Dedicated Mac Server

Single-tenant hardware, not a slice of one

"Mac in the cloud" covers quite different products. Some run macOS virtual machines on shared hosts. Others hand out short-lived machines that are wiped after each job. A Hatmac dedicated Mac server is one physical Mac assigned to one customer for the whole term.

	Dedicated Mac server	Shared or virtual Mac
Hardware	The whole physical machine	A share of a host machine
Neighbours	None	Other tenants on the same host
Performance	All CPU, GPU and memory, every time	Can vary with what else is running
GPU and Metal	Native	May be limited inside a VM
State	Your disk persists for the term	Sometimes reset per session or job
Control	Full macOS desktop and terminal	Often restricted

For a longer comparison, read cloud Mac vs Mac VPS.

Prices in USD per month for each machine's starting configuration. More memory, storage or several machines? Ask us.

Server-style workloads on a dedicated Mac

• Always-on services. Register daemons with launchd so they start at boot and restart if they exit. Typical examples are an internal web service, a build cache, or a code-signing and notarisation step that has to run on macOS.
• Automation. Scheduled jobs, Shortcuts and AppleScript workflows, Safari and macOS UI testing, or overnight builds that are ready when your team starts work.
• APIs. Wrap a macOS-only capability, such as a native framework or an Ollama model server, in a small HTTP service your other systems call. Keep it bound to localhost and reach it through an SSH tunnel unless you have a reason to expose it.
• CI. Run persistent macOS CI/CD runners or a Jenkins macOS build agent. Because the disk persists, dependency and build caches stay warm between jobs.

Security and isolation on a dedicated Mac server

Dedicated hardware removes some risks and leaves others with you. Here is what you can count on, and what remains your job.

• No co-tenants. No other customer's processes run on your Mac, and its SSD is not shared with anyone.
• You own the accounts. You manage macOS users, passwords and SSH keys. Use key-based SSH and turn off password login once your keys work.
• Fewer open doors. Tell us which remote access methods you actually use. Each tool configured is another way in, so a server that only needs SSH should only have SSH.
• Built-in macOS protections. The application firewall, Gatekeeper and FileVault are all available. FileVault needs to be unlocked after a restart, so plan for that before you enable it on a headless machine.
• Normal server hygiene. Keep macOS and your software patched, keep secrets out of plain-text files, and back up what matters. Dedicated hardware reduces shared risk; it does not replace good practice.

Choosing a machine

Most server-style work runs well on a Mac mini. The Mac mini M4 with 16GB handles light services and a single runner. The 24GB Mac mini M6 gives CI jobs room for caches and simulators. The Mac mini M5 Pro suits sustained, parallel workloads. Move to a Mac Studio when you are serving larger models or holding big datasets in memory. See Mac cloud server and Apple silicon server for more ways teams use them.

If you need private networking between several servers or a static IP, tell us what you need and we will tell you what we can set up.

FAQ

Is a dedicated Mac server a virtual machine?

No. It is a physical Apple silicon Mac assigned to one customer. You get the whole machine, not a VM on a shared host.

Can I keep services running all the time?

Yes. The Mac is yours for the term. Use launchd to start services at boot and restart them if they stop.

Can I get a static IP or private networking between servers?

That depends on your setup. Tell us what you need and we will come back with options.

Who handles macOS updates?

You manage the software on your Mac, including when to install macOS updates. If anything looks wrong with the hardware, open a support ticket in your account.