It is the popular opinion that a dedicated server is the best way to go when it comes to internet hosting. This is very understandable. After all, It would be hard to dispute the fact that having a single server dedicated to servicing your own data needs alone brings with it obvious and readily apparent benefits. Exclusive use means less clutter, more space, unshared bandwidth speedier processing, and less downtime. The fact that a dedicated server is a top of the line service also translates to top of the line customer support and expertise. And as if these advantages were not enough, it really just has to be pointed out that outsourcing hosting needs usually is cheaper in the long run than maintaining own facility. Taken all together, these advantages ensure that a dedicated server would be the internet hosting option of choice for any business or company that seriously values all those aforementioned features yet does not want to go through the hassle of hiring and training its own personnel, putting up its own infrastructure, worrying about data security, and bothering about maintenance and streamlining.
But popular opinion or no, savings or no savings, one may still find itself unable to afford the cost of an outsourced dedicated server. Cost-effectiveness is a foremost business requirement, but even if it is indeed more cost-effective to have a dedicated server than a self-owned and operated facility, it might not be as cost-effective as one would like it to be. And of course, there’s one other thing to consider. A business may want all the benefits of a dedicated server but it may not actually need it enough to be willing to shell out the cost.
A compromise had to be found therefore if businesses, especially small ones, were not to lose out on the benefits of an internet hosting service. Eventually, a solution was found and it took the form of a virtual private server or VPS.
VPS in a Nutshell
A virtual private server is the solution that provides businesses the chance to “virtually” have their own dedicated server. What happens is that a single dedicated server, by virtue of an application, is divided into several private servers. Imagine a big square, and then divide this square into several small squares. Each small square represents the virtual private server. And because the physical server is shared, a virtual server is way cheaper than a dedicated web hosting service and thus, much more affordable.
Why Not Shared Web Hosting?
One other web hosting option, aside from dedicated web hosting and VPS, is the shared web hosting service. However, since a shared web hosting service allows multiple users to use it without actually splitting the server, it has the following weaknesses:
- The users in a shared web hosting environment cannot customize their applications because the server can only have one platform.
- As a result of the first limitation, you cannot have your own special applications.
- It is an “as is”, “take it or leave it” environment where the hosting provider offers you a set of options and settings. You can neither design nor create your own.
- And of course, you have far less speed and more downtime because multiple users trying to access the server at the same time can slow down and overload the server.
- You also do not have root-level access.
VPS: The Better Choice
In comparison with the shared web hosting provider outlined above, a virtual private server has the advantage of giving users exclusive rights and use of a small compartment of a single server. This gives VPS the following advantages over web shared hosting:
- The server administrator provides only the facility and the physical server itself, not the applications.
- You fully control your private space so you can design your own configurations and applications.
- You do not share FTP and POP with the other users of the server so you are not slowed down by others using the server at the same time.
- You have access at the root-level.
- As a result of the above, Shell and Telnet security is available to you.
Suffice it then to say that VPS offers a middle ground between the dedicated server and the shared web hosting service. It is much more efficient than the latter and much cheaper than the former. A virtual private server offers you the dedicated server experience without the high-end price.
