Are you looking to launch your business website or upgrade your existing platform? If so, a virtual private server (VPS) could be the answer.
VPS offers increased versatility and performance over shared hosting. But what are all the potential applications of VPS? What is it used for?
I’m AJ, and I sold my SEO/Web Design agency in 2022; now, I’m taking my skills and expertise to help business owners like yourself launch, grow, and scale their companies.
I will answer all those questions (and more) in the following post!
What Does VPS Stand For?
VPS stands for “Virtual Private Server.”
A dedicated server is a piece of hardware only you can access.
A virtual private server is created by “virtually” partitioning off space in a shared server that (again) only you have access to.
What is VPS Hosting?
Typically, when people host their first website, they use shared hosting.
Shared hosting is an excellent option for businesses looking to keep their platform costs low, as it involves splitting resources with other customers.
You pay less when you’re on a shared server (as described above) because you’re all pooling resources. In a way, a shared server is like a hostel.
You pay some cash and stay in a room with several other people.
However, if your website is growing and you’re looking for more power and control over your hosting environment, VPS hosting may be the best choice. With VPS hosting, you have a guaranteed amount of server resources allocated to you, but you still share the same space on the same server.
A VPS can be considered a dedicated server with just one user; you will have access to all the resources available, and you won’t overlap in resource use.
By using VPS hosting, you can gain the full scalability and performance of a dedicated server without managing the hardware yourself or paying for additional features.
What is VPS Used For?
VPS hosting is used for a variety of purposes, including:
VPS as a Website Server
The most common way a VPS is used is as a web server.
A VPS server gives you more power and control over the environment than a shared hosting plan, allowing you to host multiple websites on your server with separate resources for each.
It depends on the host you choose, but most VPS solutions typically work with popular web development languages such as PHP, Node.js, Python, and Ruby on Rails.
You can manage your VPS using protocols like SSH or FTP that let you access the server and make any necessary changes.
VPS as an Application Server
You can also use a VPS to host software, applications, and databases.
The same benefits of having more control over the environment apply here, allowing you to configure certain aspects like memory, storage space, or even the operating system itself.
This makes it easy to use (most) technologies for your database to host dynamic websites and applications.
VPS as a Gaming Server
VPS servers also make great gaming servers.
You can host your custom game or join a multi-player server for popular titles like Minecraft or Counter-Strike.
Gaming servers need three things to function correctly.
First, high speed is needed. In comes VPS. With its dedicated resources, you won’t have to worry about other users bogging down your server with their activities.
Second, you need a lot of control over the environment. Again, VPS offers this flexibility and control so you can set up gaming servers that match your specific needs.
Finally, uptime is essential in gaming servers. You don’t want to experience any downtime, or else your players will look elsewhere. With VPS hosting, you can guarantee that your server is always up and running (or almost always).
VPS as an Email Server
You can also use a VPS to host an email server.
Email is one of the most important aspects of any business and needs to be reliable and fast.
Using a VPS, you can ensure your emails are sent quickly and securely without managing the hardware.
The main advantage of VPS as an email server is the dedicated IP address. This ensures that your emails are not mixed up with other spam, which can help improve your email deliverability.
Plus, you have more control over the processing speed of incoming and outgoing messages.
Finally, VPS solutions come with spam protection and daily offsite backups to ensure you won’t suffer any data loss.
VPS as a VPN Server
Did you know you can use VPS as a VPS server?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) protects your data from hackers or other malicious attackers and keeps it secure while being transmitted over the internet.
Public VPNs help you bypass geolocation blocks and increase online privacy; however, some people set up their own VPN via a VPS server due to privacy concerns.
VPS hosting also grants you more control and flexibility when setting up your own VPN server, allowing you to set up different user accounts, configure security settings, and more.
Plus, with VPS hosting, you’re guaranteed your server is always up and running since it’s on a virtual private network.
VPS as a VoIP Server
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the technology used for making phone calls over the Internet.
You can use VPS hosting to set up a VoIP server, which allows you to make and receive calls from any device with an internet connection.
Using a VPS for your VoIP server is beneficial because it provides more control over the environment, allowing you to configure certain aspects like memory or storage space.
If you make many calls, public VoIP services can get costly. When you setup your own VPS for VoIP, you’ll get more bang for your buck and save on lengthy phone bills.
Plus, using a VPS gives you access to powerful servers to ensure crystal-clear audio quality during calls.
VPS as a Backup Server
Using VPS as a backup server is also an option.
You can store all your essential data in a virtual private server and access it from anywhere with an internet connection.
Typically, you won’t want to keep backups on your production server because it takes up valuable storage space.
Storing your backups on an external hard drive comes with it’s own set of headaches.
Again comes VPS.
You can use VPS hosting to store all your backups in a secure environment and access them whenever needed. Plus, with VPS solutions, your data is protected by daily offsite backups and 24-7 monitoring to ensure you won’t suffer any data loss.
VPS as a Database Server
If you have a large amount of data that needs to be stored and managed, you can use VPS hosting as a database server.
With VPS hosting, you get more storage space than traditional shared hosting. This means you can store more extensive databases and still have room for future growth.
Plus, (because you have root access) you can install any database management system you’d like.
VPS hosting also provides higher reliability, as you don’t have to worry about other websites impacting the performance of your database server. This ensures that your databases are always up and running (or almost always).
How Can VPS Help Your Business?
