VPS Server vs. Dedicated Server
VPS servers and dedicated servers are the two forms of dedicated web hosting offered by most web hosting providers and allow for businesses that require reliable and secure web hosting services to use a web hosting package capable of meeting their requirements ideally. Although VPS servers and dedicated servers are separated by their separate form factors, with VPS server hosting being a form of virtual web hosting and dedicated server hosting being the only form of physical web hosting that is available. If you require a web hosting service that can provide you with large resource allocations then a dedicated server is going to be the way for you to go since the only restrictions you will face resource wise are going to be the actual limits of the server; however, VPS servers can still provide you with decent resource assignments that are capable at meeting the requirements of most users, just at a more affordable price. Windows server hosting services are offered by many web hosting providers although Linux server hosting servers generally tend to be more prevalent as they are normally cheaper and easier to provision for web hosting providers.
There are several different editions of the Windows server operating system meaning that there is a good range of choice to choose from depending on what your needs may be, however the use of the Windows operating system will also cost you more since web hosting providers will need to factor in the cost of the Windows operating system license; Linux on the other hand is an open source operating system meaning that it costs nothing to use and there are many different versions, or ‘distributions’, of Linux available that have all been designed to be used in different situations. Apart from the difference in form factor between VPS server hosting and dedicated server hosting, there isn’t a great deal else that is different; both forms of dedicated web hosting will provide you with guaranteed assignments of RAM, disk space and bandwidth that you will be able to utilize as you see fit – with a dedicated server you will also be able to make full use of the server’s CPU whereas with a VPS server you will have to share the hosting node’s CPU with the other VPS servers that are hosted on the same node. Server hosting services are able to provide you with greater reliability in the long run, and for most uptime is one of the most important factors to consider in a web hosting package these days.
Why should I choose a VPS server over a dedicated server?
A VPS server will generally be much more affordable for most when compared to a dedicated server and this is where the main advantage lies as most individuals are unable to justify the high cost of a dedicated server although their requirements dictate the need for a dedicated web hosting environment. The price that you pay for a VPS server can differ greatly depending on the specification of the VPS hosting service that you choose to use, although most VPS servers are available for a fairly low price which has helped to make VPS server hosting and dedicated web hosting in general popular with small businesses; with a dedicated server you are going to be paying for a lot more that you may not necessarily require meaning that a VPS server is going to be expensive – VPS server hosting effectively takes the bare essentials of dedicated server hosting and offers a web hosting service tailored to those that require dedicated web hosting on a tight budget. The isolated by shared web hosting environment that is offered by a VPS server hosting service can also be beneficial for those who are using server hosting services for the first time since it means that if something goes wrong with your VPS server, you can reload (which means to reinstall the operating system) your server in a few clicks, giving you a blank canvas to work with; if you ever need to reload a dedicated server then you will probably find yourself having a rather large bill since it needs to be done manually meaning that you will have to pay for the man hours that have been used up. A VPS server will also be easier to manage in most situations as you will be provided with access to a web based interface that you will be able to use to carry out a multitude of server administration tasks removing the need for direct root or administrator access to your VPS server, and this is something that dedicated server hosting lacks; for some, managing a server via Remote Desktop or SSH may seem a daunting task meaning that it is important for beginners to be provided with an alternative management method – it can also be beneficial to more advance users since it can provide you with another way of restarting your VPS server if it freezes. In summary, the main advantages of using a VPS server over a dedicated server include:
- Price – VPS server hosting is usually much cheaper than a dedicated server meaning that if you are after an affordable dedicated web hosting service, a VPS server may be the right form of web hosting for your requirements – web hosting providers are able to offer VPS server hosting cheaply because they are using high specification VPS server hosting nodes which allows them to host a large number of VPS servers on a single hosting node, thus creating a large amount of profit – it is important to note that the various types of VPS server will also differ in price, for example a cloud VPS server is going to be more expensive than a VPS server hosted in a single-node hosting environment – hybrid VPS servers are also priced in the same range as low specification dedicated servers because of the resources that they provide, although for most the cost of a hybrid VPS server will only be justifiable in extreme circumstances
- Isolated, virtual web hosting environment – although some may think that a physical server may be more beneficial than a virtual web hosting environment, the isolation provided by a VPS server can make the management of a VPS server easier for both web hosting providers and you as the customers – if your VPS server is hosted on a node with many other VPS servers then you are provided with the advantage of being able to protect your server to an extent that it can’t be accessed externally but at the same time your web hosting provider’s support team will still be able to access your server in the event that they need to through the main hosting node – however, you are still provided with a good level of isolation meaning that the performance of your VPS server can’t be affected by the performance of others since you are provided with your own guaranteed amounts of RAM and disk space
- Web based management – depending on the virtualization platform that your web hosting provider uses, you will offered access to a web based control panel that you can use to help manage your VPS server – Virtuozzo is generally the choice of most web hosting providers since it is cheap but can provide a reliable and secure VPS server hosting platform that most users are familiar with, and with Virtuozzo comes the Parallels Power Panel that you can then use to manage different aspects of your VPS server through your web browser – for example, if your VPS server stops responding via Remote Desktop or SSH for one reason or another you can simply reboot it using the Parallels Power Panel, whereas if you were using a dedicated server the chances are that you would need to email your web hosting provider’s support team to get them to reboot your dedicated server manually.
