List of content you will read in this article:
- 1. What is VPS?
- 2. Different kinds of VPSÂ
- 3. Advantages of VPS Hosting
- 4. Challenges of VPS
- 5. Use Cases of VPSÂ
- 6. What to Look for in a VPS Hosting Provider?
- 7. Why Should You Choose an SSD VPS Over an HDD VPS?
- 8. How to choose the right operating system for VPS?
- 9. VPS vs Shared Hosting
- 10. VPS vs Dedicated ServerÂ
- 11. What Is Private VPS Parent Hosting?
- 12. Is VPS Similar to Cloud Server Hosting?
- 13. What is VPS for VPN?
- 14. How much does a VPS cost?
- 15. How Do I Get Started with VPS Hosting?
- 16. Conclusion
- 17. FAQ
If you ever come along with servers and online platforms, you must have heard of VPS. The full form of VPS is a Virtual Private Server that works to virtually mimic a dedicated server environment in the shared network. Nowadays, VPS has become a way more popular option as it lowers the cost of dedicated hosting but offers amazing security, performance, and reliability. Besides that, the user gets root access to a server and can easily install applications. However, many people are unaware of VPS and its tremendous capabilities. So, in this guide, we will consider every possible detail of VPS and why it has become famous.
What is VPS?
To answer what is VPS, we say a VPS or a Virtual Private Server is a service used in the hosting world to act as a standalone dedicated server. With the use of cloud technology and virtualization, the VPS comes into play. A VPS server has its dedicated resources, but the difference is that in one powerful physical server, there can be more than one VPS. The physical server is divided into the required number of virtual private servers by virtualization, and the resources are dedicated accordingly.
With a VPS, you won't have to share the CPU, RAM, or any other data with anyone else. The performance will be guaranteed with a VPS rather than constantly worrying about using a shared hosting service.
Is VPS Secure?
Now that you know what is VPS, you may want to know if it is secure or not! The answer is yes! The VPS comes with complete root access just like a dedicated server and also with better security. Suppose something happens to another VPS on the same system. In that case, it will not affect you since your VPS is completely isolated. Some key advantages need to be taken into consideration when using VPS hosting:
- A remarkable decrease in price relative to a dedicated server while getting similar services.
- A server with complete control and a private environment for you to work on are the cherries on top.
Different kinds of VPS
There are different types of VPS hosting available, each tailored to a particular set of requirements and preferences. One of the factors to consider when choosing a VPS hosting is its type. In this section, we will explain different types of VPS and their advantages:
Managed VPS
Managed VPS is a virtual private server that is offered by the hosting company that is responsible for handling all your technical stuff without your intervention. They will save you time by handling maintenance, troubleshooting, and software installations. The hosting company is a team of experts who are working to improve the overall performance of your servers, resources, and others.
Benefits of using Managed VPS
- It will help in saving your time by handling all the technical stuff.
- You do not have to have technical knowledge.
- The hosting company makes sure that all your software is updated ensuring complete safety.
- They implement all the required changes correctly.
But with managed VPS, you need to spend a lot on the services. You are allowed to have complete control as everything is being handled by a third party.
Unmanaged VPS
Unlike managed VPS, it is a self-managed VPS that is being managed by the company itself. The hosting company that is providing you with this virtual private server is responsible for handling the hardware and running all the system checks. But everything else such as maintenance, and monitoring is handled by the customer.
Benefits of using unmanaged VPS
- It is cost-effective as compared to managed VPS
- You will get more control over the server to make the required changes.
But, you need to take out some time of the development process to focus on the maintenance work. You also need to have technical knowledge for handling the servers. Also, you need to spend on setting an IT team at your disposal. It might risk the security of your servers and show slow performance.
Semi-Managed VPS
The semi-managed VPS hosting is the middle option between the fully managed VPS hosting and the unmanaged VPS hosting. In this type of VPS hosting, you will get the benefits of unmanaged hosting features along with the installation and support features of the managed VPS hosting. You will get features such as OS updates and patches, security enhancements, full web server support, and proactive response and restoration of monitoring events.
Advantages of VPS Hosting
A virtual private server is a very versatile service with countless possible applications. Unlike shared hosting, the user gets full administrative or root access to the server. Although a certain level of server management experience is required to use a VPS successfully, it also allows the users to have complete control over the service they are paying for.
