Guide · Definition
A plain definition of bare metal, why hosts also call it a dedicated server, how it differs from bare metal cloud and from a VPS, and what an Ironatoll server includes.
Quick answer
What is a bare metal server, and is it the same as a dedicated server?
A bare metal server is a physical server where your operating system runs directly on the hardware, with no hypervisor and no other customer. In hosting it is the same as a dedicated server: both mean one whole machine rented to you. Ironatoll rents offshore bare metal servers from $63.68 per 30 days, with root over SSH. No KYC: no ID, no documents. Pay in crypto.
| Definition | A physical server where your operating system runs directly on the hardware, with no hypervisor underneath |
|---|---|
| Same as a dedicated server? | Yes, in hosting: both names mean one whole machine rented to one customer |
| Bare metal cloud | The same kind of machine, created through an API or a panel and often billed by the hour |
| VPS | A virtual machine: a hypervisor splits one physical server between several customers |
| Who else uses the machine | Nobody: no neighbours share its CPU, memory or disks |
| Ironatoll product | Offshore dedicated servers: a whole physical machine for you alone, with no virtualization layer and no neighbours, and full root access over SSH |
| Ironatoll resources | Every CPU core, all the RAM and every disk of the server are yours alone: nothing is shared with another customer |
| Systems | Linux only: Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and Proxmox VE to run your own virtual machines. No Windows |
| Setup | A person prepares your server after your payment is confirmed, within 72 hours, so it is not instant; your dashboard shows the status, then the IP address once the server is ready |
| Prices | Atoll 16 $63.68, Atoll 32 $72.15, Atoll 64 $72.62, Atoll 128 $205.27, Atoll 256 $406.37 per 30 days |
| KYC and payment | No KYC: no ID, selfie, documents, card or phone number are ever collected. Crypto only: BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC |
Bare metal means software running directly on the hardware, with no other layer of software beneath it. The term is older than server rental. NIST uses it for hypervisors: in bare metal virtualization, the hypervisor runs on the hardware without a host operating system.
A bare metal server applies the same idea to your own system. Your Linux kernel talks to the real processor, the real memory chips, the real disks and the real network card. Nothing translates or schedules those resources between you and the machine.
A bare metal server is a physical server whose operating system runs directly on the hardware, with no hypervisor and no other customer.
Yes. For a buyer, bare metal server and dedicated server name the same product: one whole physical machine rented to one customer.
The two names stress different things. "Dedicated" says the machine serves you alone. "Bare metal" says nothing sits between your system and the hardware. Classic hosting companies say dedicated server. Vendors that sell servers through an API often say bare metal.
In hosting, "bare metal server" and "dedicated server" are two names for one product: a whole physical machine that no other customer shares.
One trap: "dedicated server" also means a game's own server program, as in a Valheim or Palworld dedicated server. That is software, not a machine. You can run that software on a rented bare metal server; see can I host game servers on a rented dedicated server.
Bare metal cloud is a bare metal server sold the way a cloud instance is sold. You create it from an API or a web panel, it is ready in minutes, and billing is often by the hour.
The hardware is the same kind of physical machine. What changes is how you order it and how you pay. NIST's definition of cloud computing lists on-demand self-service, rapid elasticity and measured service among its essential characteristics. Bare metal cloud adds those to a physical server.
A classic dedicated server is ordered, prepared and billed by the period. Ironatoll works the classic way: A person prepares your server after your payment is confirmed, within 72 hours, so it is not instant; your dashboard shows the status, then the IP address once the server is ready.
| Point | Dedicated server at Ironatoll | Bare metal cloud | VPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you rent | A whole physical machine | A whole physical machine | A virtual machine on a shared server |
| Hypervisor under your system | None | None | Yes |
| Other customers on the machine | None | None | Yes |
| How it is created | Prepared by a person after payment | From an API or a panel | From a panel, usually in minutes |
| Billing | 30 days, 3 months, 6 months or 12 months at a time from a crypto balance | Often hourly or monthly | Monthly, sometimes hourly |
| Your own hypervisor | Yes: Proxmox VE is an install option | Yes | Depends on the host |
A VPS is a slice of a server; a bare metal server is the whole server. On a VPS, a hypervisor divides one physical machine into virtual machines and gives each customer one of them.
