Are you struggling to decide what type of hosting to use for your site? Are you having trouble deciding between VPS and dedicated hosting? We understand your conundrum. It can be difficult to know which option is best if you don’t understand the differences between the two. Luckily, we’re here for you. This article will explain what differentiates VPS from dedicated hosting and when it’s most appropriate to choose one or the other.
Definition of VPS Hosting
VPS stands for a virtual private server. Using virtualization technology, a VPS hosting provider creates something called a hypervisor to divide a single server into virtual machines. What this means is that each account on the VPS is completely separate from other accounts. As a result, nothing one account does can affect the others. Additionally, each account has its own allocation of resources. For example, if the server has 8GB of RAM and you might get 1 GB of that eight. However, that 1 GB belongs entirely to you. You don’t have to share it with anyone else using the server.
The best VPS hosting plans come with scalable packages so you can upgrade your resources as your needs grow. They also allow you to install your own security software.
Definition of Dedicated Hosting
A dedicated hosting plan gives you a dedicated server. A dedicated server is a single server that is entirely dedicated to your website(s). What this means is that rather than getting part of a whole, you get the whole. With a dedicated server, you get more resources, and you have full control over your server’s physical hardware and the software that’s running it. For example, if you prefer an AMD processor to an Intel processor, you have the power to use the processor you prefer. Additionally, you can control every piece of software on the server. This includes security software, allowing you to be in full control of any security breaches.
Pros of VPS Hosting
- You get dedicated resources even though you don’t have control over the full physical server.
- It’s more affordable than dedicated hosting.
- Resources are easily upgradeable by adjusting the virtual partition.
Pros of Dedicated Hosting
- Your site is physically isolated from other accounts rather than just virtually isolated.
- You have complete control over your server’s physical hardware and software.
Cons of VPS Hosting
- You have little to no control over your server’s physical hardware.
Cons of Dedicated Hosting
- It’s more expensive than VPS hosting.
- It’s difficult to know what resources you need, and it’s more challenging to change resources because your resources are divided physically rather than virtually.
Which Should You Choose?
Dedicated hosting is the most high-priced hosting type. Most people don’t need a whole server to themselves. Dedicated hosting is really only necessary if your web traffic has grown to the point where you regularly see visitor numbers in the six figures. You might also want a dedicated server if you want to customize your server’s hardware and software. With dedicated hosting, you get complete control over the hardware specifications, the software, and the operating system. Otherwise, VPS hosting will do the job just fine.
VPS hosting is a virtual mimic of a dedicated server. It offers you your own resources, and it’s much more affordable than dedicated hosting. You can also quickly scale your resources as your business grows, whereas, with dedicated hosting, you’re generally stuck with the resources you opted for when you set up your server. Additionally, you do have some customization options.
Conclusion
For most sites, you should use VPS hosting. With a VPS, your hosting provider virtually divides a physical server’s resources into different accounts, and you get an account dedicated entirely to your site or sites. If your site grows and requires more resources, it’s easy to move the virtual partition to allow you to scale your site. Dedicated hosting, by contrast, gives you an entire physical server to yourself. In this way, your site is physically isolated from other sites, and you have full control over your server’s hardware and software.
Furthermore, there are no limits to the number of resources you use. However, once you’ve established the resource amounts for your server, it’s difficult to modify them. This means that if your website grows, you will have to add additional servers to accommodate the growth. Therefore, we conclude that you should use VPS hosting unless you have site traffic equaling six figures or more.