Table of Contents
I. What does VPS mean?
II. What other forms of hosting are there?
III. The advantages of virtual private servers
IV. 8 situations where you need VPS hosting
V. Types of VPS hosting
VI. Conclusions
If you are unfamiliar with the term web hosting, let us define it for you as simple as possible: web hosting is the space you need to make your site functional. It is that little corner of the internet that belongs only to you and that can take different forms, depending on your needs. Today we will talk about the VPS hosting, perfect for those users who need a little more space just for them.
I. What does VPS mean?
Specifically, VPS means Virtual Private Server, is a specific space on a particular server organized to function as an entire server. It has its own operating system, resources, applications and configurations, but it also has the advantage of being on a server strong enough to support and protect multiple VPS accounts.
In very simple terms, a server is a powerful computer that stores and processes the data you see in the form of your site. When someone enters the name of your online store on Google or any other search engine, for example, this powerful computer 'serves' (after all it's a server;)) the user's results and he can interact with your website.
What differentiates VPS from other types of servers are the virtual part of its title. The VPS uses a virtualization technology that partitions the server we mentioned earlier into several virtual servers. Even though the hardware part is one, it works as if it were several separate servers.
As for the security of these servers, the name of the VPS says, this is guaranteed. The VPS is private, meaning you are the only one who has access to the resources established in the contract for your server (RAM, CPU, allocated space), but also to the information stored here.
II. What other forms of hosting are there?
Before we tell you what the benefits of VPS hosting are, we need to talk about two other existing forms of hosting that might be right for you: shared web hosting and dedicated hosting.
Shared hosting is affordable, inexpensive, and requires little technical knowledge on your part because the service provider maintains the server. Sounds good so far, but this type of hosting also means sharing space, memory, processor with several people. That is, to share ALL RESOURCES with several people. It's like working in an open space.
Dedicated hosting also has its advantages. You have a whole server just for you, kind of like having a big, beautiful house. It's just that so much space comes with matching costs and a number of responsibilities. So the expenses increase considerably and you have to take care of the server management, which is not complicated if you know what you are doing. But, do you know what you're doing? Do you know how to handle any bugs, high traffic or security issues? If the answer is no, then you should think twice before choosing a dedicated hosting.
III. The advantages of virtual private servers
VPS is the middle ground between shared and dedicated hosting. „The best of both worlds”, if you will. By choosing VPS hosting you, as a user, have the following advantages:
- Resources just for you - you won't have to share memory, processing power, storage or operating system with anyone. In addition, if you use all your RAM resources, there are other solutions such as swap memory, which contributes to RAM performance.
- High level of security - your site will be in an isolated environment, free from anything that could happen in the accounts of neighboring servers. In addition, only you have access to the space on the VPS server.
- Increased level of agility - you can have administrative powers within the server, namely to have root access. With such rights, you can install and run applications, you can surf the Internet using the server, you can do almost anything you could do on your home computer to make sure that your site users have a super experience.
- Cost sharing - what could be nicer than having a lot of benefits at an affordable price?
- The possibility of scaling - you never know where your projects will end up, in the long run, so this possibility is extremely important. You can consider investing in various fields because it is a field that has proven to be profitable. Or maybe you will develop more sites in parallel. Regardless of the situation you are in, it is important to have the necessary space to be able to ensure the smooth running of all your sites.
- Possibility to reinstall the operating system at any time - it is important to have this option because you never know when you need to reboot the system and you will certainly not want to wait too long to do so.
- The ability to sell web hosting further - you read that right. You can be both a hosting user and a shared hosting provider. This practice will help you recover some of the money invested in VPS, but we recommend you to be careful when practicing it. You do not want to bring more users than the server can support.
IV. 8 situations where you need VPS hosting
- You worry about the security of your hosting
If you are the type of person who wants to personally take care of the security of his site, or if you manage the type of site because security is crucial and you want to be able to set up special security settings, you need VPS hosting. Also, if you want to monitor the activity more deeply on your site, if you need more space, processing power or you simply want it for your site. As mentioned above, this type of hosting guarantees you the resources you need and guarantees you the latest security settings.
