ARM processors, long dominant in phones, now power many cloud and VPS offerings. ARM servers often deliver strong performance per watt and attractive pricing. This guide explains how they compare with x86 and what to check before moving.
Before you start
- List your software: languages, databases, binaries and Docker images.
ARM vs x86 at a glance
| ARM64 (aarch64) | x86-64 | |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | Often better performance per watt | Varies by generation |
| Cores | Often many physical cores, no SMT | Often SMT (two threads per core) |
| Software ecosystem | Very good for Linux open source | Universal |
| Windows Server | Limited availability | Full |
| Proprietary binaries | Sometimes missing | Widely available |
What runs well on ARM
- Linux distributions: Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky all publish ARM64 builds.
- Web stacks: Nginx, Apache, PHP, Node.js, Python, Go, Java, Ruby.
- Databases: MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Redis.
- Docker: official images are mostly multi-arch.
What may break
- Closed-source agents, control panels or licensed software without ARM builds; check vendor support (for example, verify whether a specific control panel supports ARM before choosing).
- Docker images published only for amd64.
- Native modules compiled for x86 (Node.js, Python wheels) need rebuilding.
- Software relying on x86-specific instructions.
Check an image's platforms: docker manifest inspect nginx | grep architecture.
How to test and migrate
- Start a small ARM VPS and set it up as in first steps on a new VPS.
- Install your stack from packages and run your test suite.
- Build multi-arch images where needed (see QEMU emulation and buildx).
- Benchmark realistic workloads, not just synthetic scores; see server benchmarking.
- Migrate data with rsync, reinstalling binaries rather than copying them.
Frequently asked questions
Is ARM faster than x86?
It depends on the chip and workload. Many web workloads run as fast or faster per dollar, but test your own app.
Can I run x86 software on an ARM server?
Only through emulation, which is slow. Prefer native builds.
Does shared cPanel hosting use ARM?
Typical cPanel hosting, including MdmHost's, runs on x86 servers; you do not need to think about architecture there.