Therefore the server admin only needs to know how to implement the task at hand into the VPS, making almost any function that can be performed with the allocated resources possible for the virtual server.
Root Access
Root access that we have mentioned earlier opens several possibilities for a VPS owner. First of all, root access offers independence from the hosting provider in terms of software. While the hosting provider still manages the server's hardware, the choice of software is on the user.
It's you, not your hosting provider, who decides when it is the right time to upgrade, for example, cPanel or MariaDB. VPS users can install whatever software they want. More than that, with root access, a user has full information about the server's performance, knows when to upgrade or downgrade, and can check server logs of different kinds without reaching out to their hosting provider.
Isolation from Other Users
Having a shared hosting account – although cheap, is less secure. Suppose someone on a shared server becomes part of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack target or is blocked for mass mailing. In that case, other accounts on the server will be affected as well.
Also, if a shared account abuses server resources, the whole server will be impacted. Using a VPS provides full isolation from what other users do on the server. You won't be bothered no matter what your neighbors are doing.
Scalability
Virtual machines don't depend on their physical server; as we have said, they don't even recognize it exists. Suppose a VPS needs to be upgraded or downgraded. In that case, all a hosting provider needs to do is adjust the limits for this VPS in a hypervisor.
After the reboot, a guest OS will work like nothing happened, using new hardware quotas. This comes in handy if you cannot estimate the technical specifications you need before you run some tests.
Also, suppose you have a seasonal business (e.g., you sell beach equipment). In that case, you can choose to have a more powerful server during your peak demand season and a cheaper one for the rest of the year.
Snapshot Support
A great advantage of VPS, compared to both shared and dedicated solutions, is snapshot technology support. A snapshot is a state of a system at a certain point in time. It works like game saves in your favorite computer game. If a game is not going well, you can exit and start from a checkpoint.
A snapshot works the same way; if you need to go back in time, your system can be restored from a snapshot to its previous state. It is extremely useful in case of a system failure or simply running complex tests and wishing to save your progress. Knowing what is VPS can be a big help for you!
You may want to know: VPS vs VDS Comparison.
Challenges of VPS
While offering many advantages, there are some challenges with VPS you should be aware of:
Shared Hardware Resources
Where there are positives, there will always be downfalls since no service is perfect. Although a virtual private server could be used in nearly any scenario that a dedicated server could use, it is still a virtual machine running alongside other virtual machines on a hardware server.
Lower Raw Performance Compared to Dedicated Servers
The raw performance numbers are just not present to perform some of the more complex tasks that dedicated servers are capable of, which is, in turn, understandable as a VPS costs only a fraction of that of a dedicated server.
Increased Responsibility
The above facts ascertain the importance of correctly using the VPS. It has more power, so more responsibility is also needed to control such a powerful system. You can also check the powerful features of the dedicated web hosting server if your website needs more power and greater features.
Not Fully Isolated Physical Resources
Also, the dedicated web server offers you the entire physical server's powers and features, and as in the case of the VPS, your server's physical resources like the RAM are not shared with other users.
Limited to Specific Use Cases
Remember that the great powers and features of the dedicated web server are available for expensive fees to you. So, if your website needs more power and features than the shared web hosting server, and if your website is not a very critically important e-commerce website, then opt for the VPS.
The VPS is quite economical, and efficient, and offers excellent benefits for your website. When you consider the importance of your growing website that will not tolerate the amateur shared web hosting features but cannot yet afford the high-cost dedicated web hosting server, the VPS offers you the greatest possible benefits and advantages in carrying out free web service. VPS is being used by most online businesses quite powerfully, efficiently, and satisfactorily.
Use Cases of VPS
So far, we have focused on what is VPS. It can host a website as the main function of a virtual private server. Many other use cases for VPS can be provided beyond the standard hosting plan. Here are some of the most common VPS use cases:
Hosting a Personal Server
Although you do not have access to the same computational power as a dedicated server, a VPS is a server and can perform many similar tasks. Certain VPS servers can even run small VOIP servers, but the setup requires a good level of expertise.
Additional Storage
There is a valid concern about cloud services being unsafe to use, with many cases of data leaks and security breaches by many major tech companies. These cloud services can also be quite expensive.
Keeping your most important files in a VPS configured with proper security measures could be a safe and cost-effective method for getting rid of those pesky external hard drives for backups. You could even set up a private sync service on your VPS.
