A new site owner needs to make many decisions – the design of the website, user experience, content, and most importantly, the web hosting service. A site resides on a web server. Therefore, the performance of the site relies a lot upon that of the hosting service. Today, there are numerous hosting options available, making this choice very difficult. A site owner must ensure that he understands the pros and cons of various hosting types before making the decision. In this article, we will be talking about VPS Server Hosting and offer a beginner’s guide to help get started.
What is VPS Server Hosting?
Virtual Private Server Hosting is a web hosting service where your site is stored on a virtual server created by the hosting provider using server virtualization. Each virtual server is independent to a great extent with dedicated resources, a separate operating system, full root access (admin rights), and account isolation.
Types of VPS Hosting
VPS Server Hosting is available in many variants. Based on the operating system used, the two most popular options are Windows and Linux VPS Hosting services. You also have the option of choosing Managed VPS or Unmanaged VPS services based on your requirements and technical proficiency.
Hence, you can opt for a Managed/Unmanaged Linux VPS Hosting service or Managed/Unmanaged Windows VPS Hosting plans.
Salient Features of VPS Server Hosting
Most site owners prefer VPS Hosting over Shared Hosting and other traditional hosting types. Some salient features of VPS Hosting are as follows:
- Dedicated Server-like hosting environment – A virtual server works like a Dedicated Server since it has dedicated resources, full root access, and account isolation. This means that you can customize the hosting environment based on your site’s requirements.
- Easy Resource Scalability – In today’s times, traffic spikes are common across websites since social media platforms have the potential to divert huge volumes of traffic to a site within no time. Hence, easy resource scalability is an essential feature offered by VPS Hosting where you can add resources in no time.
- SSD-based hosting – VPS Hosting plans have also started including SSD storage devices to enhance the speed and performance of your website.
Does your website need a VPS Server Hosting plan?
When you are launching your website, you might want to look at the kind of hosting services used by your competitors to find the right hosting plan. However, if you are currently using another hosting plan, there here are some tell-tale signs that indicate the need to migrate to VPS:
- Your current hosting service cannot handle traffic spikes efficiently
- If you are on a Shared Hosting plan and want to upgrade to a better service but don’t feel the need to spend on Dedicated Server Hosting, then VPS Hosting is the ideal step-up for you
- You are not happy with the security of your site in your current hosting plan. This can be provider-dependent, and if the hosting service is the culprit, then moving to a VPS plan can help
- Also, these plans are ideal for websites that need custom software or applications.
Summing Up
As you can see, VPS Server Hosting caters to specific types of websites or as a perfect step-up from Shared Hosting services. With Dedicated Server-like features, these services have gained popularity among all kinds and sizes of websites. Before you decide, ensure that you assess the hosting requirements of your site and choose a provider and plan that is the best fit. Good Luck!