What Is a NAT VPS? How It Differs from a Dedicated IPv4

A NAT VPS is a virtual server built on a shared public IPv4 with port forwarding: several instances on one host present a single public IPv4 to the outside world, and ports tell their services apart. That is the main reason it costs far less than a dedicated IPv4.

How a NAT VPS works

• One host carries many instances and exposes a single public IPv4.
• Your SSH, website and other services each map to a public port assigned by the system.
• The port number must always be included, e.g. ssh -p 22001 or http://public-ip:28080.
• Public ports are assigned when the instance is provisioned and cannot be picked by hand; the port inside your instance is yours to choose.

NAT vs a dedicated IPv4

• Dedicated IPv4: one machine, its own public address, default ports (22 / 80 / 443) available, higher price.
• NAT VPS: shared address, ports distinguish services, much lower cost. The trade-off is that access must carry a port, and third-party services that insist on a unique IP may block you.

When a NAT VPS fits

Good fit:

• Long-running scripts, scheduled jobs, crawlers and monitoring.
• Personal sites, blogs and admin panels (map a port to internal 80 or 443).
• SSH tunnels and remote access.
• Learning and test environments.

Poor fit:

• You need a dedicated IP for third-party allowlists, risk control or qualification bindings.
• Business-critical systems with external commitments.
• You want someone else to install and operate the server.

How we run it

• Hong Kong commercial datacenter, with the egress IP rotated automatically every day to reduce single-IP risk.
• Professional operations and monitoring; a control panel to view SSH credentials and adjust port mappings yourself.
• Fair pricing: from CNY 13.9/month for the Starter plan, provisioned automatically after payment.

Next steps

• See plans and pricing
• Read the port and access policy
• More questions answered in the FAQ