VPS is one of the most popular and used web hosting services. It is one of the technologies frequently used in the field of web hosting and related matters.
Many questions revolve around what and meaning of a virtual private server (VPS) and What is VPS Hosting Used for? and the talk also deals with its most prominent advantages and disadvantages.
In this article, we will highlight the definition of VPS, and we will learn about the most prominent advantages and disadvantages of using it, the difference between it and other hosting services, and how to choose a good VPS server to run your digital business through.
What is VPS Hosting?
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server, before explaining the meaning of a virtual server or VPS, we must shed light on the “Dedicated Server”.
The Dedicated Server is the actual server machine, and it is almost completely a personal computer in terms of components. But the difference is in the operating capabilities and specifications, which are higher and larger in terms of size and capacity for RAM, processor, storage media, operating systems, and others.
A full or dedicated server is used to store data and perform operations on it, and one of the most common uses is its use for hosting websites. For example, the hosting dean's site, whose pages you are reading, is now hosted on a server connected to the Internet with a high-speed connection and works continuously without stopping. There are many examples, such as Google, Facebook, YouTube, and others.
Given the great potential of this type of server, the cost of renting or owning them is very high, and a large segment of sites do not need this large amount of capabilities and capabilities.
Hence the need for a technology that helps reduce the cost of owning or renting a server in exchange for cutting out part of the computing and storage capabilities of the server that the user does not need by sharing resources with other users.
This technology was the virtual server, and the idea relied on dividing the main server into a group of smaller virtual servers so that they all share the resources of the main server statically and specifically so as not to allow one of the virtual servers to infringe on the part allocated to another server.
Accordingly, each VPS server becomes independent to some extent, has its own resources, and can be controlled and dealt with separately and isolated from the main server or other virtual servers with which it shares the actual server device.
VPS Features
Each technology has advantages and disadvantages, and VPN hosting technology has a lot of advantages, making it one of the most used web hosting services. Perhaps among the most prominent of these features are the following:
Allow Multiple Operating Systems on the Same Server
One of the most important features of this technology is that it provides users with the ability to use more than one operating system on the same main server. Be it Windows with its various versions or Linux with its distributions as well.
As each VPS server is almost isolated from other virtual servers, it has the right to use the operating system it wants, even if it is different from the operating system of the neighboring virtual servers on the same complete server or from the full server operating system itself.
Lower Cost Than Full Server
Virtual server technology enables savings on many of the significant financial costs required to use a Dedicated Server. Because users share the costs of renting, operating, and managing the full server among themselves, which has led to a significant reduction in the cost of using a server.
With the ability to take full advantage of all the unused capabilities of the main server, due to the full sharing of server resources between VPS servers located on the same dedicated server.
Ensuring Rights to Full Server Resources
The resources of the full Dedicated server are divided between the VPS servers hosted on it fairly from the start.
None of the virtual servers is allowed to infringe on the rights of other virtual servers shared with it on the same server, and none of them are allowed to use server resources in an excessive manner, which may affect the rest of the users, and this is the case with shared web hosting.
Full Control Over Hosting
One of the most important features of VPS hosting that you inherit from the features of full servers is that it gives you full control over the part that is allocated to you from the server. This is done through a control panel that guarantees you the freedom to use your VPS server in an optimal way. It also provides the ability to install and run any programs or technologies you specify that fit your own activity without being restricted to neighboring servers or the main server.
More Secure Than Shared Hosting
Since virtual VPS servers are almost isolated from the rest of the servers and other accounts on the same server, it is difficult for these servers to influence each other. This is the most important thing that distinguishes using VPS hosting from using shared hosting. In which accounts are affected by each other, especially if the hosting company does not isolate the accounts from each other.
Disadvantages of VPS Servers
As with different technologies, as they have advantages, they also have flaws or weaknesses, and among the most prominent disadvantages of virtual servers are the following.
Required Server Management Experience
VPS virtual servers offer the user more control than shared hosting, they need the expertise to control, manage and operate the server.
