Cloudways for Team Collaboration: Guide for Dev Teams

Managing a dev team’s access to hosting infrastructure is a common pain point for agencies, freelance collectives, and in-house tech teams. Shared credentials, accidental server changes, and delayed deployments due to missing access rights waste hours of productive time every week.

That’s why more teams are turning to Cloudways for team collaboration—a managed cloud hosting platform built with granular access controls, role-based permissions, and workflow tools designed specifically for multi-user teams. For a breakdown of which Cloudways plan fits your team size, check our guide to Cloudways pricing for agencies.

In this guide, we’ll break down how Cloudways’ team collaboration features work, how to set them up, and best practices to boost your team’s productivity. As noted in Gartner’s 2024 Cloud Hosting Trends report, role-based access control is the top requested feature for team collaboration tools among dev teams.

Why Use Cloudways for Team Collaboration?

Unlike traditional shared hosting or unmanaged VPS providers, Cloudways bakes team collaboration into its core platform. Here’s why it’s a top choice for teams:

Granular Role-Based Access Control

You don’t have to give every team member full admin access. Cloudways lets you assign pre-set roles (Admin, Team Member, Billing, Support) or create custom roles with exactly the permissions each user needs.

No Shared Credentials Needed

Gone are the days of sharing a single root password across your entire team. Every team member gets their own login, with access limited to only the servers and apps they need to work on.

Streamlined Deployment Workflows

Developers can push updates, test changes, and deploy code without waiting for admin approval (if you grant them the right permissions), cutting down on deployment delays.

Key Cloudways Team Collaboration Features

These are the standout tools that make Cloudways for team collaboration a game-changer for multi-user teams:

Pre-Set and Custom Team Roles

Cloudways offers four default roles:

• Admin: Full access to all servers, apps, billing, and team settings
• Team Member: Access to assigned servers and apps, no billing/team management rights
• Billing: Only access to payment and invoice settings
• Support: Only access to support tickets and basic server info

You can also create custom roles to fit your team’s exact workflow, like a “Frontend Developer” role that only has access to staging sites.

Server and App-Level Access Controls

You can assign access at two levels: server-wide (a user can access all apps on a specific server) or app-specific (a user can only access one or two apps on a server). This is perfect for agencies managing multiple client projects, as you can restrict freelancers to only the apps they’re contracted to work on.

Activity Logs for Full Transparency

Every action taken by a team member is logged in the Cloudways Activity tab, including logins, app deployments, server setting changes, and permission updates. Each log includes a timestamp, the user’s name, and the exact action taken—ideal for auditing and troubleshooting.

One-Click Team Invites

Adding a new team member takes less than a minute: enter their email, assign a role, select the servers/apps they need access to, and click send. The new member gets an email invite to set up their own login, no shared credentials required.

How to Set Up Team Collaboration on Cloudways

Setting up team access on Cloudways takes less than 10 minutes. Follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Cloudways account and navigate to the Team tab in the top navigation bar.
2. Click the Add Member button in the top right corner.
3. Enter the new member’s email address and assign a default role (you can adjust permissions later).
4. Use the checkboxes to select which servers and/or apps the member needs access to.
5. Adjust granular permissions for the member (like allowing them to deploy apps or modify server settings) if needed.
6. Click Send Invite to notify the team member and grant them access.

Best Practices for Cloudways Team Collaboration

To get the most out of Cloudways for team collaboration, follow these proven best practices:

• Review roles quarterly: As team members take on new projects or leave, update their access rights to avoid unused permissions.
• Limit root access: Only assign Admin roles to core team members who need full account control.
• Use activity logs for regular audits: Check the Activity tab monthly to spot unusual actions or unauthorized changes.
• Create project-specific teams: For large agencies, create separate team groups for each client project to keep access organized.

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve answered the most common questions about using Cloudways for team collaboration below:

Can I add unlimited team members to Cloudways?

It depends on your Cloudways plan. Entry-level plans (like the $10/month DigitalOcean plan) cap team members at 3, while mid-tier and above plans support unlimited team members. You can upgrade your plan at any time to add more seats.

Can I restrict team members to specific apps only?

Yes. Cloudways lets you assign access at the server level, app level, or both. You can limit a freelancer to only the two client apps they’re working on, even if those apps are hosted on a server with 10 other apps.

Does Cloudways track all team member activity?

Absolutely. All actions taken by team members are logged in the Activity tab, including logins, app deployments, server setting changes, and permission updates. Logs include timestamps, user names, and detailed action descriptions.

Can I revoke access instantly if a team member leaves?

Yes. You can remove a team member from your Cloudways account in two clicks via the Team tab. This instantly cuts off all their access to your servers, apps, and billing information.

Conclusion

Cloudways for team collaboration removes the friction from managing multi-user hosting access. With granular role controls, detailed activity logs, and easy invite tools, you’ll spend less time managing credentials and more time shipping code.

Whether you’re a 5-person dev agency or a 50-person in-house tech team, Cloudways’ collaboration features scale to fit your workflow.

Ready to streamline your team’s hosting workflow? Sign up for a free Cloudways trial today and test out team collaboration features risk-free (no credit card required).