What is VPS Hosting?

If you're a webmaster looking for a way to get the advantages of a dedicated private server for the much more affordable price of shared web hosting, then VPS hosting might be the solution for you. VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is an increasingly popular method of web-hosting that involves the creation of multiple virtual servers on a single server computer. This means that each VPS exists on its own operating system, allowing for the same benefits as a single server.

Shared hosting, traditionally the choice of lower-traffic websites, shares the hardware resources of a single server across multiple accounts which can cause a variety of problems. However, the use of an entire dedicated server might be too costly for some, especially small businesses. Virtual Private Server hosting allots a predetermined amount of space and memory on a server for each account. These hard limits, coupled with other monitoring capabilities, all but eliminate the possibility of one account affecting another. A single VPS server can even be rebooted without disturbing any of the other accounts hosted on the same hardware.

VPS hosting is emerging as the preferred option for webmasters who want to save money, while still retaining the performance and security of a dedicated private server. However, VPS hosting might not be necessary in every situation. For example, if you operate a small personal website with a minimum of traffic, shared hosting will probably meet your needs. But if you're operating a business site, VPS hosting is probably for you. Let's take a look at some of the specific advantages of VPS hosting.

PROS:

Security

If you're operating any kind of a business-related site, especially one involving e-commerce, then security is a paramount issue. Shared hosting leaves you open to a variety of security issues, including those related to other users on the same shared server. In contrast, a Virtual Private Server hosts your site in an isolated environment, protecting it on a level only slightly rivaled by a dedicated private server.

Value

One of the reasons shared hosting is traditionally so affordable is because it distributes the costs of hosting, including things like maintenance, software, hardware, and connectivity, across multiple users. However, in the past, this low price came with sacrificing a degree of security and autonomy. Thanks to VPS hosting, you can now enjoy the same security, reliability, flexibility, and autonomy as a dedicated private server for close to the same rate as shared hosting. Considering that a dedicated private server can cost more than $100 a month, a Virtual Private Server really offers the best of both worlds.

Autonomy

VPS allows you to access and maintain your virtual server in the much the same way you could interact with a dedicated private server. While this would be impossible on a shared server, a Virtual Private Server allows you root access which means the ability to install your applications and otherwise customize your server. In addition, because of the partitioning, you're not in competition for server resources with other hosted sites.

CONS:

While it might seem like a VPS host is always preferable to either shared hosting or a dedicated private server, there are a few important issues to keep in mind:

Maintenance

A dedicated private server requires the webmaster to actively maintain the server, and a Virtual Private Server is no different. This is especially important to keep in mind if you're operating a small business and maintaining your own site. If you don't have the time to maintain the VPS by doing such things as installing security patches and system updates, then you might not want to go with a VPS host.

Performance

While the performance of VPS hosting is quite impressive, it should be noted that it is not yet up to the same caliber as an actual dedicated private server. A VPS server does grant your site a predetermined amount of system resources and memory but it is still dividing the resources of a single server for multiple users. As a result, the hardware stability of a Virtual Private Server, while strong, is not quite on par with a dedicated private server. If one of your prime concerns as a webmaster is finding a host with the highest level of power and performance available, you might want to consider a dedicated private server. However, you should also keep in mind that the difference in performance is only significant when dealing with a large site expecting massive amounts of traffic.

Is VPS Hosting for You? As you can see, VPS hosting might not be the best solution for everybody but in some cases, it's the best of both worlds.