Every plan lists a monthly traffic allowance in the plan details. This guide explains what counts as traffic, how incoming and outgoing data differ, and how to check what your server is using.
Traffic vs port speed
These two numbers are easy to confuse:
- Traffic (data transfer) is the total amount of data moved in a billing month, measured in GB or TB.
- Port speed is how fast data can move at any one moment, measured in Mbps or Gbps.
A fast port does not use up your allowance by itself. Only data that is actually sent or received does.
Incoming vs outgoing
- Incoming (inbound) traffic is data arriving at your server: software and updates you download, files people upload, and requests from visitors.
- Outgoing (outbound) traffic is data your server sends out: web pages and downloads served to visitors, backups you copy off the server, video and API responses. With RDP, the picture of your desktop streamed to your screen also counts as outgoing.
For most websites and apps, outgoing traffic is much larger than incoming.
Note: How traffic is counted against the allowance (incoming, outgoing or both) and what happens if you go over it depend on your plan. Check your plan details in the client area or the terms. If anything is unclear, ask us before you plan a big transfer.
Check usage on Linux
For a quick look at the totals since the last reboot:
ip -s link showFor daily and monthly history, install vnstat. It runs in the background and records usage over time:
apt install -y vnstat # Debian/Ubuntu
vnstat -m # monthly totals
vnstat -l # live viewCheck usage on Windows
- Open Task Manager, then go to Performance → Ethernet to see current send and receive speeds.
- For details per program, open Resource Monitor (
resmon) and go to the Network tab.
Ways to use less traffic
- Turn on compression (gzip or Brotli) in your web server.
- Cache static files and use a CDN in front of busy sites.
- Schedule large backups or syncs carefully, and send only what changed (for example with
rsync). - In RDP, lower the colour depth and turn off visual effects on slow connections. Less screen data is sent and the session feels faster.
Need more?
Each plan lists its traffic allowance.