When you’re just starting out, it is very often the case that a shared web hosting account will not only be just fine, but often even more than you can utilize. As time goes by, however, you come to the stark realization that there are many things you’d like to do, but are constrained by space, bandwidth, server resources and more. That’s when you begin to look around a bit, and invariably an interesting choice that reveals itself is VPS hosting.
VPS stands for virtual private server, and that is exactly what it is. It is for all intents and purposes a private server that is yours alone. The reality is that the server is partitioned between you and a few other VPS customers, but is nothing like a shared hosting environment where you may have hundreds or thousands of sites on the same server. Think of it as a sort of middle ground between shared web hosting and a dedicated server. You avoid the headaches of shared hosting, and get most of the benefits of a dedicated server, without all the expense and hassle.
While you are technically sharing the VPS, each account is on a separate operating system and is truly independent of the others on the server, thus ensuring your website’s security. Since you are operating on your own system, you have fewer limitations on the type of scripts you can run, and changes you’d like to make to your site.
By not being on the same playing field as the other sites in a shared hosting plan, you aren’t subject to their problems, and aren’t shackled by the resources allotted to that shared account.
Moreover, many VPS providers are starting to offer Cloud VPS, where the VPS servers are located on clouds, thus making available even more resources. If you happen to have a video or blog post that goes viral, you don’t have to concern yourself with overreaching your server, as it will simply draw more resources from the cloud.
The price is a big benefit as well. While a bit more expensive than shared web hosting plans, VPS accounts are nowhere near as pricey as having a dedicated server. You and several other VPS customers are sharing the costs of the hardware and software you’re sharing, and it is significantly less than going it alone.
Another major benefit is that a VPS is very scalable. You can configure it to what you need when you’re starting out, and if you need more, it’s far easier to work this out. This results in being able to upgrade your websites with no downtime, a big plus for any online business.
With VPS you will also have your own unique IP address and email server. The email server is the biggie here. A shared environment can lead to your site’s email being spotty at best. On your own mail server, this is far less likely to occur.
A VPS choice is one for those who need the benefits and reliability of a dedicated server, minus the headaches and heartaches of shared web hosting.
