FreeBSD 14.3 availability
FreeBSD 14.3 ISO image is now provided for installation on our VPS platform. FreeBSD has been fully tested for our virtualization infrastructure, enabling confident virtual server operation.
FreeBSD installation on VPS
FreeBSD isn’t available through automatic template deployment. Manual installation uses our ISO boot feature:
Step 1: Deploy a Linux virtual server
First, deploy any Linux virtual server through the ColossusCloud control panel. Distribution doesn’t matter since FreeBSD replaces it. Choose appropriate disk size and resources.
Step 2: Access ISO boot option
- Log into the ColossusCloud control panel
- Navigate to Manage VS for virtual server list
- Find your virtual server and click the gear icon
- Click the Actions tab
Step 3: Boot FreeBSD ISO
In Actions, find the option to reboot VS while booting an ISO. Select FreeBSD 14.3 ISO and initiate reboot.
Step 4: Complete installation
Once booted from ISO, connect to console (available through portal) and perform standard FreeBSD installation:
- Follow installer prompts
- Configure disk layout (ZFS recommended)
- Set up networking with assigned IP address
- Create user accounts
- Complete installation and reboot
VPS boots into FreeBSD after installation.
Recommended specifications
For FreeBSD 14.3:
- RAM: 1 GB minimum, 2 GB+ for comfortable operation
- Disk space: 20 GB minimum, more for ZFS with snapshots
FreeBSD uses resources efficiently, but ZFS benefits from additional RAM for caching (ARC). Heavy ZFS usage warrants more memory allocation.
Why choose FreeBSD?
FreeBSD is a complete, mature operating system with long reliability and performance history. While Linux dominates server markets, FreeBSD offers distinct advantages for experienced administrators and specific workloads.
ZFS: superior filesystem
FreeBSD includes native ZFS support as the recommended filesystem:
- Data integrity: Checksums on all data and metadata detect and correct silent corruption
- Snapshots: Instant, space-efficient snapshots for backups or pre-change captures
- Compression: Built-in transparent compression saves disk space without application changes
- Software RAID: Better reliability than traditional hardware RAID
- Copy-on-write: Data never overwrites in place, preventing power failure corruption
ZFS on FreeBSD is mature and production-ready. Netflix runs their entire streaming infrastructure on FreeBSD with ZFS.
Jails: containerization done right
FreeBSD jails predate Docker by over a decade, providing OS-level virtualization with strong isolation:
- Run multiple isolated environments on single FreeBSD systems
- Share kernel while maintaining complete jail separation
- Allocate resources (CPU, memory, disk) to individual jails
- Run different services in isolated security contexts
Jails are simpler and more mature than Linux containers with fewer moving parts and smaller attack surface.
Security-first design
FreeBSD maintains strong security track record:
- Capsicum: Capability-based security framework for sandboxing applications
- Mandatory Access Control (MAC): Fine-grained access control beyond traditional Unix permissions
- Security event auditing: Comprehensive security-sensitive event logging
- Regular security updates: FreeBSD Security Team actively maintains base system
Entire base system develops together, meaning coordinated, comprehensive security updates rather than scattered independent packages.
Consistent, coherent system
Unlike Linux distributions assembling components from many projects, FreeBSD develops kernel, userland utilities, and documentation as single coherent project:
- Consistent documentation: FreeBSD Handbook is comprehensive and accurate
- Unified development: No conflicts between different project maintainers
- Stable interfaces: APIs and behaviors remain consistent across updates
- Easier troubleshooting: One source tree, one bug tracker, one community
Excellent network performance
FreeBSD’s network stack is highly optimized and forms basis for many commercial networking products:
- High-performance TCP/IP stack: Tuned for both latency and throughput
- pf firewall: Powerful packet filtering from OpenBSD, fully integrated
- IPFW: Alternative firewall with different strengths
- Network virtualization (VNET): Separate network stacks for jails
Netflix chose FreeBSD specifically for network performance, serving significant global internet traffic.
Ports and packages
FreeBSD’s Ports Collection provides over 30,000 third-party applications:
- Ports: Build software from source with customization options
- Packages: Install pre-built binaries for quick deployment
- pkg: Modern package manager with dependency resolution
Flexibility to compile with custom options when needed, or speed of binary packages when not.
Licensing
FreeBSD uses BSD license, more permissive than GPL:
- Companies can use FreeBSD code in proprietary products
- No obligation to release modifications (though many do anyway)
- Simpler legal compliance for commercial use
PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and many network appliances run on FreeBSD-derived code.
FreeBSD help resources
FreeBSD has excellent documentation:
- FreeBSD Handbook: Comprehensive installation, configuration, and administration guide
- FreeBSD Forums: Active community for questions and discussion
- FreeBSD Manual Pages: Detailed documentation for every command and configuration file
Deploy a VPS and install FreeBSD 14.3 using our ISO boot feature.