VPS hosting is an excellent option for businesses of all sizes.
VPS combines flexibility, control, and security, making it an ideal platform for companies looking to scale quickly without sacrificing performance.
If you’re launching your first website and have high hopes for the service/product offering, VPS hosting can give you the space, control, and security you need to make your web presence successful.
And if your business is already established, VPS hosting can help you expand your operations without breaking the bank.
If you’re an enterprise organization, you should probably be using a dedicated server, and you probably aren’t reading this article!
VPS Hosting Pros and Cons
VPS hosting is an incredible advancement in technology. However, it doesn’t come without it’s drawbacks.
Pros of VPS Hosting
VPS hosing is (sort of) like a step up from shared hosting and a step down (in performance and cost) form dedicated hosting. There are a lot of pros to VPS! Let’s take a look at a few.
Improved Security
When your site grows, shared hosting is no longer an option.
With VPS hosting, you have dedicated resources allocated to your server and a secure environment for your data.
You’re completely protected from other sites using the same shared server, so their vulnerabilities won’t affect your performance.
Higher Performance
If your current site loads slowly, VPS hosting can significantly improve your site’s performance.
With a dedicated server and root access, you can configure it to your exact specifications and optimize it for better performance.
Plus, with VPS hosting, you have more available resources so that your website can run faster.
Cons of VPS Hosting
VPS hosting ensures you get the resources you need, so your site will never underperform due to a lack of resources.
Scalability
Is your website traffic (and hopefully) business snowballing?
VPS hosting is highly scalable and can quickly adapt to the changing needs of your business.
Plus, you can scale up or down as needed so that you’re only paying for the resources you need.
Cost Effective
How’s your budget? VPS hosting is only fractionally more costly than shared hosting.
VPS hosting is often more cost-effective than shared hosting, giving you more control over your environment.
VPS hosting offers numerous benefits. It provides a secure and reliable environment, better performance than traditional shared hosting, and scalability to meet the needs of growing businesses.
Now let’s take a look at the cons of VPS.
Cons of VPS Hosting
If you can’t tell, I/we love VPS hosting for budding entrepreneurs. However, VPS hosting doesn’t come without its drawbacks.
Less Control Than Dedicated Server
If you’re a control freak, VPS isn’t (quite) as much control as dedicated hosting.
With VPS, you don’t have the same control over the server environment and configuration. You’ll also share resources with other sites hosted on the same server.
Higher Cost Than Shared Hosting
VPS hosting is more expensive than shared hosting but cheaper than a dedicated server.
VPS hosting costs depend on the specs and resources you need so it can be a hefty investment!
Poor Resource Allocation
If you choose a low-quality hosting company, you might not get the resources they promised.
VPS hosting relies heavily on resource allocation, so if your host doesn’t allocate correctly, it can cause performance problems.
How Does VPS Stack Up?
Throughout this article, we’ve discussed the differences and similarities between the most popular hosting options; now, let’s put them head to head!
We’ve discussed shared hosting above, but it’s worth getting into it in more detail.
With shared hosting, you share resources with other sites hosted on the same server.
This can mean that your site’s performance is affected by those of the other sites, and if one website gets in trouble (e.g., a malware attack), it can also affect your security.
However, with VPS hosting, your resources are partitioned off, your site remains secure, and the performance isn’t affected.
VPS uses a technology called a hypervisor. A hypervisor allows multiple virtual servers to run on the same physical server.
Shared hosting is a great place to start if you are just getting started. However, once you move up to VPS hosting, you’ll see a massive performance, speed, and security increase.
Key Takeaways:
- VPS offers more performance over shared hosting
- VPS offers more flexibility over shared hosting
- VPS is more expensive than shared hosting
VPS Vs. Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is similar to VPS in that it’s a virtualized environment, and you don’t have all the control of a dedicated server.
Cloud hosting works by using a network of servers instead of just one. Each server runs its resources, meaning the performance and scalability are much higher than VPS hosting.
However, cloud hosting is more expensive than VPS hosting, so it’s not always the best option for small business owners on a budget.
Key Takeaways:
- Cloud hosting offers more scalability than VPS hosting
- Cloud hosting is more expensive than VPS hosting
Check out our full article on cloud hosting Vs. VPS hosting!
VPS Vs. Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting gives you the highest level of control and resources. You can customize every aspect of your environment to meet your needs, but it also comes with a hefty price tag.
Dedicated hosting is implied in the name. You get a dedicated server that only you’re on and can access.
Dedicated hosting is great for large businesses that need a lot of resources and control, but it’s unnecessary for smaller sites or those just getting started.
Key Takeaways:
- Dedicated hosting offers the most control
- Dedicated hosting is the most expensive option
- Dedicated hosting is unnecessary for smaller sites or those are just getting started
Best VPS Hosting Providers
If you’re wondering who we think is the best VPS hosting provider, we answer that in another article! Check out our best VPS hosting to learn more.
If you want to skip the read, it’s Hostinger.
Wrap Up
VPS hosting offers the best of both worlds. It’s more secure and reliable than shared hosting but cheaper than a dedicated server.
It’s a great option for small businesses or those just getting started, as it offers scalability, performance, and flexibility at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated server. Just make sure to choose the right hosting company and allocate your resources correctly.
We hope this article has helped you understand VPS hosting a little better, so you can decide what’s best for your website needs!
Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
