse Publishing
Shows publish over ActivityPub, with comments and follows. Each show's address includes your domain, so the domain must never change.
Episodes And Covers On A Volume
Uploaded audio, covers and images are stored on the castopod_media volume, with uploads accepted up to 512 MB through the proxy.
ffmpeg And Cron In The Image
The image bundles FrankenPHP, a cron runner and ffmpeg, so media handling and scheduled tasks run without extra containers.
Optional Hardening
Environment settings can require two-factor authentication, change the admin path, serve media from a CDN or add SMTP for resets and invitations.

Everything You Need To Run Your Podcast Platform 24/7

Managed hosting for Castopod, so the parts that keep it online are not your problem.

Castopod 1.15.5 deployed instantly
Images pinned by digest
Database credentials generated
Uploads up to 512 MB
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
Choose your server region
Unused balance refunded

What You Can Do With Castopod

Host your own podcast and its audio files
Publish episodes from a server you control, with the audio stored on your own volume rather than a third-party host.
Publish a show to the fediverse
Let people follow and comment on your podcast from Mastodon and other ActivityPub servers, keeping one stable domain.
Read your own listener analytics
Use the built-in analytics, kept in your database, to see how episodes are played without sending the data elsewhere.
Run several shows from one install
Create more than one podcast, each with its own RSS feed, under the same Castopod and superadmin.

Castopod vs Alternatives

Libsyn: A hosted podcast hosting service run by its vendor; Castopod is AGPL-3.0 software you run yourself, with episodes, analytics and the database on your own xCloud server.
Spotify for Podcasters: A hosted podcasting tool from a streaming platform; Castopod is AGPL-3.0 software that keeps the RSS feed, audio files and database on your own server and also publishes to the fediverse.
Audiobookshelf: A self-hosted server for listening to audiobooks and podcasts, available as its own OneClick app; Castopod publishes podcasts rather than playing them.
AzuraCast: A self-hosted web radio suite for live and scheduled streams, also a OneClick app; Castopod is for on-demand podcast episodes with RSS feeds.

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for Castopod hosting. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Cloud VPS 16 GB

More shows, listeners and other apps on the same server.

$59.99per month

16 GB RAM
6 vCPU cores
200 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. Castopod itself is free software under the AGPL-3.0.

Docker hosting

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy Castopod on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

1 server
10 sites

Start free

Starter

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

6–10 servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

11+ servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Self-managed hosting

Ready To Run Your Own Podcast Platform?

Castopod on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own your data. Stay in control.

Fast Provisioning
Deploy faster using an xCloud Managed Server built with optimized stacks and high-speed SSDs.
Enterprise-grade security
Protect your infrastructure with a free SSL certificate and more advanced security features at no additional cost.
Intuitive Control Panel
From Server creation to application deployment, everything can be managed from our intuitive control panel.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

xCloud works really well, I am surprised by its performance being this the release version, I have tried many paid platforms such as runcloud, cloudpages or serveravatar, as well as free platforms such as CyberPanel, CloudPanel or Hestia Control Panel and direct competitors such as SpinupWP and FlyWP. Of all those that I have tried, the platform that works best for WordPress is SpinupWP and I believe that xCloud can reach and surpass that development, its roadmap is promising. Congratulations to the xCloud team, I hope they become the leading platform in the segment, it has all the potential to achieve it!

Brian Geovanny

I've been with runcloud for the last 3 years. However, after trying xcloud for the last month, I'm switching over. They are on a roll with their setup.

Kevin Pineda

I'm moving my servers to xCloud, a cloud control panel by M Asif Rahman and the WPDeveloper team. Their roadmap looks interesting and no, there are no team mates nor API limits with xCloud! #xCloud #wordpress #hosting

Leo Koo

How Cloud Nine Web Elevated Client Experience While Streamlining Hosting Operations using xCloud

Ed Ellingham

xCloud is like having an expert server team on call — without the big agency costs. It's given me back my time and given my clients peace of mind. Highly recommended for freelancers and small teams who want reliable performance and security.

Dumitru Butucel

xCloud isn't just a solution. It's like one of that friend who got your back when you screw things up pretty bad.

Waqar Ahmed

Trust me when I say, once people explore the potential of xCloud they gonna switch from other panels, just keep delivering the best tech, lots of love for the team 😍😍

Rahul Singh

So far my experience has been smooth like silk. I didn't imagine that configuring and managing a VPS would be so easy. As of today, I have deployed 8 sites. The support is good, and they treat users with respect, even if they ask stupid questions (myself included). For the future, I hope for greater flexibility in scheduled backups and more comprehensive and consistent documentation. I'm sure that within a few months, xCloud will become the leader in its segment. This community is amazing, and the Staff here is super helpful.

Massimo Villa

Came from cloudways then to runcloud then to xcloud. Looks like I'm staying here.