Testing Environment
A VPS is an excellent environment for the more tech-interested environment to test new software, operating system setups, and even new hardware before deploying to actual use.
What to Look for in a VPS Hosting Provider?
Various factors can affect your choice for choosing the best VPS hosting service. You can choose any of the available VPS hosting services depending on your type of business and what are the expectations you have from your VPS hosting service? Below are various points that you can consider while choosing the right VPS hosting provider for your business. Remember, if you know the best VPS providers in 2024, you can make a better decision. Here are the factors you should consider:
Uptime
Before choosing the right hosting provider do not blindly believe in the numbers they provide you regarding the uptime. Make sure that you go through all the reviews from the third parties and check for their accurate uptime. This way you can check if the hosting provider is reliable and how effectively the provider works during downtime.
Performance
You can check for the third party's vCPU performance to see how the particular hosting provider manages all the resources to ensure high performance. The speed of your website will depend on the performance of the hosting platform.
Customer Service
If you want great customer service from your hosting provider then you need to go through the reviews from various companies to see what type of customer support is being provided by the specific hosting provider. Also, check that the provider updates your queries instantly and uses a proactive approach.
Scalability
If you have a business that tends to grow in the coming time then you should make sure that the hosting provider comes with the facilities such as resources that will help your business to grow. Also, look for the possible procedure used by your hosting provider to make the required changes during scaling.
Cost
Whatever type of VPS hosting provider you are choosing make sure to consider the complete cost that will incur from start to last. If you have a budget constraint then make sure you consider this factor at the start.
Hardware
Make sure that your hosting provider comes with updated hardware that is capable of running applications using the latest technologies. Also having the latest hardware features will be more reliable in the long term.
OS
The underlying OS is also a major factor when deciding the right hosting provider as you need to make sure that applications are compatible with the OS and do not have any issues while running on the older versions of the OS if not updated.
Security
Security is one of the major concerns for every business that works around crucial data. Make sure that the hosting provider has solid security policies in place for better performance.
Migration
If you are looking to migrate from your current provider to the chosen hosting provider make sure that the team of the new provider will take care of the migration. If they are managing the migration then what they will charge and how much time they take to complete the migration?
If you want to make the most of a VPS, you should learn how to optimize VPS.
Why Should You Choose an SSD VPS Over an HDD VPS?
Over the past few years, SSDs have become significantly larger in storage size and becoming more affordable, allowing them to be implemented in more complex server configurations.
HDDs store data by moving an actuator head that magnetizes or demagnetizes the part of the platter (hard disk) responsible for the information stored. Modern technological advancements allow for a faster, more reliable nonvolatile storage solution: solid-state drives (SSDs). Unlike traditional spinning drives, they solely rely on transistors and capacitors to store your data.
Solid-state drives lack moving parts and are not vulnerable to fragmentation, which allows them to have significantly higher performance than their mechanical counterparts. SSDs are using most of their components' potential, only limited by the SATA connections they use.
Monovm SSD VPS servers use enterprise-grade high-speed SSDs combined with a complex RAID10 setup, allowing for up to 300,000 IOPS (Input/output Operations Per Second).
How to choose the right operating system for VPS?
By now, a VPS is a physical server partitioned into several virtual machines where each VPS gets full control over the server. But before getting hands-on with the VPS, the most important decision will be to choose the operating system.
This is not a very light choice to make because this will decide which apps you will install, from the core of your server, and how your server will perform. You can work with two platforms when it comes to a VPS: Linux or Windows. The Operating systems have their pro and cons depending on what it's been used for.
1. Linux Operating Systems VPS
The main reason to opt for the Linux operating system is that it's open-source software with a very high level of manipulation and control. Choosing a Linux VPS gives you a lot of freedom to customize and optimize your server the way you want.
Nowadays, five major Linux distributions are leading the pack: CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Different Linux distributions work best for specific tasks.
Linux VPS pros
Still, there are some common advantages to note if you are planning on choosing Linux for your VPS.
- A Linux VPS consumes fewer resources which increases the website performance and reduces the possible downtimes. With the help of a control panel (like cPanel), it's possible to allocate resources to specific applications, thus giving you the flexibility and reliability you need.
- The Linux platform is an open-source code which means that you could change the configurations, and customize the server for your needs and preferences while removing the parts you would not need.
