Posted on October 18, 2024 by zovoteam

Is VPS Hosting the Most Effective Option for Your Business? A Detailed Comparison

A reliable web host is the foundation for growing your online presence. Whether you are running an online business or an e-commerce website, you need a hosting plan that comes with strong performance, reliability, and high security. And meets your website needs while fitting into your budget. However, finding the right hosting plan that meets your website requirements and fits into your budget can be difficult.VPS hosting provides a cost-effective solution for websites with dedicated resources. This makes it ideal for any growing business to mid-sized websites that are looking to expand their brand’s reach.In this article, we’ll do a detailed comparison of shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, and cloud hosting, covering key features like performance, security, cost, and scalability. This will help you decide which hosting plan is best for you.

What is VPS Hosting?

VPS (Virtual Private Network) is a hosting solution that splits a physical server into multiple virtual servers. Where each virtual server has its own resource, operating system, and independence of functioning. Just like operating a hosting if it was a separate physical server.

When a website outgrows shared hosting and lacks the resources to operate smoothly, it can upgrade to VPS hosting for a dedicated server for its sites that acts just like a copy of the virtual machine on the server.

Benefits of VPS Hosting

VPS hosting offers numerous benefits that make it the perfect choice for businesses and individuals. Here are the benefits you’ll get for purchasing a VPS hosting:

Increased Reliability

A shared hosting account is similar to a domino effect; one bad user can cause the entire server to crash. And that will cause suffering for each website that’s hosted on that particular server. But when you are using a VPS server, you will have your virtual server, which means you will have increased scalability and performance compared to shared hosting. This will help you ensure performance and uptime for your website server.

With VPS hosting, you’ll also get root access to a central physical server. This allows you to install any app, software, or application on your server.

Dedicated Resources

A resource of a VPS server is only dedicated solely to you—just like a dedicated server. With a VPS server, you will also get an increased amount of RAM and CPU compared to shared hosting. So this means you will be able to handle higher traffic on your website or host heavier sites without compromising on the speed or performance of the website.

Improved Performance

When you have a virtual private server dedicated to your website, you will achieve a higher performance level, even when the website traffic spikes. It also improves your website’s loading speed. So your users don’t face any delays while using your website. This will improve the overall engagement and conversion rate and boost your website’s rankings on Google.

Scale Resources Instantly

As your website grows, you will want to upgrade your hosting resources without facing any technical issues or downtime. For that, you can choose VPS hosting, as it’s like a container for websites, and you can configure any specific number of resources you want for your website based on the hosting packages. The best thing about VPS hosting is that you can easily scale up into a fever or more resources as you need.

Save Money

VPS hostings are more affordable than before, thanks to the advancements of virtualization technologies. It can be expected the price to drop more by the upcoming days.

While a VPS hosting price can vary from provider to provider, you can expect to save more money for the amount of resources you will be using compared to shared hosting. It’s a good idea to compare sources, rates, and performance before choosing a VPS hosting package, as it’s going to impact how you pay on a monthly basis.

Common Use Cases for VPS Hosting

A VPS hosting can be used from a start-up website to a highly resource-allocated site. There are also other things that VPS hosting is used for; the common use cases of VPS hosting are:

1. Hosting a High-Traffic Website

When a website’s traffic starts to grow, your users might face common problems like a lack of performance of the website or the website loading slowly. This might be a sign for you to upgrade your hosting plan from shared hosting to a VPS hosting plan.

A VPS hosting plan can provide smooth performance to websites that require small to medium workloads. VPS also comes in useful when you are running an e-commerce website. It reduces the risk of security breaches and creates a fast and stable environment for your users.

Creating a Gaming Server

VPS is also an excellent choice for hosting and providing servers for high-end gaming sessions such as Minecraft, World of Warcraft, and Runescape. Hosting a gaming server on a VPS server will offer you:

incredible customization options
Fewer limits on performance and stability
Superior connection with less lag and dropped connections.
You can host the connections of other players without relying on the game publisher.

Developing and Testing Applications

VPS is a perfect solution for businesses that develop applications. A VPS can work as a virtual workspace for the team members. This will allow them to access the virtual locations regardless of their locations and enable teams to collaborate on remote development work.

Other developers or clients can also access the VPS to check the developer’s version of the code. Here are some other advantages for developing and testing applications on a VPS server:

Developers can test their application live before release.
It’s cost-effective compared to owning a dedicated server for the team.
A VPS server can be upgraded or scaled according to the needs of the business.
A VPS server allows developers to develop and build their applications in an isolated environment.

Access to multiple Domains and IPs

With VPS hosting, you can host server domains with enough resources to run each of them smoothly. If you are building multiple websites for your clients, you can host multiple websites using dedicated IPs. Each VPS hosting comes with a dedicated IP. And as a user, you can create as many IPs in your VPS hosting as you want.

