Moodle Hosting

PikaPods notes that Moodle's initial startup can take several minutes; check the pod logs for progress. Once you can sign in as the site administrator, set the site name, language and timezone, then create your first course.

Decide how learner accounts will be created and how learners will enrol in courses. These are separate settings. The administrator quick guide explains the initial site configuration, and the teacher quick guide covers course setup.

No. PikaPods sets up and runs Moodle for you, including OS and app updates and HTTPS. You won't touch Docker or a server. Your files and database stay accessible if you ever want to move them elsewhere.

Yes. Moodle has a responsive browser interface. The official Moodle App is also available for Android and iOS, but the administrator must enable mobile app access for the site before learners connect using the pod URL.

Moodle's free app plan has limits on offline courses and push notifications. Premium capabilities require a separate Moodle App plan; do not assume they are included with your pod. Check the current Moodle App plans and compatibility information before relying on app-only features.

Create accounts individually, upload them by CSV, or configure a supported self-registration method. Then enrol those accounts in the course and assign the appropriate student or teacher role. You can use manual enrolment or enable self-enrolment, optionally with an enrolment key; see the administrator guide and course enrolment overview.

Set up incremental backups to S3 in your pod settings for automatic nightly snapshots, or download your files and database yourself. We keep whole-server backups for server failures, but they aren't a per-pod restore service, so your own backup is what protects your data.

You can use Moodle instead of Canvas and Blackboard. PikaPods runs it for you, and you can move your files and database elsewhere.

Both are full learning platforms with courses, assignments, quizzes and gradebooks. Canvas is sold and hosted by Instructure, mainly to institutions. Moodle puts configuration in your own hands, including plugins and enrolment, and a large community supports it. That flexibility means more setup, so it's better suited to someone who can administer it.

No. You add prepaid credit and your pods are billed by the hour from that balance, rounded up to full hours. There are no contracts or minimum terms: delete a pod anytime and billing stops. Optional automatic top-ups keep your pods running without manual payments.

You do. And you're in full control. If you ever want to download, migrate, edit or delete your data, just enable file and database access for your pod and it will be right there.