- With a Linux VPS, you will not have problems improving your server uptimes or making your website user-friendly because it supports a wide range of coding languages. The compatibility will not be an issue.
The biggest limitation after knowing what is VPS is that you will need to have high technical and programming knowledge to get the best operating systems.
2. Windows Operating System VPS
Windows VPS is equipped with the Windows operating system. However, the biggest difference between the two main VPS operating systems is that the Windows VPS is more secure because the Windows OS is commercial software.
Windows VPS pros
The main advantages of a Windows VPS are as follows:
- All Windows VPS comes with a familiar, user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) which is very useful for people who are not used to a non-GUI platform.
- The servers are equipped with very strong security systems, including antivirus software, firewalls, and anti-spy programs, which will protect your data from third parties.
- Windows VPSs are equipped with programs like ASP and ASP.NET, which can be used to create complex websites or manipulate the current website.
VPS vs Shared Hosting
For a better understanding of VPS vs shared hosting, let me show you the difference between VPS hosting and shared hosting services. A shared hosting service is simply a server where you can host your website, but the server is shared among multiple users. While your data is stored in the server, the RAM, bandwidth, and other resources are shared among other users.
This has the potential of leading your website to perform poorly, which in turn limits you in answering your customers' requests. In shared hosting, you don't choose to use the software you need, but only what is provided by the hosting provider (However, there is a possibility to request the software from your hosting provider).
Moreover, there is a lack of security. If the server comes face-to-face with malicious activity, the whole server and its users are affected.
The Noisy Neighbor Problem with Shared Hosting
Shared hosting packages are shared among multiple users, which introduces the "noisy neighbor" problem. A noisy neighbor overusing CPU time or memory can reduce the resources available to your website, causing performance issues.
Modern shared hosting providers counter this with resource limitations, such as maximum RAM usage, maximum processes, and CPU percentage caps. However, these limitations can prevent you from temporarily overusing resources for tasks like running statistics or compiling nightly order lists. Some hosts allow "bursting," which permits temporary resource overuse.
Noisy Neighbors on VPS
To a lesser extent, the noisy neighbor issue can also occur on Virtual Private Servers (VPS), as multiple VPSs may share a physical server node. However, modern hypervisors efficiently silo VPSs, ensuring that even if one VPS experiences memory overload or a halt state, the other VPSs remain unaffected.
Some VPS hosting providers also offer CPU and RAM bursting, which may still affect your private server's performance.
To avoid noisy neighbors while retaining scalability and management benefits, some hosting providers offer "Virtual Dedicated" packages. These dedicate all resources on a parent server to your VPS, providing an isolated environment similar to dedicated hosting.
Pricing Differences Between VPS and Shared Hosting
One of the significant differences between VPS and shared hosting is the price range. Shared hosting typically costs between $2 and $30 per month, while VPS hosting starts around $30, with no clear upper price limit.
These price points vary depending on the resources offered, such as support, Memory/CPU capacity, disk space, and bandwidth.
Advantages of VPS Over Shared Hosting
Despite all the negativity from shared hosting solutions, a VPS will solve all those drawbacks, because:
- It is secure.
- you have complete access to install whatever software you need.
- you will have your own set of resources.
VPS vs Dedicated Server
Let’s compare VPS vs dedicated server. Sounds similar, but it's more like a hybrid solution between shared hosting and dedicated servers. However, a VPS will have its dedicated resources, just like in a dedicated server, in one physical server. There will be more than one VPS (this is where the virtualization comes into play).
In a Virtual Private Server, you will not be sharing any of the resources you were given. You will have root access to your server so you can customize it the way you want it to.
The main difference between a VPS and a dedicated server is that a dedicated server resides on a physical server, whereas a VPS resides on a virtual space on a physical server. This means that there can be multiple virtual machines running independently on a single physical server.
Resource Allocation Comparison
Dedicated servers are the superior option compared to VPSs when it comes to resource allocation. To make the difference clearer, visualize yourself living in an apartment in an apartment building versus living in a house.
- Living in an apartment is like having a VPS. You get your dedicated resources, but in the building, there are multiple apartments.
- Having a dedicated server, on the other hand, is like living in a house. You have full control over the whole building (house).
VPS hosting undoubtedly has its benefits, but dedicated servers are a clear winner in resource management and overall performance.
Which one is more secure, VPS or dedicated server?
