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What is a VPS Server | How VPS Differs from Web Hosting

What is a VPS Server | How VPS Differs from Web Hosting

Hosting is often a scary topic for people unfamiliar with technology. It is difficult for them to understand what we are talking about. But there are several types of hosting. And each option has its own characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. If you are just beginning your journey through the high-tech world, we suggest you get acquainted with VPS (Virtual Private Server) by comparing it with the parameters of shared hosting. 

Briefly about the differences between VPS and shared hosting

Shared hosting is the sharing of a server with other sites. Resources, which is bandwidth, and storage in this case are distributed among all tenants and not always evenly. VPS hosting is an imitation of a dedicated server, dedicated resources on a physical server, which are provided for the use of one tenant. 

If you are even more confused by this description, we suggest that you understand the nuances by the example of renting real estate: 

Accordingly, the cost of shared hosting is lower than the rental price of VPS hosting. But do not immediately choose the less expensive option. After all, VPS is a balanced ratio of price and quality. Providers offer different plans for the website owner to determine which resources they will need at the time of the launch of the web resource. And then they can be increased as the needs grow, switching to another tariff. 

By the way, the next option is a dedicated server, which will pull a personal apartment. But we will talk about it in another article. Let’s get back to our topic. So, shared hosting is:  

At the same time, shared hosting is: 

Let’s talk about VPS. This type of hosting is:

The disadvantages of VPS are the following factors:  

Consider how important these characteristics are.

Resource Allocation

Every phenomenon or process requires resources. In order to live, a person has to eat and sleep. To shower two strangers at the same time, you need to have two bathrooms in your apartment. The main resources of hosting, which are necessary for the operation of sites, are space for storage, memory, and performance. 

By renting shared hosting, you agree to share these parameters with your neighbors. But this division is not adjustable. If one web resource requires a lot of bandwidth, the other sites will suffer. If it requires a lot of memory, it may not be enough for the normal functioning of “neighbors”. 

VPS hosting offers guaranteed dedicated resources for a particular user. In addition, providers provide tenants with root access to the server environment. And this is an opportunity to install additional software. 

Security

It is important to note that providers pay a lot of attention to the security of both shared hosting and virtual private servers. However, it is much more difficult to ensure 100% security in the first case. 

If you share virtual space with an untrustworthy site, if one web resource makes a mistake, each portal becomes vulnerable. By comparison, if your roommate decides to leave the door unlocked, all the tenants are at risk of attack or robbery!

VPS Hosting is characterized by increased security because the space provided to you is restricted from the neighbors. Additionally, you can install software that will protect the site from hacker attacks and intrusions. It’s like installing an alarm system in your own room. 

Performance

Performance is the most important parameter for web hosting. After all, any user of the network uses only those pages on the Internet, which open quickly and correctly. If your site takes a long time to load, pictures do not open, videos do not play, the visitor will leave and never come back. VPS is superior to shared hosting in terms of performance. A virtual private server handles traffic peaks better. But if you do not have them happen, if the number of your visitors are stable and does not increase every day, shared hosting will meet your needs. But let me warn you. If the popularity of your site or a neighboring site will increase rapidly, the performance may not be enough to properly serve your visitors.

Configuration 

The shared hosting configuration or setup is done by your provider. This means that by choosing this option, you are agreeing to basic, existing settings. Don’t see this as a complete disadvantage. After all, you do not need to hire a specialist who will understand all the intricacies and take care of the server. 

VPS can be managed and unmanaged. In the first case, the process of setting up is taken over by the the provider. But you will have to pay extra.  The task of managing an unmanaged virtual private server is fully yours. For a clearer understanding of the difference, let’s talk about real estate again. To keep order in the room, you can hire a maid. If you can not afford it, you will have to clean yourself.  

Scalability

Scalability is, in this case, the ability to change the volume of resources. If your site is visited by only a few hundred users a week, and you are not waiting for traffic growth, shared hosting, which has difficulties with scalability, is enough for you. VPS is another matter. In this case, your hosting can grow along with the site. As soon as the resources are no longer enough, it is enough to move to the next hosting plan to get the necessary features. It is important to note that large providers offer quite a flexible gradation of plans – choose according to your needs!   

What to choose?

Once we understand what is VPS, and what its difference from the virtual hosting, it remains only to summarize certain results, dwell on what option is better. Experts recommend choosing shared hosting for static websites – resources with unchanging content and low traffic. For example, for a personal blog or a business site. 

VPS is ideal for start-up business, online store, news agency. This option offers more opportunities, a guarantee of safety and performance. VPS is also suitable for those who previously used shared hosting services, but intend to expand. 

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