When your website outgrows a shared hosting then there comes the role of a VPS hosting.
A VPS hosting is a kind of hosting where a physical server is divided into multiple virtual servers using the virtualization technology. These virtual servers are then allotted to individual users. By doing this hosting providers provide you the privacy and dedicated resources like a dedicated hosting.
Also, at the same time the server is shared among the multiple users like in a shared hosting, so, the cost of hosting is shared among the users. However, the number of users sharing the same server are far lesser than a shared hosting.
That was just the overview of a VPS hosting, so, let’s have a deeper look of it.
A deeper look of VPS Hosting:
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. It is a technology where a physical server is divided into multiple virtual servers using the virtualization technology. Technically, a hosting provider installs a virtual layer on the top of the operating system of the server. This layer then divides the server into partitions that independently work as virtual private servers.
Dividing a server into multiple virtual servers
These virtual servers are then allotted to users where they can install their own operating systems and other software. Thus, they get the privacy like a dedicated hosting with allocated resources. Also, as users share a single physical sever like in a shared hosting so the price of VPS hosting remains far cheaper than a dedicated hosting.
A VPS hosting is somewhere in between a shared and a dedicated hosting. It is cheap like a shared hosting and provides you privacy like a dedicated hosting.
As your website runs on a virtual server and you get the privacy like a dedicated server so it is called as a VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting.
Types Of VPS Hosting:
On the basis of the plans offered by many big hosting companies, VPS hosting can be divided into two types:
- Unmanaged VPS Hosting
- Managed VPS Hosting
Unmanaged VPS Hosting:
As the name suggests, an unmanaged VPS hosting is where you manage most of the aspects of the server. Your host basically installs the operating system for you and leaves the rest to be managed by you. This includes configuring and maintaining the server, installing the software, cpanel and maintaining them, creating backups, monitoring security threats and fixing errors etc.
In an unmanaged hosting you won’t get an optimum level of support from your host as you manage most of the aspects of your server.
This kind of hosting is usually cheaper than the managed one. However, it is not for everyone. If you have the knowledge of maintaining a server then you can go for it. Otherwise, you must opt for a managed hosting.
Managed VPS Hosting:
Here again as the name suggests, most of the aspects are managed by your hosting provider. From installing the operating system to maintaining your server, your host manages everything for you. Usually it includes:
Initial Server Setup:
Installing the operating system, cPanel and other software, configuring your server etc all come in the initial server setup.
Updates:
Updating your software, operating system and all other things to keep you up to date.
Monitoring:
Your host monitors all the security threats, hardware failure and fixes them if needed.
Backups:
Your host creates backups of your website on your behalf. It may be daily, weekly or monthly based on your plan. Usually all managed hosting providers create daily backups of your website and restore them for you when needed.
Dedicated Support:
Here you get a dedicated support because your host manages everything for you on the server side.
Some Best VPS Hosting Providers:
Below is a list of some best VPS hosting providers that you can consider for hosting your website:
Inmotion Hosting:
Inmotion Hosting is one of the best managed VPS hosting providers in the market. It uses a cloud infrastructure to provide maximum uptime and lightening fast speed to your website.
In addition to that its hosting includes free server management, a free cPanel/WHM license, and 10X faster CentOS and NGINX software configurations. If your primary requirement is resources then Inmotion hosting is for you. They provide lots of resources even with their basic plan. And, that too at affordable prices.
A basic plan on Inmotion hosting starts for as low as $29.19 per month. This plan comes with lots of resources and features which include 4GB RAM, 75GB storage, 4TB bandwidth, free SSLs, free domain, 3 dedicated IP addresses, full cpanel license, dedicated support and much more.
Inmotion hosting offers a 90 days money back guarantee so if you don’t find their hosting satisfactory then you can take your refund and shift to another host.
A2 Hosting:
If you are looking for a cheaper yet powerful alternative of Inmotion hosting then A2 Hosting could be a great option for you. It offers almost same sort of features like Inmotion hosting at a cheaper price. A basic managed VPS plan on A2 Hosting starts for $25 only.
The best part about A2 Hosting is, it offers both managed and unmanaged VPS hosting. In addition to that it also offers a Core VPS hosting which is also managed but there you get the root access.
With its basic managed hosting plan, A2 Hosting offers great features like 4GB RAM, 75GB storage, 2TB transfer, 4 CPU cores, free SSL & SSD, free control panel, free website migration, dedicated support and much more.
Another great thing about A2 Hosting is, it offers anytime money back guarantee that you won’t get on other hosts. So, anytime you find their service unsatisfactory then you can take your refund and move on to some other host.
HostGator:
HostGator is another big name in the web hosting industry. It also offers a VPS hosting for users. On HostGator you get both managed and unmanaged VPS hosting so you can select the best one of your choice. If you don’t have the knowledge of maintaining servers then i will recommend you to go for their managed hosting.
