How To Set Up a Vultr Server in xCloud and Get Free Hosting

You can host a site on Vultr for free with xCloud. Sign up for Vultr with the code XCLOUD25 to get $100 of free Vultr credit for 180 days, then connect your Vultr account to xCloud, a cloud hosting panel that manages your first server and 10 sites for free. Vultr’s credit covers the server, and xCloud’s Free plan covers the management, so your first server costs nothing while the credit lasts.

This guide walks through the whole setup: creating your xCloud and Vultr accounts, getting a Vultr API key, deploying the Vultr server from xCloud and adding your first site.

What you get for free

What	Who provides it	Cost
$100 Vultr credit, valid 180 days (new Vultr accounts, code XCLOUD25)	Vultr	Free
Server management for 1 server and 10 sites (xCloud Free plan)	xCloud	Free, no time limit
Free SSL, firewall and security tools on that server	xCloud	Included
Extra servers on xCloud	xCloud	Paid per server, see pricing

Vultr bills the server itself to your Vultr account. Once the $100 credit is used up or 180 days pass, Vultr charges your payment method at its normal rates. xCloud does not charge for the first server.

Before you start

• An email address for your xCloud account, and a card. xCloud asks for a card at sign-up to verify and activate your account; the free server’s xCloud bill stays $0.
• A Vultr account, or the details to create one. Vultr asks new accounts to add and verify a payment method before the credit applies. Check Vultr’s sign-up page for its current terms.
• A domain name, if you want the site live on your own domain. You can also start with a free demo domain.

Step 1: Sign up for xCloud

Go to app.xcloud.host, enter your email and click Continue with Email. Follow the prompts to finish creating your account.

Result: you land on the xCloud dashboard, on the Free plan.

Step 2: Create a Vultr account with the XCLOUD25 code

Skip this step if you already have a Vultr account. The $100 credit is only for new Vultr sign-ups.

1. Open Vultr through xCloud’s link and create an account.
2. Enter the code XCLOUD25 when Vultr asks for a promo or coupon code.
3. Add and verify a payment method as Vultr asks.

Result: Vultr adds $100 of free credit to your account, valid for 180 days.

Step 3: Create a Vultr API key

xCloud uses a Vultr API key to create and manage the server in your Vultr account.

1. In your Vultr dashboard, go to Account → API and click Enable API.
2. Copy the Personal Access Token that Vultr shows. Keep it private; anyone with it can manage your Vultr servers.
3. Under Access Control, allow Any IPv4 and Any IPv6. xCloud needs this to reach the Vultr API, and the server form in Step 5 asks you to confirm it.

Team members: if someone on your team connects their own Vultr user instead of the account owner, give that Vultr user the Manage Servers, View Servers and Deploy New Servers permissions.

Step 4: Connect your Vultr account to xCloud

1. In xCloud, open Servers. On a new account, click Bring your own VPS provider. If you already have servers, click New Server and choose the same option.

2. On the Bring and Manage Your Own Server page, click Vultr.

3. Under Select Existing or Connect New, keep Connect New Account. Enter a Vultr Label (any name you’ll recognise, such as my-vultr), paste your key in Vultr API Key, then click Verify.

4. When the button shows Verified, click Next.

Result: your Vultr account is saved in xCloud, and you can pick it next time from Select Existing or Connect New.

If verification fails: check that you copied the whole key, that the API is enabled in Vultr, and that Any IPv4 and Any IPv6 are allowed under Access Control. Then click Verify again.

Step 5: Deploy the Vultr server from xCloud

Fill in the server form:

1. Server Name: a name you’ll recognise, such as docs-demo.
2. App Type (optional) and Choose Web Server: pick the web server for your sites, such as NGINX or OpenLiteSpeed.
3. Shared CPU or Dedicated CPU, then a server size. The table shows Memory, CPU, Storage, Transfer and the Vultr Monthly Cost for each size. Your Vultr credit pays this cost while it lasts.
4. Choose Region: the Vultr location closest to your visitors.
5. Optionally turn on Enable VULTR Auto Backups. Vultr charges extra for it, and the price shows next to the option.
6. Add Tags if you want, and keep the suggested Operating System Version unless you need another.
7. Tick both boxes: that billing is handled on your server provider account, and that you’ve read this guide and allowed Any IPv4 and Any IPv6 under Access Control.
8. Click Deploy Server. If anything is due on your xCloud plan, the button reads Pay & Deploy instead.

Result: xCloud creates the server in your Vultr account and installs the web server, database and security tools. This usually takes a few minutes. The server then shows in Servers as ready.

Step 6: Create your first site

Once the server is ready, click New Site, choose the Vultr server and pick what to install, such as a new WordPress site. Follow how to create a site with xCloud for each option.

• No domain yet? Use a free demo domain first; see create a demo site in xCloud.
• Your own domain: point an A record for the domain to the server’s IP address at your DNS provider, then turn on free SSL from Let’s Encrypt in xCloud. If you use Cloudflare, keep the record DNS only until the certificate is issued.
• Not WordPress? You can host a full-stack project on the same Vultr server. See Node.js on Vultr, Laravel on Vultr and PHP on Vultr.

Your server does not send email by default. To make WordPress emails (password resets, form notifications) arrive reliably, set up site emails for WordPress.

To use another provider instead of Vultr, see how to set up a server with other providers or DigitalOcean.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free trial for Vultr?

Vultr does not need a separate trial here. New Vultr accounts that sign up through xCloud’s link and use the code XCLOUD25 get $100 of free Vultr credit for 180 days. The credit pays for the Vultr server itself, and xCloud manages your first server and 10 sites at no cost.

Do I pay xCloud for my first Vultr server?

No. The xCloud Free plan includes 1 server and 10 sites when you bring your own server, such as a Vultr server. Vultr bills the server to your Vultr account. A card is still required when you sign up for xCloud to verify and activate your account, but the free server’s xCloud bill stays $0.

Can I use an existing Vultr account?

Yes. Skip the Vultr sign-up, create an API key in your Vultr account, and connect it in xCloud. The $100 promotional credit is only for new Vultr sign-ups.

Can I host something other than WordPress on Vultr with xCloud?

Yes. After the Vultr server is connected you can create WordPress, PHP, Laravel or Node.js sites, or one-click apps, on it from the same xCloud dashboard.

If you run into any issues setting up your Vultr server, feel free to reach out to our support team.