Operating System
When you purchase a server from Zeabur or reinstall an existing one, you choose the operating system it runs. This choice decides how the machine works from day one:
- ZeaburOS — the machine is managed by Zeabur: deploy projects and apply one-click templates out of the box, with Zeabur technical support included.
- Standard distribution — currently Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, with more operating systems and versions on the way — the machine is fully self-managed; Zeabur provides technical support for ZeaburOS only.
What Is ZeaburOS
ZeaburOS is the operating system that turns a server into a Zeabur deployment node. A machine running ZeaburOS connects to the Zeabur Dashboard, where you can deploy services, view logs and metrics, and manage storage and networking — no SSH needed for day-to-day work, while full SSH access to the host remains available.
Under the hood, ZeaburOS runs on K3s (lightweight Kubernetes), together with the Zeabur system components (deploy agent, monitoring, and more) that keep the machine connected to the platform.
Compared with running a standard distribution, ZeaburOS gives you:
- Deploy out of the box — no runtime, reverse proxy, or certificate setup; push a project and it runs.
- Observability built in — real-time logs, metrics, and service status in the dashboard.
- Managed maintenance — system components can be updated or repaired in one click, and Zeabur provides technical support.
ZeaburOS used to appear in the dashboard as “K3s”. Same engine, clearer name — see K3s is now ZeaburOS below.
Standard Distributions
Pick a standard distribution and you get a standard VPS, exactly as the distribution ships it — just like one from any provider. You operate it entirely over SSH: what runs on it, how it is configured, and how it is maintained are all up to you. Zeabur provides the machine; the software on it is fully self-managed.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is available today, and more operating systems and versions will be added over time.
Just want a standard VPS without the Zeabur platform for now? Buy the machine with a standard distribution — nothing gets pre-installed, so there is nothing to remove afterwards.
How to Choose
| ZeaburOS | Standard distribution | |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy and manage services from the Zeabur Dashboard | ✅ | ❌ |
| One-click template deployment | ✅ | ❌ |
| Logs, metrics, and monitoring built in | ✅ | ❌ |
| SSH access and full OS control | ✅ | ✅ |
| System components maintained by Zeabur | ✅ | ❌ (fully self-managed) |
| Zeabur technical support | ✅ | ❌ |
Rule of thumb: pick ZeaburOS if you want to deploy projects with Zeabur — that is what the machine is for. Pick a standard distribution if you want a standard VPS to manage entirely yourself.
Switching Later
Convert an Existing Machine to ZeaburOS
A machine that is already running a standard distribution can be converted to ZeaburOS to become a deployment node. Converting reinstalls the machine: it is reinstalled as ZeaburOS, giving a clean, predictable environment that does not depend on whatever was installed on the previous system.
To convert, open the server’s Settings page, and under Danger Zone use “Reinstall OS” and pick ZeaburOS. Reinstalling and provisioning take a few minutes; once done, the machine appears as a deployment node and you can start deploying services to it.
Reinstalling erases everything on the machine, including software and data you installed yourself. Switching the operating system is a reinstall in both directions — moving to ZeaburOS wipes the disk just as moving back to a standard distribution does. Back up anything you want to keep first.
Without ZeaburOS, you can still connect to the machine over SSH — conversion is only required for deploying and managing services through Zeabur.
Update ZeaburOS
Update ZeaburOS re-applies all ZeaburOS system components (deploy agent, monitoring, and more) on your server to their latest state. Your deployed services are not affected, and it is also a useful first step to repair a misbehaving server.
You can trigger an update from the server’s menu or its Settings page. The operation is usually safe, but may introduce brief downtime.
Reinstall as a Standard VPS
If you try ZeaburOS and decide the Zeabur platform isn’t for you, the machine isn’t stuck with it. Reinstall the operating system from the Danger Zone on the server’s settings page and pick a standard distribution — the machine comes back as a standard VPS, fully self-managed.
Reinstalling the OS wipes everything on the machine, including deployed services and their data. Back up anything you need first.
Support Scope
Zeabur provides technical support for ZeaburOS only. Software you install yourself — including management panels such as 1Panel or BaoTa — falls outside the support scope.
When you choose a standard distribution, the machine is fully self-managed: Zeabur provides the machine, and everything running on it is up to you.
K3s Is Now ZeaburOS
Everything that used to appear as “K3s” in the Zeabur dashboard now shows as ZeaburOS. It is the same engine with a clearer name: ZeaburOS runs on K3s (lightweight Kubernetes) at its core, and nothing changed on your existing machines — the status that used to read “K3s” is the same thing under its product name.
Two things are new alongside the rename:
- When buying a machine or reinstalling its OS, ZeaburOS is no longer pre-installed automatically — you choose it (or a standard distribution) as the operating system.
- Machines without ZeaburOS can still be converted later from the server’s Settings page.
For host-level maintenance, the underlying technical names are unchanged: the systemd service is still k3s, persistent storage still lives under /var/lib/rancher/k3s/storage, and the commands in Manage Server work as before.
Next Steps
- Purchase a Server — buy a machine from Zeabur and pick its OS
- Add a Server — mount an existing server to Zeabur
- Manage Server — day-to-day operations and host-level maintenance