The required tasks include installing the operating system, software, control panel used, updates, server protection, monitoring performance, solving problems and errors, ensuring that it works in the best possible way, and other experiences.
If you do not have this experience, you can hire a specialist to do these tasks for you. Or you can remove these responsibilities and use a managed virtual private server, and the hosting company will take care of all these things.
Safer But…
We mentioned above that this technology is more secure than shared hosting. But there is one thing to keep in mind, which is that you are responsible for a large part of the task of securing the server.
And if you do not take good care of this task by using strong security systems and firewalls and installing updates constantly and persistence in that, the server will be vulnerable to being hacked.
Shared Hosting vs Dedicated Hosting
There are many types of web hosting services. Shared hosting is the most used of these services in the field of web hosting because it provides many features at very low prices.
Let's first learn about shared hosting.
What is Shared Hosting?
As indicated by the name, the principle of “Shared Hosting” is to divide the server into several smaller storage spaces that can use the resources of the server where it is only available to upload or host your site without access to the advanced server controls.
You are only allowed to manage your personal account on the server, and it is not possible to modify the settings of the server or access some tools or permissions.
VPS Hosting vs Shared Hosting
VPS is a semi-complete server that enables you to add any programs or sites completely according to the capabilities that are available to this server. You can fully control the server as well as manage it completely.
The advantage of shared hosting is its low cost which makes it widespread as it costs less than VPS hosting and server hosting.
Shared hosting is a suitable option for most beginners and owners of websites that require limited capabilities, as hosting companies offer many necessary features for a low cost, which makes them preferred by many, especially cheap hosting.
But one of its most prominent shortcomings is the lack of sufficient security factors, as it is enough to penetrate the server or break it down so that all the sites that have been uploaded to it are affected. It is also very common that the consumption of one account does not affect the rest of the accounts on the server.
The security issue in shared hosting is dealt with by isolating accounts from each other, stopping, or in some cases permanently deleting malicious accounts that affect the rest of the accounts.
Of course, all these shortcomings are not present in VPS servers due to their independence from other servers that are with them on the same server, and therefore it provides a higher level of security, greater control, and better performance, but at a higher cost.
Who Needs VPS Hosting?
Although virtual servers can offer a lot of advantages to site owners, they may not be effective in some cases.
Large companies and websites resort to using full servers due to the availability of a large amount of data that needs large storage spaces. And the existence of complex computing operations that require powerful processors to perform these operations with high efficiency, in addition to keeping the data securely and ensuring that no other user accesses it.
Therefore, these companies can buy complete servers and even resort to buying more than one server. It may amount to the purchase of large groups of servers placed in the “Data Center”, as is the case in the companies Facebook, Google, and others. These companies provide large areas, powerful cooling systems, and a high-speed Internet connection for these servers.
Often companies connect these servers to each other to form what is known as cloud hosting.
How to Choose the Best VPS Server?
There are many factors to consider when choosing which hosting company to order a VPS server from. There are many companies that offer strong competitive offers among themselves in order to attract the largest possible number of customers.
There are some factors to consider when choosing a virtual server including:
- Dealing with a good and reliable company.
- Choose a server with suitable CPU and RAM capacity.
- Ensure that there is a backup if the data is important.
- The server must be using at least an SSD storage media for the operating system and software.
- Technical support service provided by the company.
- The server location should be as close as possible to users or visitors to the site.
Best VPS Hosting Services
You can get rid of all this trouble and buy from one of the best VPS hosting companies with whom we have prepared a list of specifications and prices for each company with special discounts and discounts.
Bluehost
One of the most popular hosting companies in general, it offers dedicated managed VPS servers for hosting.
Contabo
It is a well-known German company in this field since 2003 and is characterized by its very low prices.
InterServer
An American company offers virtual servers at low prices as well.
Liquid Web
It is one of the American hosting companies and it is distinguished by the quality of service and the quality of technical support, but its prices are a little high.
Do you have any other questions or concerns regarding Virtual Private Servers or web hosting in general, write that down in the comments.