Its basic managed hosting plan starts for $29.95 per month which is pretty similar to Inmotion and expensive than A2 Hosting.
Its managed hosting plan comes with features like 2GB RAM, 2 CPU cores, 120GB disk space, 1.5TB bandwidth, 2 dedicated IP addresses, free migrations, dedicated support and much more.
Bluehost:
Bluehost is one of the best hosting providers in the market. Also, it is on the top of the official recommendations list of WordPress for hosting WordPress websites. So, if you want to host your website with Bluehost then you can do it confidently. They are best in providing hosting services.
Like most of the other top providers, it also offers a VPS hosting for users. But, its hosting is unmanaged and starts for only $19.99 per month. With its basic hosting plan you get features like 2 cores CPU, 30GB SSD storage, 2GB RAM, 1TB bandwidth, 1 IP address, free domain name, dedicated support and much more.
In addition to that Bluehost offers a 30 days money back guarantee so if you don’t find their service satisfactory then you can take your refund and move on to some other host.
Hostwinds:
If all the above mentioned hosting providers are out of your budget then you can go for Hostwinds. It is the cheapest hosting option among all the other options available in this list so far. The best part about Hostwinds is, it offers a fully managed hosting at a cheaper price.
It offers Windows and Linux based managed VPS hosting where Linux based hosting is cheaper than Windows based hosting. Its basic hosting plan starts for as low as $5.17 per month which is pretty cheap. So, even if you want to start your new website then you can afford a VPS hosting.
Hostwinds offers lots of plans so you can select anyone as per your requirements.
With its basic hosting plan you get features like 1CPU core, 1GB RAM, 30GB SSD disk space, 1TB bandwidth, free migration, dedicated support and much more.
Hostinger:
Hostinger is a very popular hosting provider in the industry. It also offers a very cheap cloud VPS hosting where you get lots of features. Its hosting plan start for as low as $3.95 per month.
With its basic hosting plan you get features like 1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 20GB storage, 1000GB bandwidth, full root access, dedicated support and much more.
Like most of the other hosting providers, Hostinger also offers 30 days money back guarantee.
What are the benefits of a VPS hosting ?
There are lots of benefits of a VPS hosting:
Dedicated Resources:
On a VPS server, you get a predefined amount of RAM and other resources. This means that no one is going to share these resources like in a shared hosting. So, whenever you need more RAM, it will remain available to you.
Better Control:
As here you get an independent virtual server so you can install your own operating system and other software as per your requirements. Also, as your server is independent so you can restart it anytime without affecting the other users.
Customization:
Since, you have your own operating system and other resources so you can customize them as per your requirements. You can configure your server to get the optimum performance for your website.
Scalability:
Like a cloud hosting, on VPS server can easily scale up your resources. So, as your website grows you can purchase more resources for your website.
Cost Effective:
Though, VPS hosting is expensive than shared hosting but it is far cheaper than a dedicated hosting. It simply bridges the gap between a shared and dedicated hosting.
Privacy:
As you get a private server so you don’t have to share your OS and other resources with anyone else. This gives you an utmost privacy. You can configure your server, install or uninstall apps as per your requirements.
Managed & Unmanaged Hosting Option:
Most providers offer you managed and unmanaged VPS hosting option. So, if you like managing your server by yourself then you can opt for an unmanaged plan. Otherwise, you can opt for a managed plan where your host does everything for you.
Unmanaged hosting is quite cheaper than managed one but you must have the technical knowledge of maintaining the server by yourself.
Root Access:
With most unmanaged hosting plans you get the root access of the server. This means you will have the full control over your server. You can install your own OS and other software on your server. Also, you can configure your server as per your requirements so you can get the most out of it.
Managed plans may or may not provide you root access. There are companies like A2 Hosting etc that offer root access with their managed hosting plans. You can opt for plans with root or without root access.
Better Performance:
As no one shares the server with you so your website get a better performance for your website. This includes faster loading time, higher uptime, better security etc.
Improved Security:
As your server hosts only your website so there’s no way that malwares or other malicious activities from other sites can affect your website. Also, as you know which software you are going to run on your server so you can take better security measures to prevent the software related vulnerabilities.
Disadvantages Of VPS Hosting:
With advantages, there also comes the disadvantages:
Expensive:
If you are just building your first website then you may find VPS hosting expensive. For beginners normally a shared hosting is sufficient.
Requires Technical Knowledge:
If you opt for an umanaged hosting plan then you must know the technical aspects of running a server. But, if you don’t have technical skills then you can opt for a managed plan where your host manages everything for you. However, managed plans are expensive than unmanaged ones.
Security Vulnerabilities:
Improperly configured servers may lead to security vulnerabilities. So, you must configure your server properly or opt for managed plans to keep yourself on a safer side.
