Seeds are virtual servers (also called cloud servers, VPS, or VMs) in our dataforest Cloud. They function like standalone servers – without you having to manage physical hardware. With Seeds, you get full control over operating system, applications, and configurations, while we take care of the underlying infrastructure.

Seeds provide the ideal infrastructure for a wide variety of use cases. They can be flexibly scaled and adapted to your specific requirements, whether for small projects or complex enterprise applications.

If you want to integrate infrastructure directly via API, you can find more details on the dataforest Public API page.

• Hosting websites, web applications, and e-commerce platforms with optimal performance
• Operating databases, containerized applications, and complex microservices
• Development environments, CI/CD pipelines, and test infrastructures for agile teams

The Cloud offers numerous benefits such as cost savings (no investment in hardware), flexibility (pay-as-you-grow), scalability (easy adjustment to growing requirements), and increased security (physical unauthorized access in high-security data centers is practically impossible compared to company-owned server rooms).

Cloud providers invest heavily in security, as this is a central part of their business model. They often offer better protection than many companies can implement themselves, with encryption, regular updates, and comprehensive security measures such as housing servers in high-security data centers. However, it is important to choose a trustworthy provider and review your own security measures such as access control and data protection policies.

We will provide additional cloud locations based on demand from our customers and prospects. You can request additional locations in our platform.

As a new customer, you can create five Seeds. The limit is regularly recalculated automatically by the system, so you can create more and more Seeds over time.

Currently not.

With shared vCPUs, multiple Seeds share the physical CPU threads of a node. This lets us offer lower prices, but the available compute performance depends on the load of neighboring Seeds and can vary, especially under sustained high load. With dedicated vCPUs, the CPU resources are exclusively available to your Seed. A full physical CPU thread is reserved for each vCPU at all times. Your compute performance stays consistent, regardless of what neighboring Seeds are doing.

In the dataforest Cloud, there are no minimum terms and no cancellation periods. Seeds (and add-ons) are billed on an hourly basis – as soon as you destroy them, billing stops. Please note that you must actively delete your Seed to effectively stop billing. Simply shutting it down or not using the service is not sufficient.

No. On the first of each month, we invoice you exactly for the services you used in the previous month and automatically charge them to your payment method. Larger accrued usage may already be billed during the month. The amount is then credited as token balance and automatically offset against your monthly invoice.

Currently, we offer credit card, PayPal, and SEPA direct debit as payment methods. All major card providers are supported. Due to the postpaid principle, payment by bank transfer is currently not available.

We consider traffic not on the basis of a single Seed, but for your entire team and the past calendar month based on the cumulative total traffic of all Seeds. With each Seed you book, your team's inclusive traffic increases proportionally from the order time until the end of the month. Only outbound traffic is consumption-relevant. Inbound traffic is not considered. Additional consumption is billed at a charge. Please refer to the respective product for the price per TB.

Token are an additional currency in the dataforest Cloud that you can redeem to pay for your Seeds partially or in full. You receive these, for example, through our social media channels or newsletters as part of promotional campaigns. Token must be redeemed before the invoice for the previous month is issued on the first of the month. Token cannot be applied to invoices that have already been issued.

In certain cases, an advance invoice or a prepayment may apply. Both amounts are fully credited as token balance and automatically offset against your future invoices.

Advance Invoice

We may bill accrued usage during the ongoing month. An advance invoice covers your usage that has not been billed yet, minus your token balance, once it reaches an amount that applies to your account. It is created automatically and settled through your stored payment method as usual. This keeps individual invoices manageable instead of letting them build up until the end of the month.

One-time prepayment

In some cases, a one-time prepayment is required after setting up your account before it can be activated. The amount depends on individual factors. After successful payment, your account is activated immediately.

What happens upon payment?

For both variants, the invoice amount is automatically credited as token balance. Token are automatically applied to your next regular monthly invoices and reduce the amount to be paid. Token from prepayments and advance invoices can be redeemed within two years.

A team is the central unit used to manage your resources, access, and billing in the dataforest Cloud.

Seeds, SSH keys, token, invoices, payment methods, and costs are always tied to the currently active team.

Yes. You can adjust team settings such as the team name and work with your team members on the same team resources. The ability to expand your team and invite additional members will be available in the future.