ever wanted to run something heavy, or need super fast internet (like 1gbps+), but ur pc or home connection cant handle it?
the solution is having a cloud computer! aka a vps with a graphical interface.
i tested several options and the cheapest combo i found was using a hostinger vps with xfce desktop (super lightweight) and accessing via nomachine.
1. the hardware (vps)
im using hostinger. ping to brazil is decent and the price is excellent.
i have a partnership with hostinger and my referral link gives discount!
choose the KVM 2 plan or higher to have at least 4gb of ram, otherwise the browser will crash, ok?
2. the secret: nomachine (nx protocol)
"but why not use vnc or rdp?"
bc theyre too slow! nomachine uses its own protocol (NX) that compresses video super well. the latency is so low it feels like the pc is right in front of u. u can even watch youtube remotely without stuttering!
| protocol | latency | quality | recommended? |
|---|---|---|---|
| VNC | high | weak | no |
| RDP | medium | ok | depends |
| NX (NoMachine) | very low | excellent | yes! |
3. how to set up (quick tutorial)
i chose ubuntu lts for greater compatibility and less chance of bugs (i hope no one here has to go through the experience of debugging a vms audio driver), then installed xfce. linux is already ready. just need to install the nomachine server.
access ur vps via ssh and run this:
download nomachine
(the link may change, so grab the latest .deb link from their site if this one fails)
wget https://download.nomachine.com/download/8.11/Linux/nomachine_8.11.3_4_amd64.debinstall
sudo dpkg -i nomachine_*.debopen the port (important!)
nomachine uses port 4000. if the firewall is on, u wont connect.
sudo ufw allow 4000/tcp4. connecting
now just download the nomachine client on ur pc (windows/linux/mac), click "add", put ur vps ip and use ur linux username and password (usually root or the user u created).
done! now u have a pc in the cloud to leave farming games, downloading stuff or coding from anywhere!
install tmux or screen to leave processes running even after closing the nomachine session. ur "pc in the cloud" will keep working without u!