When it comes to web hosting, you have three basic types available to you: shared, dedicated, and VPS. Although it has been around for quite awhile, many people do not know or understand what VPS hosting is. VPS stands for virtual private server. It is a cross between shared and dedicated hosting in that is provides all the benefits of having a dedicated server but at a cheaper, shared price.
Like shared hosting, a server’s resources is divided among several accounts. However, on a VPS server, the number of accounts (usually 4 to 6) is significantly less than the amount on a shared server (about 30 to 40). The cost of maintaining the server is spread out among these accounts. While not as cheap as shared hosting, the cost of a VPS account is significantly less than dedicated hosting because of this compartmentalizaton.
VPS servers differ significantly from shared servers in the way the accounts are separated. Web hosting providers use special software to firewall the accounts to provide dedicated space to each client. This means each person on the server can run their own operating system and software without affecting the other residents on the machine. One person could be using Windows server software and another could run Linux, and neither program would conflict with the other.
This offers several benefits over shared hosting. Each account gets a slice of CPU and hard drive resources. If one account max’s out it resources, it will have no affect on the other accounts on the server. Additionally, if one of the accounts gets hacked into, the others will remain safe from the breach.
VPS web hosting typically comes managed or unmanaged and requires a somewhat advanced level of understanding about how servers work. That doesn’t mean a novice can’t sign up for this type of web hosting. Be aware, though, that the learning curve is steep if you don’t know anything about managing a web server. The alternative is to sign up for managed VPS hosting. However, the cost will be higher.
VPS hosting is a great option for people who need a lot of bandwidth and disk space but don’t have the funds to purchased a dedicated server. It’s best to speak to a knowledgeable web hosting provider for assistance with deciding if this option is right for you.
