Where should
your site live?
CaveCMS self-hosts three ways: a Linux VPS, cPanel shared hosting, or your laptop. All three run the same product, and on every one your AI assistant can edit the site over the same HTTP API. Here’s how they differ.
On this page
VPS
Most pick thisA small Linux server you control.
- Cost
- About a coffee a month (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr).
- Control
- Full root: your OS, your nginx/Apache, your firewall.
- Requirements
- sudo, Node 20+, MariaDB 10.6+, PM2, a domain.
- AI edits
- Yes: the same HTTP API your agent drives.
- Updates
- One-click in-app, or cavecms update from the shell.
- Best for
- Most production sites; anyone comfortable in a terminal.
cPanel
Shared hosting, no VPS.
- Cost
- Your existing shared-hosting plan, no new server.
- Control
- Managed: Passenger + the Node.js Selector replace nginx/sudo.
- Requirements
- CloudLinux cPanel with the Node.js Selector + Terminal.
- AI edits
- Yes: the same HTTP API, once it is live.
- Updates
- In-app + cavecms update; restart through Passenger.
- Best for
- Already on Namecheap / A2 / HostGator and want to stay.
Laptop
Local, for evaluation or building.
- Cost
- Free: runs on the machine in front of you.
- Control
- Foreground Node process; Ctrl-C stops it.
- Requirements
- macOS or Linux, Node 20+, MariaDB on 127.0.0.1.
- AI edits
- Yes: point your agent at localhost.
- Updates
- Same engine; then deploy to a server when ready.
- Best for
- Trying CaveCMS, or building before you deploy.
Option · VPS
A server you control.
The default for production. Full root access, your own nginx or Apache, and a real domain. The four-step guide walks prep → DNS → database → installer → vhost.
VPS
Most pick thisA small Linux server you control.
- Cost
- About a coffee a month (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr).
- Control
- Full root: your OS, your nginx/Apache, your firewall.
- Requirements
- sudo, Node 20+, MariaDB 10.6+, PM2, a domain.
- AI edits
- Yes: the same HTTP API your agent drives.
- Updates
- One-click in-app, or cavecms update from the shell.
- Best for
- Most production sites; anyone comfortable in a terminal.
Option · cPanel
No VPS, no sudo.
On a CloudLinux cPanel host, CaveCMS installs through the Node.js Selector + Passenger, with no nginx and no root. The cPanel guide on the docs page has the click-by-click steps.
cPanel
Shared hosting, no VPS.
- Cost
- Your existing shared-hosting plan, no new server.
- Control
- Managed: Passenger + the Node.js Selector replace nginx/sudo.
- Requirements
- CloudLinux cPanel with the Node.js Selector + Terminal.
- AI edits
- Yes: the same HTTP API, once it is live.
- Updates
- In-app + cavecms update; restart through Passenger.
- Best for
- Already on Namecheap / A2 / HostGator and want to stay.
Option · Laptop
Try it locally first.
The laptop surface runs CaveCMS as a foreground Node process, with no nginx, no PM2, no sudo. Build it locally, then move it to a server with the deploy runbook.
Laptop
Local, for evaluation or building.
- Cost
- Free: runs on the machine in front of you.
- Control
- Foreground Node process; Ctrl-C stops it.
- Requirements
- macOS or Linux, Node 20+, MariaDB on 127.0.0.1.
- AI edits
- Yes: point your agent at localhost.
- Updates
- Same engine; then deploy to a server when ready.
- Best for
- Trying CaveCMS, or building before you deploy.
Keep going
Related
Deploy to production
Take a site you built locally to a production server: fresh install, then restore your content over it. A verified, step-by-step runbook.
AI agents
Point Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, or Codex at your site: what AGENTS.md is, how to mint a token, and how to make your first change by prompt.
Help me choose
Answer three quick questions and we recommend a template and a hosting path, then deep-link you into the right install steps.