- You get a lot of traffic on the site
If your site is new and the traffic is quite low, a shared hosting is enough. On the other hand, if you have a site with a large and growing audience, you need to make sure that it runs well and avoid failing in any way. If the server is too weak or too busy for other users, you will more than likely run into problems when traffic to your site increases. To avoid them from the start, opt for VPS hosting.
- Your website is not running at full capacity
What does it mean to have a website that is not running at full capacity? It simply takes a long time to load, so users may not have the patience to visit it, even if they are interested in it. A VPS hosting allows you to scale your website without fear that it will not run at full capacity.
- You have an online store
If you have an online store, things get a little complicated. An online store needs more resources than a simple blog, for example. It collects more data and can record payments. So the level of security must be appropriate. You don't want to risk the essential information about your customers and their credit cards falling into the wrong hands, and the only type of hosting on a co-sharing system that allows you to do this is VPS hosting.
- You need specific software
If the system you use for your site or sites is Wordpress or another fairly common system for creating and managing sites, you do not necessarily need VPS hosting. Shared hosting could do an equally good job. Instead, if you plan to use various specific programs or software, which require special server configurations, it would be good to switch to VPS hosting. Also, if you are starting to do any form of advanced programming, which requires more control over the server, you need VPS hosting. Other programs and systems that need VPS hosting or even a dedicated server to run smoothly are various programs related to state authorities, accounting, etc.
- Your website traffic fluctuates
If you get errors like ”Server not available”, ”Page not available” or others errors of the same kind, it is very likely that your customers will see them. And if there are situations in which they are not so serious, an online store with high traffic should not face such problems because otherwise it loses the trust of customers. Every user who enters your site wants a wonderful experience. The moment you disappointed him, you might lose him forever! You can avoid such unpleasant situations by using VPS hosting.
- You have a limited budget
Yes, a server just for you solves most of the possible problems mentioned so far, but it is also much more expensive. If you want to improve the performance of your site, increase the security level and have more RAM, VPS hosting is the most affordable option for you.
- Create websites for your customers
If your business or part of your business involves making websites, then you need VPS hosting. It allows you to host an unlimited number of domains, and you can have enough RAM to ensure the efficient operation of each of them.
V. Types of VPS hosting
There are two types of VPS hosting, depending on the technical skills you have as a user: self-managed VPS hosting and externally managed VPS hosting.
In autonomously managed VPS hosting, the hosting providers only deal with the installation of the operating system, and you, the site owner, take over the other tasks related to its management:
- installation and updating of various programs, management of the control panel
- monitoring possible site security threats and troubleshooting
- if the equipment (hardware) fails, you have to fix it yourself, in principle
- server configuration and maintenance, including updates
- Backup Creation
As you have probably already realized, for this type of activity you need quite advanced technical experience.
If the technical part is not your strong point, you can benefit from VPS hosting with external management. Here, IT specialists take care of the proper functioning of the server, both physically and virtually. Among the services you can benefit from are:
- initial server configuration
- server and service upgrade
- enhanced security services
- monitoring the server in terms of both hardware, software and possible virtual attacks
- automatic backup
Of course, each hosting provider offers personalized services, so if you are interested in such services you should contact a specialized provider.
VI. Conclusions
Ok, after all this information, you can no longer consider yourself a stranger in terms of VPS hosting. Now you can make an informed decision about the type of hosting you need. You have already seen the benefits of VPS hosting and in which situations it is recommended. So it all comes down to the question: is your site on a rising slope and do you need more resources? If the answer is YES! then you should stop thinking and switch to VPS hosting today!
If you are not familiar with the term web hosting, let us define it for you as simple as possible: web hosting is the space you need to make your site functional. It is that little corner of the internet that belongs only to you and that can take different forms, depending on your needs. Today we will discuss VPS hosting, perfect for those users who need a little more space just for them.