Gerson El

I've recently taken all of my Vultr-hosted sites and gotten rid of cPanel for them to substitute it with xCloud. I have to say, I'm really impressed with xCloud so far! The interface is definitely the standout feature for me.

Tony Lewis

I came from Cloudways and won't go back. Highly impressed with xCloud. Glad I gave them a chance.

Jared McDowell

I like xCloud better than RunCloud, but one thing I'll point out is that some years ago RunCloud was hungry for business, the support was outstanding, and the community was active and helped each other. Maybe it was sold, there was a change in management, or they stopped being hungry, but the quality of the RunCloud offering declined and it hasn't been moving forward quickly. My point is that currently the xCloud team has the edge and it is theirs to keep or lose

David McCan

How Kevin Heinrichs Cut Hosting Costs by 84% While Running WooCommerce & Node.js Sites Efficiently

Kevin Heinrichs

I had 150 sites on cloudways and am in the process of moving them to xcloud. Much faster and better priced.

Dan Spinoza

Dear xCloud Team, I have been using xCloud for some time now and am genuinely impressed with its capabilities and the flexibility it offers by allowing users to bring their own VPS for management. It's a fantastic service, and my experience so far has been very positive. Successful migrated 5 sites on a single server. Xcloud migration tool worked great. There were few hiccups with security plugin like MalCare but disabling the plugin prior to migration worked just fine.

Rahil Maknojia

Came from runcloud. Tried xcloud and never came back.

Karl Fanega

How Advanced Web Strategies Saved Over $2,000 & Recovered 56 Hours per Month Managing 70+ Client Websites

Gary Moody

xCloud gave me what no other hosting platform could: the flexibility of a VPS with the convenience of managed WordPress. As a solo founder running an entire business on one server, that combination is an important unfair advantage.

Jorge de los Reyes Martínez

I use Server Avatar and xCloud and I'll sooner use xCloud than Server Avatar personally.

Jay Pagano

How Newman Web Solutions Ensured Perfect Uptime and Seamless Scaling For 120+ WordPress Sites with xCloud

Lori Newman

I too have moved over to xCloud. It's pretty sweet. One click n8n and uptime Kuma apps

John Aperture

I went from Cloudways to xCloud. No intention on switching in the foreseeable future.

Blaine Moore

Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Can I run Castopod in Docker?

Yes, and this template is Castopod Docker hosting without the compose file: castopod/castopod 1.15.5, which runs FrankenPHP, cron and ffmpeg, and mariadb 11.8.9, both pinned by digest, with state kept on named volumes with HTTPS to port 8080. Upstream documents its Docker image.

How much RAM does Castopod need?

The template baseline is 512 MB of RAM, 1 CPU core and 10 GB of disk, and audio files will add to disk use. This page sells the 6 GB tier as the entry rung, which leaves room for media handling and other apps.

Does Castopod generate an RSS feed?

Yes. Every show gets an RSS feed, the address podcast apps subscribe to. The feed links include your domain, so changing the domain later breaks the feed addresses that listeners' apps already hold, so pick the domain you plan to keep before you publish.

Does Castopod support the fediverse?

Yes. Castopod publishes shows over ActivityPub, with comments and follows, and each show's address looks like @show@yourdomain. Keep one domain for the life of the site, because changing it breaks existing follows, and followers would have to find you again.

How do I create the first Castopod admin?

Open /cp-install straight after install. There is no default account, and the first person to complete the page becomes the superadmin, so finish it before sharing the address. After that the page returns 404 and you sign in at /cp-admin.

Can I change my Castopod domain later?

Not safely. The domain is part of every show's fediverse address and of the links in published feeds, so changing it breaks existing follows and the feed addresses podcast apps subscribed to. Choose the domain you plan to keep before installing.

Is Castopod free?

Yes. Castopod is free and open-source software under the AGPL-3.0, so the platform has no licence fee. The server plan is the sole recurring cost, and it also carries your audio storage and any bandwidth your listeners use.

How do I back up Castopod?

Back up both volumes: castopod_media for episodes, covers and images, and castopod_db for the MariaDB data. Take the copy manually or script it, and check it restores cleanly. Sessions are not on a volume, so they are not included.

Backup and restore Docker apps

How do I upgrade Castopod?

Nothing upgrades itself: 1.15.5 and MariaDB 11.8.9 are pinned by digest, and the template uses the stable release rather than the 2.0 pre-release. To move up, back up both volumes, then adopt a newer template version when one is published; do not edit the image tag or digest yourself.

Is this a Castopod cloud service?

It is Castopod on a dedicated Cloud VPS under your xCloud login, a Castopod cloud of your own at your domain. Outgoing email for resets and invitations stays off until you set the SMTP keys together in the Environment editor.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.