When you launch your website, finding the right web hosting plan can be a difficult task. There are many hosting types to choose from, like Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, etc. Also, once you select a hosting type, you need to choose the operating system that you prefer, like Linux or Windows. Next, you need to determine the storage and bandwidth you need along with managed/unmanaged services. There are so many variables that most site owners find this process overwhelming. While the demand for VPS Hosting services has been on the rise in recent years, most site owners buy Dedicated Server Hosting for optimum site performance and control. However, VPS Servers have gained popularity as a cheaper alternative to Dedicated Servers.
But, are VPS Servers truly a cheaper version of Dedicated Servers? In this article, we will explore the differences between a VPS and a Dedicated Hosting Server to help you find the best solution for your business.
In a Dedicated Server Hosting setup, your website is the sole resident of a web server. Therefore, all the resources and computing power of the server are used by your site alone. This makes it a powerful hosting solution offering maximum control over the hosting environment. You can opt for a Widows or Linux Dedicated Hosting server. On the other hand, in VPS Hosting, your website resides on a virtual server with account isolation, full root access, and dedicated resources. This allows a VPS Server to function as a Dedicated Server with certain limitations.
Dedicated Server vs VPS Server
| Feature | Dedicated Hosting | VPS Hosting |
| Price | A Dedicated Server Hosting plan is costlier than most other hosting solutions. The reason is simple – your website occupies an entire physical web server. Hence, the hosting company has to pass on the cost of maintaining the server to you.
Despite the high price, if your website is experiencing high volumes of traffic and/or has resource-intensive applications that other hosting solutions are unable to service, then a Dedicated Server Hosting plan becomes highly cost-efficient. |
A VPS Hosting plan is cheaper than a Dedicated Server Hosting plan. Again, the reason is that one physical web server is divided into multiple virtual servers. And, each virtual server hosts a website. Therefore, the costs of maintaining the server are divided between several users. These plans are cost-efficient for websites that have outgrown a shared hosting service but don’t need to upgrade to a Dedicated Server.
|
| Protection of the server | In Dedicated Server Hosting, site owners don’t have to worry about the security of the server getting impacted due to a security breach on another user’s site. Also, it allows them to make any changes to the configuration of the server, open/close ports, and install tools to make the server more secure. | In VPS Hosting, the physical server is shared. However, the server virtualization software (hypervisor) ensures that each virtual server works in isolation from the others. Hence, for security purposes, a VPS Server is as secure as a Dedicated Server. However, if the hacker gains access to the hypervisor, then a VPS Server stands a risk of being impacted too. Virtual servers also allow site owners to install any third-party tools to make the server more secure. |
| Customization & Control | With Dedicated Servers, there is no limit on what you can do on the server. You are the sole user and can make any changes as needed by your site. | With VPS Hosting, you can make several changes to the hosting environment. However, since the physical server is shared, some system-level changes are not possible. |
| Which hosting solution performs better? | If we look at a Dedicated Server and VPS Server with the same configurations, then a Dedicated Server performs better than a VPS Server. | |
Summing Up
While a Dedicated Server offers more power than a VPS Server, the difference in price is huge. Hence, as a site owner, it is important to assess what your site needs and look for a plan accordingly. If a VPS Hosting plan can cater to your site’s requirements, then buying a Dedicated Server plan can be an unnecessary expense. On the other hand, if your site demands a Dedicated Server, then a VPS Hosting plan might not be able to handle the load and cause reputation and revenue loss. Hence, consider all aspects and choose the right plan. Good Luck!
You can check out the following video to further understand the difference between VPS and Dedicated Server:
Comments are closed.