VPS is an acronym for Virtual Private Server. VPS hosting is a type of hosting that has its own operating system as well as its own allocated server resources within a bigger server. It works through virtualization technology just as the name implies. This means that one powerful service is divided into multiple virtual servers which can function separately.
The good thing about VPS hosting is the element of privacy despite the fact that a physical server is being shared. This means that the virtual server which you have chosen will be reserved for just you and you would not have to share your RAM, CPU or any other data with other users. The major difference between shared and VPS hosting lies in how server resources are being shared.
A lot of brands opt for shared hosting plans because they are quite affordable and they do not have to worry about server management. A huge problem, however, is the fact that multiple websites are hosted on the same server. Consequently, a challenge on one of these sites could affect all the other sites on the server, which is one of the reasons why some brands prefer VPS hosting over shared hosting, any time.
Managed and unmanaged VPS hosting options require that you have a level of expertise in the maintenance of all the programmes running on the server.
There are, however, some differences between both types of VPS hosting.
When using unmanaged VPS hosting, your hosting provider only ensures that your VPS is running and that it is connected to the network. Every other thing must be done by you; it requires technical knowledge of how servers are run.
In managed VPS hosting, on the other hand, you’re the one who calls the shots. You do not have to concern yourself with security issues nor function-specific tasks. Your host handles everything pertaining to your server for you.
This brings us to the question of knowing if VPS hosting is ideal for your brand.
If your brand is a web design or development company, a forum, high traffic blog or an online shop; you might want to choose VPS hosting, most especially in cases where the shared hosting plan is no longer able to support your functions.
Also if you would like to have your own server resources, better website security and complete root server access, you should consider VPS hosting. It effectively balances affordability, security, privacy and performance functions, making it the ideal hosting plan for countless websites.
There are reasons why you should consider the use of VPS hosting; some of them are detailed below:
Speed and Performance
Most times when using a shared hosting platform for your website, you can be a victim of the “bad neighbour” effect. This is a case whereby one of the websites on a shared server experiences a surge in traffic which causes it to use more than its allotted share of resources. This could affect the other websites on the server in a negative way, either causing them to be temporarily inaccessible or completely down.
However, in the case of VPS hosting, many users also use the same server but the difference is that they are isolated from one another. Thus, it is guaranteed that the amount of resources one website is using has absolutely no effect on the other sites. This guarantees that a site has all the security and speed it needs without making any compromises. What makes VPS hosting perfect is how you can ‘have your cake and eat it’ by getting the benefits of a private server while paying the cost for a shared server.
If your brand website has a regularly high amount of web traffic and you’re trying to promote user conversion, VPS is a must-have for you as users are likely to leave a page that takes too long to load. Constant addition of content to your website reduces the speed over time; this is mostly the case for websites that execute database-intensive operations. The more popular your website gets the higher the traffic rates, which is good for you until your hosting plan is unable to manage that amount of traffic. In cases like these, your best bet is to upgrade to a VPS hosting plan. By using VPS hosting you would not only be increasing the loading speed, but also the performance of your site.
Memory Space
You already know that when using shared hosting platforms you not only share the server with other sites but also memory space. If your server does not have enough memory, which could be because your ‘neighbours’ are using more than their allotted share, it would affect your website adversely. Visitors to your site would start to receive a ‘503-server error’ which indicates that your services are unavailable. This could make you lose some clients, in which case you should consider moving to VPS hosting.
Security
If you are unfortunate enough to have your website hosted alongside another website in shared hosting that is undergoing security threats, this may affect the server and subsequently all the websites on the server. In a case like this, you would have to rely on your host to solve the problem, which might take a while. This highlights one of the importance of VPS hosting.
VPS hosting enables you to combine your own security measures with the security measures provided by your hosting company such as auto-recovery, data protection and other security features.
The use of firewalls and blacklists allows you to prevent unwanted access and filter traffic to your site. Other security features such as antivirus and anti-malware scans as well as password and username access are also enabled.
It also allows you to hide sensitive information and disable unnecessary modules which would help in tightening your web security.
Affordability
The cost of VPS hosting is lower compared to that of dedicated hosting and even some shared hosting plans. At an affordable price, you can get your website to perform optimally. Most times, you do not need a dedicated support team as VPS hosting runs in the cloud. You also do not need to worry about backups or updates because these are automated in most cases.
VPS hosting also allows you to have access to additional features that you might have had to buy separately on a shared hosting plan.
Emails
If your business requires sending intraoffice emails between employees in the same place, VPS hosting will help you bypass IMAP and POP restrictions in shared hosting which limits the number of emails that can be sent per hour. VPS hosting is a cheaper alternative compared to using different internet service providers to bypass such limits.
In a case where you need to send bulk emails, VPS hosting is the solution as it enables you to send them despite the limit of 500 emails per hour. It is also easier to send emails directly from your own VPS if you have a large database that contains email addresses.
Some specially designed virtual servers are made for just sending emails. VPS hosting providers create these VPS with two special IP addresses, tools for managing a bulk email list, software for editing, a tracking tool and hardware for monitoring MMS round-the-clock. It also has software for monitoring different performance levels, up-to-date security features, automated backups and software updates. This makes VPS hosting perfect for your brand if you need to send a lot of emails regularly.
Although it is not always as expensive as dedicated hosting, it is more costly than shared hosting. You need to know if your brand can afford VPS hosting.
Finally, you should focus on whether you are able to manage a VPS account or not. Although some VPS hosting plans by NZ Web Hosting company are managed, they still require a minimum level of expertise on the part of the client. This means you’ll either need to take some time off running your business to learn how to manage a VPS account or hire someone to do that.