Oracle provides a free server with a 4-core CPU and 24 GB of RAM every month.
Indefinite. No charges. As long as the account remains active, the machine stays.
This guide explains how to pass registration on your first try and how to set up and use ARM instances.
What You Get for Free
Oracle's free plan is called Always Free. It's not a trial or a limited-time event; it's truly permanent.
The core resource is an ARM-based server:
Resource Configuration: CPU 4 Cores (Ampere A1), RAM 24 GB, Storage 200 GB, Monthly Traffic 10 TB Egress, Price Always Free.
Oracle calculates usage by hours: 3,000 OCPU hours + 18,000 GB-hours per month, which perfectly covers one 4-core/24G RAM instance.
The same configuration on AWS would cost $80-100 per month. Oracle gives it to you for free, with only one condition: the account must stay active, and the machine cannot be idle for long periods (see the maintenance section at the end).
In addition to the ARM server, you also get 2 AMD x86 small machines (approx. 1 core 1 GB each), which are weaker but good for backups or lightweight tasks.
Three Things to Prepare Before Registering
1. Physical Credit Card
It must be a physical card with a Visa or Mastercard logo. Cards issued by major banks work. Virtual cards and prepaid cards are not accepted.
A pre-authorization of about $1 will be made for verification during binding; it will be automatically refunded within a few days.
2. Email + Phone Number
Standard email addresses and mobile numbers (including +86) can be used directly.
3. Turn Off Proxy, Use Mobile Hotspot
Turn off all VPNs and proxies during registration. Use a mobile 4G/5G hotspot instead of WiFi.
Oracle checks if the IP source matches the credit card's issuing country. Proxies will make your IP appear as another country, leading to verification failure.
Troubleshooting Registration Failures
If a red exclamation mark appears after submission, most people have fallen into this trap: Inconsistency between IP source, credit card issuing country, and billing address.
Oracle's risk control system validates these three. When registering with a local card, the rules are simple:
- IP comes from your local country (mobile hotspot, no proxy)
- Credit card is a Visa/Mastercard issued in your country
- Billing address matches your country
Aligning these three significantly increases the success rate. This is a logical risk control pattern observed by the community.
Troubleshooting Checklist:
- Is the VPN/proxy completely off?
- Are you using a mobile hotspot (not WiFi)?
- Is the credit card a physical Visa/Mastercard (not virtual/prepaid)?
- Is the billing address correct?
- Have you tried the same card more than twice? → Stop, change cards, or wait 2-3 days.
Stop and Think About the Region
During registration, you must choose a "Home Region" — this cannot be changed later.
This step determines whether you can grab an ARM instance in the future. Popular regions are highly competitive, and free accounts often stand no chance.
Region Recommendations:
Phoenix (US West) ✅ Top Choice
Mumbai (India) ✅ Alternative
Jakarta (Indonesia) ✅ Alternative
Tokyo / Seoul / Singapore ⚠️ Low ARM availability
Unless your service requires low Asian latency, prioritize Phoenix.
Phoenix is recommended. Stability in getting the machine is more important than latency for a server.
Registration Process
After preparing your items, open an incognito browser window to start.
Step 1 — Enter the Registration Page
Go to oracle.com/cloud/free and click "Start for free".
Step 2 — Fill in Basic Information
Select your country, use Pinyin for your name, enter your email, and verify it via the link sent to your inbox.
Step 3 — Set Password and Account Type
Password must be 8+ characters with uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters. Select Individual for Customer Type.
Step 4 — Select Home Region
Select US West (Phoenix) and proceed.
Step 5 — Fill in Address
Fill in the English address corresponding to your credit card billing address.
Step 6 — Fill in Phone Number
Enter your mobile number with the country code and receive the verification code.
Step 7 — Bind Credit Card
Enter credit card info and submit. Wait 30-60 seconds; if you see the welcome page, you have succeeded.
How to Create an ARM Instance
Log in to the console and go to Compute → Instances → Create Instance.
Core Selections:
- Image: Ubuntu 22.04 (marked "Always Free Eligible")
- Shape: VM.Standard.A1.Flex, set to 4 cores / 24 GB RAM
- Storage: Custom boot volume, 200 GB
- SSH Keys: Upload your .pub public key file
To generate an SSH key on Mac/Linux:
1ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f ~/.ssh/oracle_key
Click Create. Once the status turns green, it's running.
If It Says "Out of Capacity"
If you see "Out of Capacity", it means the ARM resources in that region are temporarily full. Manual refreshing is inefficient. Use community scripts to automatically attempt creation when capacity is released:
- GitHub Actions version: github.com/maoucodes/oci-free-arm-instance
- Python version: github.com/mohankumarpaluru/oracle-freetier-instance-creation
Keep the Instance Active
Oracle reclaims idle servers. If CPU, RAM, and network usage are below 20% for 7 consecutive days, they may recover the instance. You can use a cron job to generate minor activity:
1# Run once an hour to generate minor activity2* */1 * * * curl -s https://www.oracle.com > /dev/null
Summary
Oracle's free ARM server is powerful enough for a solo company. Registration is straightforward if you follow the rules regarding physical cards and IP consistency. Be patient with capacity—let a script do the waiting for you.