The advantages of using a VPS server over a dedicated server provide you with an insight into why VPS server hosting has become so popular despite dedicated server hosting having been around for much longer. Smaller businesses can benefit greatly by upgrading to a VPS server from a shared web hosting service, but similarly larger businesses may also find it beneficial to consider dedicated server hosting VPS server hosting in some situations.
What are the advantages of using a dedicated server over a VPS server?
Dedicated servers are generally reserved for use by larger businesses that require a highly reliable web hosting environment that they can be sure won’t suffer any downtime unless something that they can’t handle happens, such as a datacentre power outage or network problems. The main advantage of using a dedicated server over a VPS server has to be the fact that a dedicated server is a physical form of web hosting whereas a VPS server is a form of virtual web hosting since this will provide you with many advantages when it comes to server uptime and efficiency; this means that you will be able to make full use of the resources that you have purchased for use with your dedicated server without having to share them with anyone else and without having to worry about any other users affecting the uptime of your website or server. A dedicated server can also be purchased with much greater resource assignments than a VPS server will ever be able to offer since you are actually purchasing physical hardware that will form part of your server – a VPS server is simply virtual resources that collectively form part of the physical resources that belong to the hosting node; this is why dedicated server hosting is popular with larger businesses as they generally require large resource assignments in order for their web services to be able to function correctly. A dedicated server will also be much more reliable than a VPS server since you aren’t being tied down to sharing the server with anyone else, thus meaning that you can optimize your dedicated server to function in the way that you want it to which can help to free up resources; the greater resource assignments that a dedicated server has to offer along with the fact that you will be able to fully utilize the server’s CPU will all contribute to offering a reliable web hosting service. You will find that the main advantages of using a dedicated server over a VPS server include:
- Physical form factor – a dedicated server is the only physical form of web hosting that you will be able to purchase, but this does have a downside since it is the main reason for dedicated server hosting being as expensive as it is – the physical form factor of a dedicated server allows you to customize the specification of your dedicated server greatly, allowing you to create a server hosting service that meets your requirements ideally – this will also mean that you are only paying for the resources that you require and not those which you aren’t going to use meaning that a dedicated server will also represent good value for money when compared to a VPS server hosting service – the physical form factor will also mean that you won’t have to share any of your server’s resources with anyone else unless you specifically choose to share your dedicated server with another user
- Resource assignments – a dedicated server can also be purchased with much greater resource assignments than a VPS server will ever be able to offer you which is why larger businesses tend to consider dedicated server hosting services for their requirements – your dedicated server can be as powerful as you want it to be, and since most web hosting providers tend to allow you to customize the specifications of your dedicated server during the order process you can easily make your dedicated server up for the purpose that it is being designed for, i.e. it can have multiple hard drives with RAID protection if require that or simply a more powerful processor and smaller hard drive
- Reliability – the main advantages of dedicated server hosting will all result in you being provided with a web hosting service that is much more reliable than a VPS server will ever be, in most situations providing you with 100% guaranteed uptime – most businesses rely on their websites for a source of income meaning that any downtime will cost them money, and this is where dedicated server hosting comes into its prime such businesses will be able to justify the cost of a dedicated server which will allow them to make the most of their dedicated server hosting service – the thing to remember is that there are a number of factors that can affect the reliability of your dedicated server and you need to take the necessary actions to ensure that these factors don’t hinder your uptime levels.
A dedicated server is a much better prospect than a VPS server for most businesses because of the resources that are on offer, although this does come at a price. Dedicated server hosting shouldn’t be considered if you are inexperienced or are unsure since a dedicated needs to be managed properly and you are going to be paying a large amount of money for your dedicated server.
In conclusion, VPS server hosting is recommended for smaller businesses whereas dedicated server hosting is much better suited to larger businesses. It is important for you to make the right choice as to which form of server hosting will benefit you most since the key here is the resources that are on offer – both can provide you with control panel access if that’s what you require as well as a dedicated web hosting environment in which you will be able to install any applications of your choice.