You can also use multiple IPs on shared hosting as well. However, the provider may charge extra for that. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to enjoy the VPS hosting benefits of shared hosting.

VPS as a Hacking Tool

VPS hosting can be used for ethical hacking purposes. Ethical hackers use pen-testing labs like Hack the Box, Try Hack Me, or Cyber Sec Labs using a VM (virtual machine). However the virtual machines are quite slow when it comes to performance. When you use SSH (Secure Shell) on a VPS, it speeds up the process, as the VPS takes over the local machine’s loads during ethical hacking activities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About VPS Hosting

How difficult is it to manage a VPS server?

The difficulty of managing a VPS server depends on the type of management plan you choose. If you opt for a managed hosting plan, the hosting provider will take care of server maintenance, updates, backups, and security, which makes it easy for users with limited technical expertise.

If you choose unmanaged VPS, you need to handle setup, software updates, security patches, and resource monitoring yourself. This requires a good understanding of server management, which makes it challenging for the users without any technical experience.

What technical knowledge is needed for VPS hosting?

To manage an unmanaged VPS plan, you need to know the basic Linux commands, how to set up and manage SSH or RDP access, install and configure software like Apache, MySQL, or Nginx, manage firewalls, and handle security issues like patching vulnerabilities. Also, having familiarity with server logs, optimization tools, and resource monitoring is important for managing unmanaged VPS hosting.

Are there hidden costs associated with VPS hosting?

Yes, there can be hidden costs added with VPS hosting, especially in unmanaged plans. Costs could add up from:

Licensing fees for software and control panels (e.g., cPanel or Plesk).
Support costs if you need additional help from your hosting provider.
Security tools like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, or backups aren’t included in the basic plan.
Some VPS providers charge for backup services, or you might get charged fees for restoring backups if that’s not included in your hosting plan.

How much traffic can VPS hosting handle?

VPS hosting can handle a significant amount of traffic compared to shared hosting; the exact capacity depends on factors like server specifications (CPU, RAM, storage), website optimization, and the type of content (static or dynamic). For a standard VPS with 2GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores, it can manage up to 10,000–20,000 daily visitors. With a higher-end VPS plan, some setups can handle up to 50,000 daily visitors or more.

VPS Hosting vs. Shared Hosting

Performance

Performance is a crucial thing in determining the effectiveness of your website hosting solution. In shared web hosting, more than one website is hosted on the same server and the proportion of its sources—CPU, memory, and bandwidth. This can cause overall performance issues when other websites on the server reveal heavy site visitors.

VPS hosting, on the other hand, offers a much higher level of performance because you have a dedicated portion of the server’s resources. Your website isn’t affected by the traffic or resource usage of other websites. With VPS hosting, you can manage your own CPU, memory, and bandwidth allocation, which provides better control over your site’s performance.

Security

In shared hosting, all websites share the same server environment, which increases the risk of security breaches. If another website on the server gets compromised by a cyberattack, there is a possibility your website could be affected as well.

VPS website hosting provides better protection compared to shared web hosting due to the fact your digital server is remote from others. This method ensures that despite the fact that different websites on the physical server are compromised, your website stays steady. You additionally have extra manipulation over safety features, such as configuring firewalls, putting in place automated backups, and enforcing superior security protocols.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing, shared hosting are more affordable compared to VPS hosting, but VPS web hosting does have a greater advantage over shared hosting when it comes to value for money.

VPS hostings cost more than the shared hosting plan, but they also provide a lot more storage and bandwidth compared to shared hostings.

Scalability

VPS hostings are easier to scale up compared to shared hosting plans. Shared hostings are a good option for websites that are just getting started, but when your website starts to get a high amount of traffic, the site’s performance or speed starts to lack due to limited resources.

With a VPS hosting plan, you can scale easily according to your website needs. So if you think your website will grow in size or traffic, a VPS hosting might be the best choice for you.

Control

VPS hosting gives you more control over the server compared to shared hosting plans. VPS hosting gives you access to the root server, so you can install your operating system, control panel, and software to make the website work properly and ensure its security.

Using a shared hosting plan will limit your control over the server setups. This might also be a good option for people who don’t want to handle server management tasks on their own.

VPS Hosting vs. Cloud Hosting

There are several factors to compare between VPS hosting and cloud hosting. Cloud hosting can outperform VPS hosting in terms of performance, reliability, and scalability. Where VPS hosting will be the winner for its cost-effectiveness and ease of use.

Price

VPS hosting is more cost-effective compared to cloud hosting. When you use VPS hosting, you usually purchase a subscription package for monthly dedicated resources, so it’s easy to calculate and budget for the hosting package.

Where cloud hosting offers a more flexible pricing model, with pay-as-you-go options, you will adjust the resources based on the demand. This freedom comes as more costly than purchasing resources. With cloud hosting, you might be able to save money when your website has low activity, but when the traffic spikes, you’ll be shocked by the bill.

