Virtualization Guide: Comparing VPS Platform Options

Once you've made the decision to move from a shared hosting service or local server to a virtual private server (VPS), you're bound to have some questions. One of the most important is what VPS platform you should choose in order to get maximum return on your investment, as well as the best performance. This VPS guide will give a general overview of some of the most popular VPS platforms on the market, giving you the data you need to make an informed decision.

VPS Platforms – Why They Matter

At their heart, all virtualized servers operate in very similar ways; a physical server is portioned out into smaller pieces that are then rented to companies just like yours. These server slices are meant to act as separate entities, allowing you to install the apps and store the data you want, all without worrying that your information is accessible to others, or that what they do on their portion of the server will affect you. A VPS platform helps to manage both server slices and what can be put onto them, as well as a monitor the use of resources.

Welcome To Hyper-V

One of the most popular VPS platform choices and one you will see mentioned in virtually any VPS guide is Windows Hyper-V. Made by Microsoft, this VPS platform has been gaining ground in recent years as a VPS choice, and features an active hypervisor that monitors server use and disk I/O in order to provider stable performance for all users. While this platform can be made to run with Linux, it is far better (not surprisingly) when running Windows, and often comes with a higher cost than other platforms on the market.

Say Hello to Virtuozzo Containers

Another choice for a VPS platform is Virtuozzo Containers, which is made by Parallels. This platform comes in both Linux and Windows varieties, and is known for the ease with which it can be installed and get up and running – under 1/2 an hour for Windows and under an hour for Linux. In addition, the cost of a Virtuozzo VPS is often far less than one running Hyper-V, but can perform many of the same functions.

Other VPS Options on the Market

While Hyper-V and Virtuozzo are the big boys on the market at the moment, that doesn’t mean they are the only choices. Two other popular options include OpenVZ and Xen, both of which offer a number of benefits for users. Both are open-source and free to download.

Xen is a hypervisor which supports operating systems including Windows, Linux and Solaris, and currently hosts both Amazon Web Services and Rackspace Hosting, as well as a number of other public clouds. Xen is constantly undergoing development and deployment thanks to its active community, thought it has no company-dedicated support in the same way as Virtuozzo or Hyper-V

OpenVZ is an OS-level virtualization that is based on a single Linux kernel. It is open-source and it is also free, and gives admins full root access to their server slice – making a server running OpenVZ seem much more like a dedicated server. OpenVZ takes up a comparatively small amount of resources, but is not as flexible or robust as other options mentioned.

Each of these VPS platforms comes with built-in strengths and weaknesses, and therefore any VPS review must be taken with a grain of salt. Depending on your needs, a Hyper-V platform might be most applicable, or a Xen choice might be best. No matter what you require, however, there is a likely a VPS platform to suit.