Web hosting is required to host a website online. For a website to be available online, the files on the website must be present on a web server. Manually setting up and operating a web server is a huge task. It is expensive too. Buying web hosting from the vendors simply allows you to rent a space on the server and host their site. All they need to do is upload their files and web design on to the server and the website is ready. One of the forms of web hosting is the Virtual Private Server.
Virtual Private Server
Virtual Private Server web hosting or the VPS Hosting is one of the new means of web hosting. It is a virtualized server. This form of web hosting gained popularity in the recent past. Individuals and Businesses who want to opt for web hosting are always introduced to VPS web hosting. But an unclear knowledge on this subject has stopped them from opting for the VPS web hosting.
A VPS web hosting service mimics a dedicated server inside a shared working environment. In simple terms, VPS web hosting is a hybrid of shared hosting and dedicated hosting. Here, we bring to you the uses of hosting through VPS.
Server Virtualization
VPS hosting is more like a VMWare or virtual box. These software’s help you to run multiple virtual environments on your machine.
For VPS hosting, a physical server should be installed in the data center. The server has to be partitioned. This is done to ensure the server has its own operating system, disc space, and bandwidth. The server is divided into many parts to create multiple VPS, dedicated, or shared servers. The account holder who sees the server thus sees only the virtual environment. The holder can decide to reboot the server if they want. Else, the holder can use it as a dedicated server.
Unlike most shared servers that comes with an existing hosting environment and settings built in, VPS acts like a dedicated server that can be customized to your needs.
Although it acts like a dedicated server, it is still a part of one physical server. Because it acts as a dedicated server, it is a good solution for the sites that require a dedicated solution in the future. Because each virtual server acts a dedicated server, you get the benefits of a dedicated server for each of your partitioned servers at a fraction of the actual cost.
Who uses VPS hosting?
The customers who opt for VPS hosting are the ones whose website must handle huge traffic. Those who also want to set their servers in a very specific way opt for VPS hosting.
The customers who opt for VPS hosting do it for one purpose; they have more control over their environment than they would have using a shared hosting. Although they aren’t allocated with multiple resources, their freedom over the control of their environment attracts them to buy VPS hosting.
Those who are still confused about VPS hosting can try VPS hosting without spending much. After they are aware of the technological know-how, they can increase their usage and their skill set.
Benefits of VPS hosting
The advantages of using VPS hosting are as follows:
- It is cheaper when compared to a full dedicated hosting plan that uses a physical server.
- It is highly customized to your needs. Hence, you pay for what you need and save money on what you don’t need.
- VPS web hosting is easily scalable. You start off with a simple plan and as you grow and need features further, you can pay for excessive resources. Until then, you don’t have to pay for it.
- You have more control over your server than you have with shared hosting. Also, the VPS web hosting gives you access to roots and helps you to write your own scripts. This is impossible in shared hosting.
- The technical support is relatively the same as with shared hosting.
- It also gives an option for semi-managed hosting. The semi-managed hosting is one where the web handles most maintenance and services.
- Privacy. No other sites can have access to your files as you don’t share your space with other websites.
- Space. There’s ample availability of RAM for your use at any time.
Disadvantages of using VPS hosting
- Expensive than shared hosting. Because it gives access and freedom to so many features, it comes at a cost greater than shared hosting. If you’re a small company without profits, it is better for you to start with shared hosting and later change to a VPS web hosting.
- Resource allocation. The web hosts offering VPS services might sell a lot of VPS servers and tend to not allocate resources fully. When a website starts using the resources at peak levels, and another website from the server joins it in use, it’ll affect the performance of all the sites on the server. The web host must be aware of how many VPS he has sold to ensure this problem doesn’t take place.
- If the host doesn’t handle the VPS correctly, it will create a problem. The existing market for the VPS hosting is smaller and your web host might not allocate the right resources for you.
