Run a Network Speed Test on Your VPS (and Pick a Server Location)

What a speed test measures

• Download speed. How fast data comes to your VPS (Mbps).
• Upload speed. How fast data leaves your VPS (Mbps).
• Latency (ping). The time a packet needs to travel and return, in milliseconds.
• Jitter. How much the latency changes.

How a VPS differs from a home connection

• Network. A VPS sits in a data center with fast, special links.
• Virtualization. Your VPS shares the physical host with others.
• Shared resources. Busy neighbors can have an effect on the results at times.

Why the test location matters

• Distance to your audience. Test against a server near your visitors.
• Performance of regions. Networks differ between regions.
• Routing. The path between your VPS and the test server changes the result.

Step 1: Connect to the VPS

ssh username@your_server_ip

Enter the password if asked.

Step 2: Install speedtest-cli

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3-pip

Install the tool. On new Debian and Ubuntu systems, use apt and not pip:

sudo apt install speedtest-cli

(You can also use sudo pip3 install speedtest-cli, or a virtual environment on newer systems.)

Step 3: Run the test

speedtest-cli

The tool finds a nearby server and runs the test. The result shows the download and upload speed, the ping and the location of the test server.

Choose a test server

List the servers close to you:

speedtest-cli --list

Run the test against one of them by its ID:

speedtest-cli --server 1234

Use a short output:

speedtest-cli --simple

Read the result

Tips

• Run the test several times at different times of the day.
• Test against servers in the regions of your visitors.
• Compare the result with the plan of your VPS. Open a ticket with Hostvento support if it is far below what you expect.

Quick recap

• Install speedtest-cli and run it.
• Choose a server near your users with --list and --server.
• Test several times.