VPS, or Virtual Private Server, means hosting by different entities for various clients, but all on one server. It allows the service provider to partition a single server into many virtual servers. The clients would then share the server as a whole, including both the connection and the hardware. In fact, they would enjoy the same benefits as dedicated hosting, such as a private file system and operating system, giving them the freedom of secure access. So this type of setup means a combination of dedicated and shared hosting. In total, privacy-enhanced performance will increase for the business at a much lower cost than it would have to pay for dedicated hosting.
Clients would also gain certain control functions, such as the administrative tasks of changing server settings, installing software, rebooting the server, etc. This type of account is good for those customers who invariably need security and accessibility more than anything else. Therefore, it is quite possible that you will opt for VPS hosting if you want to switch from shared to dedicated hosting, without having the need to increase the costs for that purpose. Some service providers offer this service for a cheap cost of $10 per month, so investing in a VPS hosting environment is a very good idea for many online business owners. Since the operating system and file system are unique to each client, users can get a good chunk of the server when it comes to CPU, network, and disk I/O.
If you plan to resell hosting, you will have a greater degree of control over the services you can offer, thus giving you a competitive advantage over your competitors. For those web developers planning to develop a feature packed social networking site or blog, VPS hosting would be the idle option. Even for those webmasters who are comfortable running shared hosting and want to brush up on their server management tech skills, but don’t want to be exposed to a fully dedicated server, VPS hosting is a good option. Webmasters could install some custom applications or even change modules for their servers. Furthermore, they would enjoy complete security on all the websites under their management, since each VPS environment is run by unique software for their hosting, since they also have their unique resources, the chances of intrusion are greatly reduced.
VPS hosting bridges the gaps between entry-level and starter web hosting plans and co-location. While the former offers specific services like PHP/MySQL etc. with limited disk space on a shared server, the latter allows you to fully own and control the hardware, and just rent an internet connection and rack space from the hub. of data. A VPS would be the best option for you if you want to have a shared hosting plan, but your finances do not allow you to opt for a co-location web hosting plan.
A dedicated web hosting plan is another alternative you can consider, and it’s considerably less expensive than co-location. It is also very competitively priced compared to other web hosting plans. Although it certainly costs more than a VPS web hosting plan, a dedicated plan can also be reasonably affordable for you. As the name implies, a dedicated host gives you a dedicated server. In reality, it means renting the server from the host company and not renting the rack space for the server, as is the case with co-location.
Some of the advantages of a VPS web hosting plan are listed below:
o Gives you a root access that allows you to install and even configure any program you want
o Many websites can be hosted through the virtual servers provided by Apache
o You also get many other services such as an FTP server, a mail server and any server you may need
o These servers can be used for file storage, backup, or anything else that suits you
Certain disadvantages also increased in VPS web hosting plans, which are mentioned below:
o As a VPS web host allows you to fully control the server, you become the main responsible for everything you do. Installation, security, maintenance… you are responsible for all your actions. So if you don’t have enough experience in taking care of a Linux server, this can be a big problem.
o A VPS web hosting server gives you the entire operating system to work with, but you need to share the hardware resources like RAM, CPU, etc. with other VPS users on the same host. So if your business demands high performance or the use of programs that involve RAM heavily, it would be better to opt for co-location or a dedicated server.
The way it works:
A combination of many technologies makes the operation of a VPS possible. Some of them are Microsoft’s Virtual PC, Open Source User Mode Linux and XEN, the last one. In fact, XEN is getting rave reviews from the media. There is also a possibility that it will be combined with the next Linux distribution. Web developers will only benefit from this as it will give them more freedom at a very low cost.
You may ask what you will get if you use a VPS account. First, you will gain access to the core areas of your server. As said above, if you’re good at working on a Linux server, you can have full access and control over everything you want to do. But since it gives you the freedom of unlimited control, you will be responsible for everything you do. So if you are not comfortable with Linux, VPS is not for you.
However, this does not mean that you will have to build the entire operating system from scratch. Almost all VPS plans have many disk images to choose from and have several distributions in the default configurations. You just need to specify the disk image you need, and the configuration will be done on the VPS in a couple of minutes. Setting up an account will give you root access via SSH, where you can do whatever you want.
VPS prices start from a monthly amount of $20 on the low side, up to $100 on the high side. However, don’t take price as an indication of quality. If you’re not fully up to speed on how VPS web hosting works, you can start with the low end which gives you 64 MB of RAM and 2 GB of disk space. You can expand your base from there. You can opt for the higher price band if you have great ideas but little budget to start your business.