If loving Linode is wrong, then I don't want to be right.
Updated March 05, 2024
If loving Linode is wrong, then I don't want to be right.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Linode
Linode hosts the server infrastructure for our entire organization. We have a dozen server instances for a variety of purposes, from dedicated APIs to databases to various front-end web presences. Linode also hosts the majority of our DNS. Their flexibility with instances and cost ensure that we can spin up exactly the correct sized cloud instance for a small project, or throw a lot of resources for our high-availability needs.
- Uptime for hosted servers
- Ease of DNS hosting
- Ease of load balancing implementation
- Painless deployment process
- We don't take advantage of their Kubernetes program. No real need.
- Flexibility is a plus
- Less expensive than AWS
- Removes the various exposure of colocation
- Global deployment zones help with regional response times
Amazon Web Services is vast and expansive, but far too expensive for what we need it to do. Azure is a more plug-in hosted solution, but again the price isn't worth it. I can use dokku to ape the functionality of heroku for far less than the latter charges. Digital Ocean's no-nonsense droplets turned my head for a bit, but I still like Linode's particular brand of flexibility. Combined with my existing investment with the Linode infrastructure, the droplets aren't a compelling reason by themselves for me to switch.
Before we started with Linode, to get the precision in deployment we needed, we were colocation physical hardware, for the most part. We started dabbling with AWS, and quickly realized that the cost with them was prohibitive for what we were getting out of it. Linode came on our radar a number of years ago, and after a few trial deployments for a number of our smaller properties, we were convinced. Migrating to the cloud server from our colocation was one of the best decisions we made. Much beefier hardware for a quarter of the price of a colocation can't be understated.
We sell millions of dollars worth of widgets every year. Every minute our website is online counts. We have never had a serious outage with Linode that has impacted our business. Their advertised uptimes are accurate, and their service is consistently reliable. I had the occasion of using their backup system (because of my mistake, not theirs), and that was also a painless process with minimal downtime.
Do you think Akamai Cloud Computing delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Akamai Cloud Computing's feature set?
Yes
Did Akamai Cloud Computing live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of Akamai Cloud Computing go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Akamai Cloud Computing again?
Yes
Using Linode
1 - We have a small organization. I manage all of our online presence, and Linode's organization and ease-of-use makes a lot of that possible for me to pull off by myself.
1 - As a solo backend department by myself, I need to have a strong sense of how my various server processed integrate with one another. Having a strong knowledge of Linux server administration is also extremely helpful since a good deal of what I do is on the shell. I've been using docker more in my deployments, and while my deployments aren't so complex that I need Kubernetes, I know it's ready for me when I take the plunge.
- Small Server Deployment
- Isolation of data from front end
- Worldwide deployment
- I don't need to have platform specific knowledge to make a strong network.
- Deploying several small instances has been more useful in some cases than deploying servers with a higher resource ceiling. More x cheaper has been better than few x more expensive.
- I have my eye on Kubernetes deployment in the near future.
Evaluating Linode and Competitors
Yes - Linode replaced a hybrid AWS and physical colocation solution.
- Cloud Solutions
- Scalability
- Integration with Other Systems
- Ease of Use
Linode's ease of use was massively important in my decision. As a one-man IT department, I don't need to waste any time or resources with proprietary solutions. Linode gives me the virtualization backend I need to deploy as many Linux boxes as serve my organization at any given time.
There are a few other cloud computing platforms that offer a similar advantage to Linode, and some of them come in a bit lower in cost. Even if money were the deciding factor, I don't think I would move away from Linode at this time. Their services hit the sweet spot between flexibility and ease of use that appeals to me.
Linode Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Change management was minimal - There were no issues moving from a co-location to Linode. The "change management" was trivial. Once I copied my co-location implementation to Linode, all I had to do was update the DNS and wait.
- Making the initial checklist to make sure I copied all necessary things and passed over the unnecessary.
Linode Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
My needs are simple, and I don't need the premium support tier. I'm not trying to make the Linode platform do anything it wasn't built for.
The only testament to Linode's "Heroic Support" is that I have never had occasion to call upon it. Every time I have an issue, it's resolved quickly. When I had to restore an instance from backup, that was no big deal for me as an end-user. Not support required.
Using Linode
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar | None |
- Instance Deployment
- DNS Management
- Storage deployment
- Web-based console
- I've not found anything particularly cumbersome.