That slice has limits a whole machine does not have:
top.On bare metal, every core, all the memory and every disk are yours. You can install Proxmox VE and run your own virtual machines on it. The full comparison is on dedicated server or VPS: which one do I need.
You get the whole machine, prepared by a person and handed over with root access. Every core, all the RAM and every disk are yours alone.
Why offshore matters, and what it does not change, is on what is an offshore dedicated server.
An entry-level bare metal server costs more than a VPS, because you pay for a whole machine. Prices vary widely between hosts for the same hardware.
According to Ironatoll's check of 30 October 2026, entry-level dedicated servers cost a median of $180.00 a month across 17 hosts taking crypto without ID.
Ironatoll's plan for that tier, Atoll 16, costs $63.68 per 30 days: Intel Xeon E-2236 (6 cores / 12 threads), 16 GB RAM, 2 × 480 GB SSD in RAID 1, 30 TB a month at 1 Gbit/s, 1 IPv4 and an IPv6 /64. That is 65% below the median. Each Ironatoll plan is priced at least 25% under a named comparable offer from 17 no-KYC crypto hosts; for this tier it is Bacloud at $84.91.
Every host and tier is in how much does a dedicated server cost per month. Our five plans are on how much does an Ironatoll dedicated server cost.
6 cores · 16 GB RAM
$63.68
3 months $171.93 (−10%)6 months $305.66 (−20%)1 year $534.91 (−30%)
6 cores · 32 GB RAM
$72.15
3 months $194.80 (−10%)6 months $346.32 (−20%)1 year $606.06 (−30%)
Best value
8 cores · 64 GB RAM
$72.62
3 months $196.07 (−10%)6 months $348.57 (−20%)1 year $610 (−30%)
16 cores · 128 GB RAM
$205.27
3 months $554.22 (−10%)6 months $985.29 (−20%)1 year $1,724.26 (−30%)
24 cores · 256 GB RAM
$406.37
3 months $1,097.19 (−10%)6 months $1,950.57 (−20%)1 year $3,413.50 (−30%)
In every plan: Whole machine · Root access · RAID 1 on two disks · Dedicated IPv4 · No logs · No KYC
A physical server where your operating system runs directly on the hardware, with no hypervisor and no other customer.
The hosting industry's name for renting one whole physical server to one customer. In hosting, the same product as a bare metal server.
A bare metal server created from an API or a panel and often billed by the hour.
Software that splits one physical machine into several virtual machines and shares its CPU, memory and disks between them.
Virtual private server: one virtual machine on a physical server shared with other customers.
Time the hypervisor gave a virtual machine's CPU to another guest. Linux shows it as "st" in top. It does not exist on bare metal.
It means a physical server with nothing between your operating system and the hardware. No hypervisor shares it, and no other customer uses it.
Bare metal gives you the whole machine and steady performance. Cloud gives instant setup and hourly billing. Choose bare metal for heavy, constant workloads, and cloud for short or changing ones.
Yes. Linux only: Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and Proxmox VE to run your own virtual machines. No Windows. With Proxmox VE you create your own virtual machines and containers on the whole server.
Yes, at Ironatoll. No KYC: no ID, selfie, documents, card or phone number are ever collected. You log in with an account number, and an email address is an option, not a requirement. More on can I rent a dedicated server without KYC or ID verification.
It depends on the host. Bare metal cloud can take minutes. At Ironatoll: A person prepares your server after your payment is confirmed, within 72 hours, so it is not instant; your dashboard shows the status, then the IP address once the server is ready.
Ironatoll accepts BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC, from a $25 top-up. Plans are paid from that balance for 30 days, 3 months, 6 months or 12 months at a time.
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A whole offshore machine from $63.68 per 30 days, root over SSH. No KYC: no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.
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