Performance

In terms of performance, both VPS hosting and cloud hosting deliver high performance. But due to cloud hosting’s scalable architecture, it can handle dynamic workloads by distributing them across multiple servers. Even when the traffic spikes or there is heavy resource usage, a cloud server can autoscale to prevent any slowdown or downtime.

VPS hosting relies on a single physical server that has a limited performance load capability under heavy load time. While there are no auto-scaling options for VPS hosting, you can optimize your server configuration and invest in better plans. Having said that, a single VPS hosting can’t beat an entire network of cloud architecture.

Security

Both VPS hosting and cloud hosting offer high security for protecting your website. However, cloud hosting offers advanced security as it’s distributed across multiple servers and locations. But for the same reason, major security breaches have happened on cloud networks.

VPS hosting rests on a single server, so it’s less redundant but more isolated. Modern VPS plans can also include advanced security features like optional backup services and enhanced DDoS protection. VPS plans also offer root access to the server, which means you can install more comprehensive security programs.

Scalability

Cloud hosting has automatic scaling servers that change their capacity based on the workload. So it’s able to respond quickly when the traffic spikes.

VPS hosting is based on one physical server with a predetermined amount of resources. Thus, it cannot scale as a default with cloud hosting servers. But you can have as many physical servers as you want if you want to maintain load balance and distribute the traffic among them.

Maintenance

Cloud servers can be confusing in terms of setup and maintenance. It might require a dedicated technical team. But there are many cloud hosting providers who offer to manage cloud hosting for you. Managed cloud hosting plans include security patch installations, automated updates, and comprehensive backup solutions for making your system always up to date.

VPS hosting is not as complicated to manage compared to cloud hosting. But you might need to install the setup and maintain their server if you choose an unmanaged VPS hosting package. If you choose a managed hosting package, the provider will handle most of the maintenance work for you.

VPS Hosting vs Dedicated Hosting

Flexibility

Both VPS servers and dedicated servers offer a high customization ability for performance and customizing the server resources. But when you need a physical server, you should go for dedicated servers, but you would need more technical knowledge to operate a dedicated server, or else it can be a challenge to manage. For example, you can damage the server accidentally, and that would cause problems. With a VPS server, you only have to customize it visually, and it gives more flexibility in reallocating resources.

Scalability

For scaling a dedicated server, you’ll need to add an additional drive to the physical server. It’s possible, but it’s going to be a casualty. Also, it might cause some downtime to your server depending on who is managing your physical server and how they are managing it.

VPS servers are digital servers, and you could get extra assets simply using allocating greater resources to your server. You can normally update their server aid just by way of updating the server package deal or transferring the server resources. As for scalability, VPS servers are less difficult to scale than committed servers.

Performance

Dedicated hosting plans offer superior performance compared to VPS hosting plans, but they also cost a lot more than VPS hosting. Although dedicated hosting is good for high performance, VPS hosting is a good balance between performance and affordability. With a VPS server, you might scale the resources to a certain limit, but with dedicated servers, you can scale without any limitations.

Cost

As VPS hostings offer only a part of the total resources allocated on a dedicated server, it costs a lot cheaper compared to a whole dedicated server. Depending on what you’re using the server resource for, you should balance the cost of the server with the performance requirements of your website or application.

Security

Both dedicated servers and VPS servers are highly secured, but dedicated servers require regulatory compliance due to their complete ownership. As you fully own a dedicated server, the security of a dedicated server is the most secure.

Comparison Table of Shared vs. VPS vs. Dedicated vs. Cloud Hosting

Drawbacks of VPS hosting

While VPS hostings are a great option for hosting websites with seamless performance, they also have some drawbacks. Those are:

VPS hostings are more costly compared to shared hosting plans. If you are just starting a small business or building a personal portfolio, you might consider choosing shared hosting plans.

If you purchase an unmanaged VPS hosting plan, you have to manage the VPS hosting from scratch to maintain it. And that requires a good understanding of technical knowledge for managing VPS hosting. However, if you are not familiar with managing VPS hosting, you can choose the managed VPS hosting plan where the host provider will manage all the server-side management for you.

VPS hostings use popular operating systems like Linux, FreeBSD, or Windows. You might have a hard time choosing the right operating system for your server. Though Linux has a higher popularity compared to Windows.

Is VPS hosting the best option for your business?

Windows VPS hosting service offers many benefits to your business. It will give you a cost-efficient solution and plenty of features and benefits. It will help improve your site’s performance, security, functionality, and user engagement.

However, we are one of the best hosting companies in Bangladesh. We offer reliable web hosting plans like shared hosting plans, VPS hosting plans, dedicated hosting plans, and cloud hosting plans. Our servers use multiple servers with super-fast internet connections to provide 99.9% hosting reliability. Contact us today to choose the hosting plan that fulfills your website needs!