In this guide, I will show you how to obtain a "Forever Free" virtual machine using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Unlike other providers that offer limited-time trials, Oracle offers an Always Free tier that allows you to run a small virtual server indefinitely. This is ideal for testing Linux distros, running small web apps, or enhancing your SysAdmin skills.
To begin, visit oracle.com and navigate to the "Products" section to find OCI (Oracle Cloud Infrastructure). Look for the option to "Try OCI for Free".
During the signup process, you must provide identity information and a credit card. Oracle uses this to verify you are a legitimate user and prevent bot accounts. They may place a temporary hold of approximately $1, which is refunded. You will not be charged for using Always Free resources unless you manually upgrade to a paid tier.
Once logged into the Oracle Cloud dashboard, navigate to the menu and select Compute > Instances. Click "Create Instance".
Give your instance a name (e.g., "Test-YouTube"). When selecting the "Placement" and "Availability Domain," ensure you look for the label Always Free Eligible.
Note: You might see an "Estimated Total" cost (e.g., $2/month) for the boot volume. This is often a display bug in the panel. If your account is a Free Tier account and you select Always Free resources, you will not be charged.
By default, Oracle may select Oracle Linux. You can click "Change Image" to select other operating systems like Ubuntu 24.04.
For the "Shape" (hardware specs), select the VM.Standard.E2.1.Micro. This shape provides:
This "Micro" instance is almost always available, unlike the ARM-based Ampere instances which are harder to snag due to high demand.
The setup wizard will automatically create a Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) and subnet. The most critical step here is the SSH Keys section.
Select "Generate a key pair". You must save both the Private Key and the Public Key to your computer. You will need the private key to log in; if you lose it, you cannot access the server.
Leave the boot volume settings as default and click Create.
While the instance provisions, you can configure the network security. By default, SSH access might be open to the whole world, or you might want to restrict it.
Navigate to the Subnet settings associated with your instance and open the "Default Security List". Here you can add Ingress Rules.
To restrict SSH access to only your specific IP address, add a rule with the source set to your IP with a /32 CIDR suffix (e.g., 192.168.1.5/32).
Once the instance is running, copy the Public IP address from the instance details page.
If you are on Windows, open PowerShell or a terminal. Use the ssh command with the -i flag to specify your private key file. The default username for Ubuntu images is ubuntu.
ssh -i "C:\path\to\your\private.key" ubuntu@
Type "yes" to accept the fingerprint. You are now connected to your forever free cloud server.