VPS hosting is very secure. Still, dedicated servers are on another level due to complete isolation. The best way to describe this situation is to compare having an apartment in an apartment building with owning a standalone house with very high walls (assuming proper security measures on your dedicated server).
- Apartments in a building have walls between them, providing decent privacy and security.
- However, it still cannot compare to the amount of privacy and security a standalone house would provide.
What Is Private VPS Parent Hosting?
With Private VPS Parent hosting, you can leverage the benefits of virtualization without the need to share the parent server with other companies in the market. With this, you can have complete control over the parent server and its available resources allowing you to add as many VPS environments as allowed by the server. You only have to pay for the complete parent server rather than paying for the individual environments. You can even scale the parent server as per the changing business requirements. It provides you the facility of shuffling your instances between the private or public cloud VPS parent servers.
Benefits of Private VPS Parent Hosting
Private VPS parent hosting will provide you with the following benefits.
- You will be able to deploy both Linux and Windows VPS instances on the same cloud server, but you need to pay for each instance.
- You can use these VPS instances for hosting individual client websites or resell these instances to make money.
Is VPS Similar to Cloud Server Hosting?
So, is VPS the same as cloud server hosting? The answer is, No. Cloud server hosting is when you are provided with hosting services through the internet. Usual hosting services provide a single server or virtual servers. Still, cloud server hosting services connect multiple servers to create a cloud (online network). Cloud server hosting is also referred to as cluster server hosting.
The best example of cloud server hosting is none other than Google itself. Google has its resources spread around hundreds of servers which made it possible to have no downtime at all over the past years.
What is VPS for VPN?
Remember when any place on the internet used to be accessible by anyone from anywhere with the appropriate device and web address? Nowadays, government censorship and geoblocking restrict you from accessing the content you want. If you wish to browse freely and securely, a VPN server comes in handy.
Imagine you share or access sensitive data or don't want anyone to know about your activities. In that case, you need to have a trusted VPN provider. Not all VPNs are built alike, and not all VPN providers can be trusted. Nevertheless, you can avoid this situation by setting up a VPN server on your VPS. With a virtual private server (VPS), you can customize a VPN server to your exact specifications and avoid the privacy issues that come with using third-party providers. You get several important advantages by using a VPS to host your own VPN server.
Why You Should Set Up a Proxy on a VPS?
A proxy server does not encrypt traffic from your device. So, if you wish to explore the internet securely, your choice is a VPN server. Any proxy server will be fine for avoiding blocks, even a free one (just remember that a free proxy is as helpful as a tinfoil hat).
You will need to have a server with root access (a VPS or a dedicated server). A proxy server does not require many resources. That's why you can save money and set up a proxy on a VPS.
How much does a VPS cost?
This is a question that is nearly impossible to answer with just a simple number. VPS prices vary greatly based on which service provider you choose and the physical configuration of the server (if the chosen provider allows for such customization).
As technology progresses, newer and more powerful hardware is being released, and its general prices are getting lower. Thus, renting a virtual private server costs way less than it did back in the day.
As a rule of thumb, a Virtual Private Server will have different costs depending on its configuration. At Monovm, we have four different types of VPS services.
- Windows VPS
- Linux VPS
- Hosting VPS
- SSD VPS
How Do I Get Started with VPS Hosting?
We have mentioned a few things you can do to get started with VPS:
- Make sure to configure your Apache settings
- Make sure you have the updated version of MySQL.
- Cache all the data to RAM.
- Make sure to optimize your data to identify the potential issues that are impacting the performance of your business.
- Use CDN to improve the delivery speed of the data.
If you want a more detailed guide, read this blog post: how to set up VPS for beginners.
Is VPS Right for You?
A Virtual Private Server is a perfect hosting choice as it has a balance of performance, security, and price. You might come across the price for a VPS as it is quite private compared to a shared hosting solution. Still, the thing to consider is that if you are technically able to manage a VPS account.
If you are sufficiently capable of the technicalities that come with VPS hosting, then I recommend this as the best option to grow your business the way you want without any restrictions.
Conclusion
Now you know what is VPS! VPS hosting is a useful platform that provides amazing services, and you can use different types of hosting as per your requirements. We have included every possible detail about VPS hosting so that you can understand everything about it. Besides that, we have divided this article into multiple parts for a better explanation of VPS hosting.