VPS Web Hosting

One of the most popular types of hosting is VPS, which stands for Virtual Private Server.

What is VPS Hosting?

VPS allows for the control and flexibility of dedicated hosting, but at a much more reasonable cost. The resources of a physical server are split up into several “virtual” ones using virtualization software.

Each VPS has its own secure environment where any operating system and software can be run.

With shared hosting, the resources are shared amongst everyone on the server, but with VPS, you don’t need to be concerned someone else’s website will use up your resources and slow down your site.

The physical server resources are allocated to each virtual environment based on a set of defined parameters by the hosting company. These are generally CPU resources, disk space, and memory. The more resources included in the hosting plan, the more expensive the VPS is.

To be able to run a bunch of VPS environments, you can imagine these servers would need to have some beefy specifications!

Is VPS hosting right for me?

Given that resources are your own in a VPS hosting environment, much more traffic can be handled, depending on the complexity of the web site. Simpler web sites, such as static or brochure sites don’t need to be run on a VPS server.

Many content management systems do very well in a VPS environment due to having more control over available resources and software installed.

VPS hosting can require more technical knowledge to use properly, but that depends on the hosting company and the services they offer for VPS.

The lowest cost ones are meant for people who know how to manage and build the server themselves. Many companies offer pre-packaged control panels, and some even provide an easier to use wrapper around those. These greatly help with server and web site management tasks.

When to move from shared to VPS hosting

There are many reasons to move from a shared hosting plan to a VPS server. Some include:

Website traffic

When your web site becomes busier and needs more resources to handle the additional traffic, it may be time to consider VPS hosting.

Reliability

Have you had some troubles with shared resources slowing down your site on shared hosting? VPS servers can provide more dedicated resources to serve site content faster and more reliably.

Security

Given there is more separation between VPS than shared hosting, it is more secure. People with another VPS container on the physical server do not share the same file system as your web site.

Root access

If you need full access to the server file system, VPS may be right for you. Root access is not allowed in shared hosting, as it would greatly compromise security.

Site complexity

Complex sites requiring more control over what software gets installed and changes to configuration are best hosted on a VPS or better hosting plan.

VPS Hosting Options

With so many options for hosting companies, it can be quite difficult to settle on one fitting your needs. Some options I recommend include:

A Small Orange
These guys were one of the first with solid state drives (SSDs) used on their servers. Their site management interface is easy to use and they have quick responses to support tickets.

Site5
An all-around excellent web hosting company with excellent customer service and good pricing. I have used them for many of my own sites, as well as customer sites.

Mediatemple
I have used them for my own sites, as well as for customer sites. They have fast servers, generous resource limits, and don’t oversell their services. Support is good as well.

Linode
They specialize in VPS servers with good hardware resources and some good pricing. Setting up a server with them requires more technical knowledge than others.

Terms Used on This Page

Brochure Site

A simple web site with static content giving an overview of your business and services.

Content Management System

Software designed to help non-technical users of a web site create content without having to learn how to write code. A few examples are Wordpress, Drupal, and DotNetNuke.

Control Panel

Software to help manage the configuration and hardware resources of a server. In web hosting, common control panels used are CPanel and Plesk.

Operating System

The base software installed on a computer to run the most basic functions and allow for more complicated software programs to be installed. Examples include Windows, Linux, and OS/X.

Virtualization Software

Software designed to create virtual containers where an entire operating system and supporting software can be installed independently of the host system.