Linode was acquired by Akamai and now sits inside Akamai Connected Cloud. For day to day use the product is recognisably the same: straightforward virtual servers, flat pricing and a console that does not require a training course. What changed most is the network behind it.
What the Akamai acquisition changed
Akamai operates one of the largest edge networks in the world. Folding Linode into it gave the platform a substantially better distribution and peering story, which matters for latency-sensitive workloads and for serving content close to users.
What did not change is the core value proposition: predictable pricing, generous bandwidth allowances and simple provisioning. If you liked Linode before, the reasons still hold.
Account limits
Linode accounts carry limits on how many instances you can run concurrently, and new accounts start conservative. As with other providers, increases are requested and reviewed rather than granted automatically.
The number to size against is peak concurrent instances, not total instances over time. A team running blue-green deployments needs headroom for both environments simultaneously, even though only one serves traffic.
Regions
Linode operates data centres across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Australia. Region choice drives three things:
- Latency to your users, which is the usual reason to care.
- Data residency, if you have a regulatory reason to keep data in a jurisdiction.
- Feature availability, since newer capabilities land in some regions before others.
Check the third before committing. Choosing a region and then discovering a service you need is not offered there is an avoidable annoyance.
The open port 25 configuration
Like most providers, Linode restricts outbound SMTP on port 25 by default on new accounts to protect the reputation of its IP ranges. Ports 587 and 465 stay open for authenticated relay submission.
An account with port 25 open is for running an actual mail server, not for sending application email. If your software just needs to send receipts and password resets, relay through a service and skip the complexity entirely.
If you do need direct sending, set reverse DNS on the IP, publish SPF, configure DKIM signing and add a DMARC record before sending anything, then warm the IP gradually. See our guide to port 25 across providers for the full sequence.
Where Linode fits
Linode competes directly with DigitalOcean and, on price, with Hetzner. The choice usually comes down to region coverage and which console your team prefers. Linode’s Akamai backing gives it an edge on network reach; Hetzner tends to win on raw price per core in Europe.
It is not the platform to choose if you need a deep managed service catalogue. For analytics, machine learning or extensive managed data services, the large platforms are still where that work belongs.
Before you deploy
Change the delivered credentials, enable multi-factor authentication, replace SSH keys with your own, review any existing Linodes or volumes across all regions, and set a billing alert. Configure the firewall before exposing services publicly.
Common questions
Is Linode still called Linode?
The brand persists within Akamai Connected Cloud. Documentation and the console still use it.
Does the $100 trial credit expire?
Yes, promotional balances carry a validity window. Plan to use it inside that period.
Can I move an instance between regions?
There is no in-place region move. You take an image or backup and deploy it in the target region.