A virtual private server (also known as a VPS) is a server that has its own bandwidth and operating system. The actual physical server is located in a data center that is used for VPS hosting. The spaces within the physical servers are divided into virtual servers that are sold or rented out to businesses for use. The only person who can see the virtual environment and reboot their server is the account holder. The hosting software that is typically included for each virtual private server includes a Web server program, a mail server, specialized applications for e-commerce and a File Transfer Protocol. A virtual server is commonly used by small businesses that require customized websites but cannot afford the expenses of having a dedicated server of their own. Virtual private servers have become increasing popular in recent years because of their unparalleled performance and functionality.
Is VPS Right for You?
When the traffic to your website increases you may notice that shared hosting is no longer giving consistent performance. This means that your website has outgrown using a shared server. Signs that you website may need to move to VPS is if the pages are slow to load, certain functions don’t work and there is consistent lag time. This may be because you have an increase in traffic or that you are hosting applications and multimedia rich content on your site. You will want to switch to VPS when you are hosting multimedia rich content, various plug-ins, e-commerce functions and have steady traffic.
Advantages
There are many benefits of using a virtual private server including:
- Increased reliability for basic web hosting
- Greater control compared to shared hosting
- Green technology
- Customizable
- Pay per needs- eliminating unnecessary costs
- Easy to scale
- Efficient use of resources
- Cost-effective
- Can host unlimited amount of websites
- Enables server backup
- Technical support
- Semi-managed or fully managed maintenance services to choose from
Disadvantages
There are some disadvantages that can occur when using a virtual private server including:
- Can be a fairly large expense for small companies
- Ineffective resources
- Sites on server may be overloaded
- Overshared space and resources
- Maintenance issues
- Possible security failures
- Lag time during unexpected traffic
How to Choose A VPS Provider
There are many different VPS providers to choose from, each with their own set of features and benefits. There are a few important things to consider when choosing a VPS provider including:
- Operating system
- Server configuration
- Managed or unmanaged
- Scalability
- Cost
- Services included
- Customer support
- Monthly bandwidth quota
Using a virtual private server is a great way to have complete control over your environment without having to pay for a dedicated hosting package. Virtual private servers are a cost-effective, reliable and easy to scale. Packages can be customized using software without having to wait for the hosting provider to support it. Once you experience the ease and efficiency of VPS hosting you will wonder how you did without it before.