The whole world has gone virtual! The utility of virtual technology is becoming an irreplaceable asset for human society. The use of such technology is a very wide thing. We are using it to make music, simulate safety procedures, assess dangerous situations, entertainment and much, much more. VPS or Virtual Private Server is a form of hosting which uses virtual technology to provide you with reliable hosting experience.
While this technology isn’t exactly new, it has been around for quite some time actually, I’ve decided to write an article about it because there are some new varieties of VPS hosting and because people in general don’t know much about VPS. So, what is VPS and what makes it different from the other hosting experiences? Well, the classic VPS was created with a purpose of dividing a single server machine in such a way that multiple users can use it independently. This was first achieved by shared hosting, but the users couldn’t function independently, they were limited by each other in terms of software, resource use, security and so on. VPS allows the creation of a separated space in which a single user can install his own operative system and any other software, set up his own security and update and change them as he pleases. The resources that the user gets from the server are agreed upon beforehand and these resources are reserved explicitly for him.
VPS Capabilities
VPS is usually recommended for websites with medium traffic. There are some other types of VPS that can handle much more, but we will talk about that later. With VPS, it all depends on what kind of a plan you agree on with your provider. Usually, it is recommended for blogs, mid-traffic websites and ecommerce sites. The good thing about VPS is that you can upgrade your package rather easily and this gives you a flexibility to adapt your package to the popularity of your website. If you find that your page is getting more and more visits every day, you can easily change your package to avoid any sluggishness and loss of visitors due to unresponsiveness.
The great thing about VPS is that it allows you great control over it and you can do anything remotely, even using your smartphone. Rebooting remotely can save you from a lot of trouble. An unavailable website is one of the worst things that can happen to you and can cost you a lot of money. If you have to physically be there to reboot your server, you can lose a lot of time. It is even worse if your server is located in a data center, than you have to call the support of your hosting provider and get someone to do it for you. The VPS gives you control to rebuild, reboot and set password with the management panel and you can use the control panel for website management.
Website Setup and Support on VPS
With VPS website, setup is usually a one-click operation. By using the premade templates for the most popular operative systems, providers give you an ideal environment to setup your website. This means that you can easily transfer your backup from another provider with the least amount of downtime possible, while still keeping your operative system of choice. As far as support on VPS is concerned, there are usually two options. You can have the support from the provider or you can handle things yourself. If you are an experienced website owner and can manage and update your server by yourself, the second option might be a good decision for you since this will significantly lower the cost of the package. Even if you encounter a problem you are not familiar with, most good hosting providers offer extensive tutorials and FAQ-s so you can find the bug that bothers you and resolve the problem. If you don’t feel confident enough to handle all this you can go for a VPS with support where all this will be managed by the hosting staff specifically trained for this duty. VPS Cost Depending on the type of package you pick out, you can get VPS at a very reasonable price. It all depends on how much disk space, CPU speed and bandwidth you decide to take and whether you decide to get support or not. All in all, VPS is not all that expensive and is considered one of the more budget preserving options.
Cloud VPS
This is a specific type of VPS. Cloud functions a bit differently since your virtual server is managed by a larger number of server machines working in coordination with each other. This gives a lot of options that you don’t get with standard VPS. First of all, since there are a lot of servers working in agreement with each other, it is less likely that a physical failure will occur. With cloud VPS you also have the capability to increase the resources which are available to you. So, when you notice that you are at the limit with your current setup, you simply dial up the resource you are lacking and that is it. This can be done by using the control panel without contacting the provider. It is only natural that the paying method is different than with the standard VPS. The way you pay for cloud VPS is rather simple; you pay for what you use. This can be a great way to have top-notch hosting, but still remain in control of the cost.
VPS hosting solution is fairly reliable and, above all, it is very flexible and easy to setup. As with all the hosting solutions you will come across, there are providers that will offer poor services, on poor equipment with poor support. Many people end up judging a hosting method without taking into consideration that a lot of the things that go wrong can be traced back to bad management by the hosting company, so do your research before you pick your provider and good luck.