An efficient and reliable hosting solution is critical for businesses of all sizes. VPS hosting is a solid alternative to the less scalable shared hosting and overly expensive dedicated hosting, giving users access to an autonomous portion of a virtual server within a shared environment.
Website owners whose traffic has outgrown shared hosting tend to opt for VPS hosting. These are usually small to medium-sized businesses that don’t need dedicated hosting resources. Typically, a VPS hosting provider will offer multiple hosting plans.
Read on for the detailed answer to “What is VPS hosting?” and insight into its pros and cons.
Advantages of VPS
VPS hosting is a flexible and scalable hosting solution that lets users upgrade resources easily and without downtime. It doesn’t matter whether they need extra storage or experience a sudden surge in traffic to their website.
Compared to shared hosting, the performance of VPS hosting is more satisfactory, with a better server response and faster loading. This is because dedicated resources are allocated to the server, which is particularly beneficial for resource-intensive apps or websites.
Improved security
Security is paramount for any website. VPS hosting is a step up from its shared counterpart in terms of security. Your portion of the server is isolated from the portions allocated to the other users on the same server, minimizing the risk of security breaches. Moreover, you can install additional security software or custom firewalls. You have more control over your server’s security configurations in general.
Dedicated resources
Users of VPS hosting have guaranteed memory, storage, and CPU allocated to their portion. The activities of other users on the same server do not impact them.
Disadvantages of VPS
The main disadvantage of VPS hosting is the potential learning curve. Unless you opt for managed hosting, you’ll be responsible for tailoring and configuring your virtual server environment. You must deal with maintenance, security configurations, setting up the server, installing the necessary software, etc.
Downtime risk
Software issues and hardware failures can lead to temporary server downtime. This risk is minimal as reliable hosting companies use backup servers or have other redundancy measures in place.
Dependence on the hosting company
You might be over-reliant on your hosting provider for support and maintenance. Before you choose a hosting provider, make sure they offer 24/7 technical support.
How to choose the right VPS hosting provider
When choosing a VPS hosting provider, consider ease of use, uptime, support, price, web server speed, and security. Uptime is the best measure of reliability. Typically, it’s presented as a percentage. Aim for 99% uptime or more. Uptime is directly proportional to reliability, which is also significant for search rankings. Your web host should include their uptime guarantee in their Terms of Service.
Price
Be wary of very cheap VPS hosting – it can indicate the provider is cutting corners somewhere. The price is important, but you shouldn’t be overly focused on it. An analysis of the value for money aspect could prove beneficial.
That said, you shouldn’t pay too much either. You don’t need a host (pun intended) of value-adding features.
Speed
The speed at which your pages load isn’t the same as the web server speed. The latter rates how long it takes your server to respond to a query. It is a sign of the quality of the hosting provider’s services.
Both speeds are crucial for search rankings. You can speed up your website with some tweaks here and there, but you have no control over web server speed. This is up to the web host.
Security
Generally, VPS hosting is far more secure than shared hosting, but VPS providers can differ in this respect. The type of VPS hosting contributes to the security level. For example, cloud-based VPS hosting is more secure than regular VPS hosting platforms.
As security problems can cause your website to lose money and damage your reputation, be careful when choosing the type of VPS hosting.
Customer service
If your customers must wait ages for a response, you’ll lose them fast. Contact your prospective host’s support team before signing up if possible. Look into what channels are available for customer support. The best hosting providers will offer multiple channels, including phone and live chat.
Backup
Have a backup to ensure your site is as reliable as possible. Most hosting providers offer backups, but they differ in the range of services available – the duration of data retention, backup frequency, the data restoration process, whether data is restored automatically, or if customized scheduling is possible. Choose the plan with the most options.
