There's no single "change IP" button, because a server's address is tied to its network type and its location. What you can do depends on what you're starting from. Four cases cover almost every request we get, and none of them need a ticket.
If you're not sure which network type you have: the Network tab of your server in the dashboard says either NAT or Dedicated public IPv4. The difference is explained in Network & ports.
1. NAT server → its own public IPv4
The most common case. A NAT server has no public IPv4 of its own: you reach it on a personal SSH (or RDP) port, and other inbound ports are closed. To host a website, a mail server or anything else people connect to, you need a dedicated address.
You don't have to reinstall. In the dashboard, open the server, go to the Billing tab and choose a dedicated-IP plan of the same size or larger among the upgrade options. Over the API it's GET /services/{id}/upgrade-options to see the choices and the price, then POST /services/{id}/upgrade-to-dedicated with target_plan and confirm: true.
What happens:
- you pay the difference between the two monthly prices for the days left in the current period, from your balance;
- the server reboots with the new address; the disk and your files stay as they are;
- SSH moves to port 22 on the new IPv4, and every port you open in your firewall becomes reachable;
- from the next period you pay the new plan's price.
Things to expect after the reboot. Your SSH client will warn that the host key changed, because the server generates new keys for the new address. If you changed the root password by hand, check it: it may be back to the one shown in your dashboard. And if you replaced cloud-init networking with your own configuration, the new address won't apply by itself; open the web console from the dashboard and set it there.
The switch needs a free address in your server's location. If there isn't one at that moment, the upgrade is refused and nothing is charged.
2. A second IPv4 on a dedicated server
If you already have a dedicated IPv4 and need another one — a second site with its own address, a separate address for mail — add it on the server page under Dedicated IP: $5 a month, charged in full when you order, with its own renewal date. Over the API: POST /services/{id}/dedicated-ip.
The new address appears as a second network interface after the next reboot. Your main address doesn't change. If the location has no free address right now, the order waits in a queue and the address is assigned automatically when one frees up.
The $5 isn't refunded if you remove the address or cancel the server.
3. Dedicated IPv4 → back to NAT
On the same page you can switch a dedicated-IP server to the NAT plan of the same size. Your public IPv4 goes back to our pool, the server reboots onto a private address with a personal SSH port, and inbound ports other than that one close. The disk isn't touched, and billing moves to the NAT price.
Do this only if nothing depends on the address. Once the IPv4 is released, someone else can get it, and you can't ask for that exact address back.
4. A different address altogether
Some people simply want a fresh address: a new project, a clean reputation, a different country. The way to get one is a new server. Order it, move your data across, point DNS at the new address, then cancel the old server. When you order over the API or MCP, you can pick the country with location: "de" or "fi".
This is also the only way to move a server to the other location: an IPv4 belongs to its location.
What doesn't change the address
| Action | Main IPv4 |
|---|---|
| Reboot, stop and start | stays |
| Reinstalling the OS | stays |
| Bigger plan of the same type (NAT→NAT, IP→IP) | stays |
| Changing hostname or reverse DNS | stays |
| NAT → dedicated IP | new public IPv4 |
| Dedicated IP → NAT | released |
| Cancelling the server | released |
Before you change anything
- Lower your DNS TTL a few hours ahead if a domain points at the server, so the switch propagates quickly.
- Check allowlists. Exchange API keys, partner firewalls and database rules that trust the old address need the new one.
- Set reverse DNS again on the new address if you send mail; it's per address. See Network & ports.
- Make a backup. None of these steps touch the disk, but a reboot is a good moment to have one. Managed backups are described in Backups.
If your address is on a blocklist
A listing is usually tied to traffic from before you had the address, or from your own server. Changing the address doesn't fix the second kind. Check the listing, fix the cause, and use the list's delisting form. If you think the listing is wrong, open a ticket with the list name and a link; we look at each case but don't swap addresses on request.
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