You’ve got yourself a fine website; organic traffic is satisfying, conversions are coming, and everything seems to be in order. As your audience grows, you start to notice slight performance issues- pages are loading somewhat slower than usual, you find yourself running out of server space, and your website starts experiencing downtimes all of a sudden. These things usually point to one thing; shared hosting is not cutting it for you anymore, and you need to upgrade to a better-performing hosting solution. Most of the time, VPS is the best option at this point. But why? And How? What is it and how does it really work?
Let’s answer these questions and learn all there is to know about VPS!
What is VPS Hosting?
We have covered shared hosting and dedicated hosting before. (Check them out if you haven’t already!) VPS (Virtual Private Server) falls somewhere in between the two. It is a hosting solution that uses virtualization technology to split a shared physical server into multiple virtual, “dedicated” servers. We put that between quotes because the server is still shared by multiple users, as in shared hosting, but this time, they all have their private virtual server with resources -RAM, CPU, etc.- allocated to their use only.
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How Does VPS Hosting Work?
- Virtualization: A physical server is divided into multiple virtual servers using virtualization software such as VMware or Hyper-V.
- Resource Allocation: Each virtual server is allocated a portion of the physical server’s resources such as CPU, memory, and storage.
- Operating System: These servers run its own operating system, allowing users to install their own applications and software.
- Isolation: They are isolated from other virtual servers on the same physical server, providing a higher level of security and stability.
- Access & Control: Users have full control over their virtual server and can access it through remote desktop protocols or a control panel provided by the hosting company.
VPS hosting provides a balance between cost and performance, making it a popular choice for businesses and website owners who require more resources than shared hosting can provide, but don’t want the expense of a dedicated server.
Pros and Cons of VPS Hosting
To help you decide whether it is the right option for you or not, here are the pros and cons of VPS hosting:
Pros
😊Faster and much more reliable than shared hosting- As you won’t be sharing your server resources, VPS is a better-performing and safer option, when compared to shared hosting.
😊Easy to scale- If your website keeps growing -let’s hope that it does!- you won’t have any problems upgrading your VPS sources, such as CPU, RAM, disk space, etc.
😊Affordable- It is obviously not the cheapest option available, but VPS offers an experience close to a dedicated server at a much more affordable price.
😊Privacy- As your website files and databases will be locked and separated from the other users of the physical server, you will have much better privacy than shared hosting.
😊Scalability- VPS hosting provides a scalable solution, allowing users to increase their resource allocation as their website grows.
Cons
☹Technically demanding- You need more technical knowledge to setup a VPS, and managing your server will require more technical skills as well.
☹Less control when compared to a dedicated server- While dedicated servers will give you full control, there will be some limitations with VPS hosting.
☹Not as secure as a dedicated server- Yes, VPS is a lot more secure when compared to shared hosting, but it is not as secure as a dedicated server.
How to Choose the Best VPS Hosting for Your Website?
Today, almost all of the top providers offer their users VPS plans. Choosing the right one might be difficult, but we’ve got a few pointers to help you out. Take these into consideration before choosing your VPS provider:
How much resource you need – You should know this, as you don’t want to pay for resources you’re not gonna use, nor do you want to find yourself short on resources as your site grows.
Backend management – How are you going to handle the backend operations? You can either go with managed VPS or unmanaged VPS hosting. An unmanaged plan will surely help you save some money, but you/your team will have more to take care of, and more technical skills will be needed.
Customer support – You never know when you will need professional support, but when you do, you want your provider’s team to be fast & effective. Read a lot of support reviews, and try to choose a company that offers 24/7 live customer support.
Price – Yes, you usually get what you pay for, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive alternative is always the best. Compare a lot of offers, and try to find the one with the best value for money, considering your needs and priorities.
VPS Hosting FAQ
Here are some of the popular questions and answers about VPS hosting:
Q: Who is VPS hosting for? When should I switch to VPS hosting?
A: If you are using a shared server, and it starts to become too limiting for your website needs, and at the same time you don’t think you really need a dedicated server -or maybe cannot afford one yet- VPS is probably the best option for you.On the other hand, maybe you are using a dedicated server, but wanna save a few bucks while maintaining the basic security and performance quality of your server- again, VPS is a great option for you. Basically, if you want a balanced solution and good value for your money, VPS will be a reasonable choice. But do check out our articles about other hosting options too!
Q: Does managing a VPS require a lot of technical skills?
A: Depends on your definition of “a lot”, but yes, VPS hosting solutions require more technical knowledge when compared to shared hosting. On the other hand, most of the time you will have the option to choose between a managed VPS or an unmanaged VPS plan. If you go with a managed plan, your hosting company will take care of a lot of technical stuff for you!
Q: Can I upgrade my VPS plan to dedicated hosting whenever I want?
A: Yes! Basically, you will need to buy a dedicated plan, and then migrate your website data to your new, dedicated hosting server. Contact your web hosting company for more information on this process.
Conclusion
Ideally, you want your website up and running all the time, providing the best experience to its users. Choosing the correct web hosting solution is crucial for this, and VPS hosting is a great step forward once shared hosting starts dragging you down. It is more scalable, secure, and has better overall performance- but of course, it has its limitations too. In the end, you should ask yourself; do you really need the privilege of a dedicated server, or will a more affordable solution be able to satisfy you? Do the math, and make your decision!