When you create a VPS on LumaDock, one of the first choices you make is the availability zone.
This sounds technical, but the idea is simple.
An availability zone is the physical location where your VPS runs.
It determines how close your server is to you and to your users.
The closer the server is, the lower the delay when data travels back and forth. That delay is called latency.
What an availability zone means in practice
Your availability zone affects three main things:
How fast users connect to your server
Where your data is processed
Which region your VPS is physically hosted in
If your users are in Europe, choosing a European zone usually makes your site or app feel faster.
If your users are in the US, a US-based zone is usually the better choice.
LumaDock availability zones
LumaDock is a London-based platform and currently offers VPS deployments in the following locations:
London
New York
Paris
Amsterdam
Frankfurt
Bucharest
Helsinki
Warsaw
Each zone follows the same platform design and operational standards.
The difference between them is location, not features.
Which zone should you choose
If you’re not sure, use this simple rule:
Pick the zone closest to your main users
If it’s just for you, pick the zone closest to where you live
Examples:
Users in the UK or nearby regions often choose London
Users in Western Europe often choose Paris, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt
Users in Eastern Europe often choose Bucharest, Helsinki, or Warsaw
Users in North America should choose New York
You can always deploy another VPS in a different zone later if your needs change.
Checking latency before you deploy
If you want to see how fast each location connects to you, you can test network latency before ordering.
Use the LumaDock Looking Glass:
https://lg.lumadock.com
This lets you ping each zone and see real response times from your location.
That’s all there is to it. Pick the closest zone, deploy your VPS, and you’re ready to go.