Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 4, 2026

Cloudways

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform founded in 2012, enabling users to deploy web applications on servers from providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode and Vultr.

Last revised
Jun 4, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
649 w
Citations
32
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Cloudways
Cloudways
Company type
Subsidiary
Industry
FoundedAugust 1, 2012 (2012-08-01)
Founders
  • Aaqib Gadit
  • Pere Hospital
Headquarters
New York
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Paddy Srinivasan (CEO)
  • Suhaib Zaheer (SVP)1
Products
  • ThunderStack server stack
BrandsCloudways
Services
  • Managed cloud hosting
ParentDigitalOcean

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform founded in 2012, enabling users to deploy web applications on servers from providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode and Vultr.2345

History

Cloudways was founded in 2012 by Aaqib Gadit and Pere Hospital in Malta.678 It was designed to simplify cloud hosting with automation, managed services, and an easy-to-use interface.910 It grew by serving small and medium-sized businesses, digital agencies and e-commerce platforms needing cloud solutions without direct server management.51112

Acquisition by DigitalOcean

In August 2022, DigitalOcean Holdings Inc. announced its intention to acquire Cloudways for $350 million in cash.131415 The acquisition was completed in September 2022 and aligned with DigitalOcean's161718 strategy to enhance its offerings for small and medium-sized enterprises through integrated managed hosting services.192021

Services and features

Cloudways provides managed cloud hosting that supports deployment on leading infrastructure providers such as DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud and Linode.222324 Its proprietary Thunder Stack includes Nginx, Apache, Memcached, Varnish, Redis, and PHP-FPM to optimize application performance.25 The platform manages server setup, maintenance, security patches, backups, and performance monitoring.72126

In 2022, Cloudways integrated Cloudflare services to offer advanced features such as CDN, DDoS protection, and a Web Application Firewall (WAF).272829

References

References

  1. "DigitalOcean unveils new malware protection for Cloudways platform". datacenternews. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  2. "DigitalOcean to Buy Web-Hosting Firm Cloudways for $350 Million". bloomberg. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  3. "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  4. Staff, V. B. (2025-05-08). "The future of managed hosting: Smarter, Faster, AI-powered". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  5. "Will a $350M deal boost Pakistan's start-up ecosystem?". TRTWORLD. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  6. Ecombridges (2023-05-16). "Cloudways Pricing 2023: Which Plan Should You Choose?". Ecombridges. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
  7. "US firm buys Cloudways for $350m". DAWN. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  8. "Cloudways". Akamai. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  9. "Jan 06, 2023 | Gong ceremony marks largest acquisition in IT sector". Dawn Epaper. 2023-01-06. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  10. Giannelis, Matthew (2025-05-20). "Hosting.com Shared Servers Outperform Cloudways "High Performance" VPS". Tech Business News. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  11. "Cloud Services, SaaS M&A: DigitalOcean Acquires Cloudways for 6.7X Annual Revenue -". ChannelE2E. 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  12. Alam, Kazim (2023-01-06). "Gong ceremony marks largest acquisition in IT sector". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
  13. "DigitalOcean croque CloudWays pour 350 M$ - Le Monde Informatique". LeMondeInformatique (in French). 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  14. "DigitalOcean Holdings Buys Cloudways, Enhances Offerings for SMBs". www.channelfutures.com. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  15. "US firm to buy Pakistan's Cloudways for $350 million". The Current. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
  16. "Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited - | PSX | Events PSX | PSX Holds Gong Ceremony To Mark The Acquisition Cloudways". Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  17. Team, Techjuice (2022-08-24). "Pakistan's Leading Cloud Host Provider 'Cloudways' to be Acquired by DigitalOcean for $350 million". TechJuice. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  18. DigitalOcean (2022-08-24). "DigitalOcean to Acquire Cloudways". TelecomTV. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  19. Shahnawaz, Hamza (2023-01-05). "PSX celebrates biggest acquisition of Pakistani IT firm by foreign entity". Pkrevenue.com. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
  20. "Document". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  21. "Cloud Services, SaaS M&A: DigitalOcean Acquires Cloudways for 6.7X Annual Revenue". channele2e. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  22. "#Cloudways Increases Cloud Hosting Options, Integrates #Linode as Its Sixth Cloud Infrastructure Provider". HostingJournalist.com. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  23. Report, Recorder (2023-01-06). "Largest takeover of local startup by a US firm: PSX hosts gong ceremony to mark acquisition of Cloudways by DigitalOcean". Brecorder. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  24. April, Jen Phillips (2025-05-26). "Best Web Hosting for Small Business of June 2025". Newsweek Vault. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  25. "Cloudways Reviews & Product Details". Retrieved Jun 19, 2025.
  26. Report, Recorder (2023-01-06). "Largest takeover of local startup by a US firm: PSX hosts gong ceremony to mark acquisition of Cloudways by DigitalOcean". Brecorder. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
  27. "Govt to expand IT industry to raise its contribution in economic development: Dar". 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
  28. "Best Cloud Web Hosting for 2025". CNET. 2025-04-05. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  29. updated, James Capell Contributions from Ruby P. Jane last (2021-12-06). "Cloudways review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2025-06-19. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)