Contabo's Windows Server licensing isn't legit, right?

To be honest, I thought this would be simple. It was not.

• VPS: 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM / 80 GB SSD at Contabo
• Price: €5/month, KVM
• Goal: Run Windows Server 2022 for a legacy .NET app

Contabo offers "Windows Server" as template. No SPLA mentioned. I ask support: "is this licensed?" They say "yes, included." I say "under what program?" Silence for 48 hours.

I dig into SPLA myself. Found the Microsoft hosting partner list. Contabo is not on it. As said, this is a problem.

Bring-your-own-license route: my company has volume licensing. But Microsoft product terms say "licenses are not for use in shared hosting environments or third-party datacenters." Unless the provider is an Authorized Mobility Partner. Contabo is not.

So I am paying €5 for a VPS that legally cannot run Windows Server with any license I can obtain. The template itself is probably... borrowed.

I considered just running it and hoping. Dutch pragmatism lost to Dutch guilt. Now I run the app on Debian with Wine. Performance is terrible. Compliance is excellent.

Has anyone actually navigated this successfully? With real paperwork?

Bro... very very confusing this licensing thing... I also use windows template at cheap cheap provider before... never think about it gan....

Just run it bro... who check... very very small vps like dat....

But respect to you for researching... very very thorough...

The real Scam is not the five Dollar Host, it is Microsofts deliberate Obfuscation of Licensing Rules designed to extract Revenue from anyone attempting Legitimate Compliance[1]

I spent three Months on this rabbit hole for a Client. SPLA requires the Provider to report Monthly. Most five Dollar Shops never report anything. BYOL requires Authorized Mobility. The List changes quarterly and is buried behind Partner Portals someoneelsesproblem[2]

The only winning Move is not to play. Linux Hosts do not phone home to Red Hat asking if your Kernel is Sad.

[1] microsoft licensing docs, revision 47, paragraph 3.2.1, probably changed by now
[2] I made this Compound up. It Fits.

Made VPS last month with Windows template, did not know about SPLA. Will check with provider today.

Your Debian with Wine solution is very creative sir.

May I ask, how is performance with legacy app? My use case is similar.

@JokoNord (don't thank him yet (or actually do (he did the work))) the Wine route is technically a violation too if your.NET app has Windows-only licensing (which it probably does (they all do (Microsoft ecosystem lock-in is fractal)))

(to be honest (as Pieter says)) the only clean answer is Azure but then you're paying (drumroll) forty-seven dollars for the same specs (compliance costs money (who knew)))

I started writing a flowchart once (abandoned it (too many arrows (too many sad faces)))