Let’s first understand it with a real life example then we will understand it technically.
A shared hosting is like living in an apartment where lots of other people are also living with you. As many people are living in the same apartment so you cannot customize much things as per your requirements. Also, you will have the limited space to live as you are even sharing your room.
A VPS hosting on the other hand is like living in an apartment with separate rooms. This means that you may not have the full control over your apartment but you can customize the room as per your requirements as no one is sharing the room with you.
Here, you get more space to live as nobody is sharing the room with you.
Now, a dedicated hosting is like having your own house with lots of space. You can customize all your house as per your requirements. You don’t have any space limits as you own the full house.
I think now you have understood the difference between the three so let’s take a look of their technical aspects.
Shared hosting is a kind of hosting where multiple users share a single server. This means that you will have limited resources to use. If you overuse them then your host may notify you to upgrade your plan. Also, as resources are shared so other websites on the server may affect your website’s performance.
If your server goes down then every website on the server also goes down. In addition to that you cannot optimize the server as per your requirements.
Shared servers run multiple kinds of websites. This include websites build on WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and many other platforms so you cannot optimize the server for a specific software.
In a shared hosting there’s a chance that malicious activities on the other websites can affect your website.
Also read: What is Shared Hosting and Is it good for starting a WordPress website ? (Recommended)
VPS Hosting:
In VPS hosting a server is divided into multiple virtual servers using the virtualization technology. And, each of these virtual servers are allocated to different users. This means you get privacy and dedicated resources like a dedicated server.
As you have your own virtual server which is independent of others so you can configure it as per your requirements. This leads to a better performance of your website. Also, here your website is more secure as your server runs independently. There is no other website on your server so the chances are negligible that malicious activities on other websites can affect your website.
Also, as you know which software you are going to run on your server so you can take better security measures to prevent software related vulnerabilities.
In addition to that you can reboot your virtual server anytime without affecting the other users on the server.
Dedicated hosting:
This is the costliest hosting among the three. Here you get your own physical server where no other user shares your server. This means that you will have lots of resources for your website. You can configure the server as per your requirements. You can install and uninstall software of your choice. In short you will have the full control over the server. You can add a software or hardware to your server.
You can reboot your server anytime if any specific software requires a reboot. This will not affect anyone’s website as you are the only user of the server.
In dedicated hosting you get almost everything you need for your website. However, its high cost makes it restricted for new users.
A dedicated hosting is usually for high traffic websites. It is sufficient for most of the websites. However, if your website outgrows it then you may consider a cloud powered hosting where multiple servers with dedicated resources run your website.
When do you need a VPS hosting ?
As i have already said in the first line of the post that if your website outgrows a shared hosting then you will need a VPS hosting. It bridges the gap between a shared and dedicated hosting.
VPS hosting is cheap and provides you dedicated resources like a dedicated hosting. It is best for you if your website has started receiving high traffic. Also, it is good for you if you want higher uptime and faster speed for your website.
Many websites with uneven traffic use VPS hosting as it provides them more scalability. Also, many professional affiliate marketers use virtual private servers for hosting their websites. So, if you can’t afford any downtime or slower loading of your website then you might consider upgrading to a VPS hosting.
Alternatives of VPS Hosting:
There are basically two alternatives of VPS hosting – Cloud Hosting and Dedicated Hosting.
Cloud Hosting:
Cloud hosting is the toughest competitor of VPS hosting as it offers almost similar features. However, you get more privacy in a VPS hosting as you own a virtual server. But, in cloud hosting your website runs on multiple virtual servers which are also running other website.
The key difference in VPS and Cloud hosting is, in a VPS hosting your website runs on a single virtual server whereas in cloud hosting your website runs on multiple virtual servers. So, in terms of uptime a cloud hosting can provide higher uptime than a VPS hosting.
In terms of scalability, both the hosting types are almost similar. However, in my opinion cloud hosting has an upper edge in it.
Because of the kind of flexibility, scalability and customization a cloud hosting can offer many providers have started using cloud infrastructure with their VPS hosting. So, you can consider such hosting providers if you want to leverage the benefits of both the hosting types.
Inmotion Hosting is one such hosting provider that offer cloud powered VPS hosting.
Also Read: What is Cloud Hosting and When do you need it ? (Recommended)
Dedicated Hosting:
Dedicated Hosting is basically not an alternative of VPS hosting but it is an upgrade. When your website outgrows a VPS hosting then you can consider upgrading your hosting to dedicated servers. This is usually the best you can get for your website. However, it is the most expensive hosting.
Final Words:
In this article i have tried my best to explain each and every thing about a VPS hosting. However, if i have missed something or you have any questions related to it then you can ask it in comments section. I would love to hear from you and try to answer your questions as soon as possible.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this article 🙂
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