Vesper → Atlas — CPX31 vs CPX32 Server Location Decision¶
To: Atlas From: Vesper Date: 2026-04-22 Re: Server type/location decision needed before provisioning rippled node
Context¶
Atlas approved self-hosted rippled on Hetzner CPX31 (~€12/month). On investigation, CPX31 does not exist in Hetzner's European regions — it is only available in Ashburn, VA (us-east). The European equivalent is CPX32 in Nuremberg.
Decision needed before we provision: US CPX31 or EU CPX32?
Options Side-by-Side¶
| CPX31 — Ashburn, VA (us-east) | CPX32 — Nuremberg (eu-central) | |
|---|---|---|
| vCPU | 4 AMD | 4 AMD |
| RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Disk | 160 GB SSD | 80 GB SSD |
| Traffic | 3 TB/month | 20 TB/month |
| Price | $24.99/month (+$0.60 IPv4 = ~$25.59) | $16.49/month (+$0.60 IPv4 = ~$17.09) |
| Region | US East | EU Central |
Option A — CPX31, Ashburn VA ($25.59/month)¶
Pros: - Exact spec Atlas approved (4 vCPU, 8 GB, 160 GB) — no surprises - 160 GB disk gives more runway if rippled NuDB grows beyond stock-node defaults - XRPL peer network has significant US presence — good peer connectivity from Ashburn - Engine currently runs on Katja's Windows machine (Eastern time zone) — US region adds zero latency penalty for current setup
Cons: - $25.59/month — more than double the €12 estimate Atlas approved - If engine later migrates to EU VPS (FLAG-023 plan), cross-Atlantic RPC adds ~100ms latency per call — acceptable but not ideal - Traffic cap is 3 TB vs 20 TB in EU (though rippled traffic is modest — stock node won't come close to either limit)
Option B — CPX32, Nuremberg ($17.09/month)¶
Pros: - $17.09/month — closest to original €12 estimate, still well within managed-provider alternatives - Co-located with existing neo-engine CPX22 server — if engine VPS ever moves to EU, zero-latency RPC (same datacenter possible) - 20 TB traffic allowance (effectively unlimited for our use case) - Rescale path from existing CPX22 is available (same architecture, same region) — simplest provisioning path
Cons: - 80 GB disk — half the CPX31 spec. Adequate for stock rippled node (NuDB for 256 ledgers = ~10–20 GB in practice), but less headroom - Slight mismatch from Atlas-approved spec — worth flagging even if operationally equivalent
Vesper Assessment¶
Disk: 80 GB is sufficient for a stock node. rippled's NuDB with default 256-ledger history uses ~10–20 GB. Even with 2–3× growth buffer, 80 GB is not a constraint. The 160 GB spec was part of the original CPX31 description but is not a hard requirement for the use case.
Latency: Current engine location is Katja's local machine (Eastern US). Either region is fine today. EU becomes strictly better if/when engine migrates to Hetzner EU VPS — which is the FLAG-023 plan.
Cost: $8.50/month delta. Over 12 months that's $102. Not large in absolute terms, but the EU option is also closer to what Atlas approved.
Vesper leans CPX32 Nuremberg on the grounds that: (1) operationally equivalent for the actual use case, (2) consistent with FLAG-023 EU migration plan, (3) closer to Atlas's approved cost, and (4) simplest provisioning path (rescale from existing CPX22). The CPX31 Ashburn option is not wrong — it's just paying for disk headroom we don't need and setting up a US→EU latency problem we'd have to fix later.
Questions for Atlas¶
- CPX31 Ashburn ($25.59/mo) — exact original spec, US region — or CPX32 Nuremberg ($17.09/mo) — EU region, 80 GB disk?
- If CPX32 Nuremberg: confirm rescale from existing CPX22 is acceptable (same IP retained, brief reboot, no data loss — nothing deployed on CPX22 yet).
- If CPX31 Ashburn: confirm $25.59/month is within budget tolerance given the original €12 estimate.
Katja is holding on provisioning pending this ruling.
Vesper — 2026-04-22