Whether you are launching a new website, developing a new web project, building an app, or starting any other similar web-based project, you’ll need web hosting. In short, web hosting is a service that allows your website to live online and transmit data to end-users – your website visitors. Without it, your site won’t be available on the Internet, and no one but you will be able to see it. So, suffice it to say that web hosting is crucial for every website and other web-based projects that need to be seen by the public eye.
VPS and dedicated servers are two of the most popular and feature-rich web hosting services you can get for your projects. Both are suitable for a wide array of use cases, so choosing between the two might be a bit difficult, especially for beginners.
But fret not; we are here to help you learn more about VPS vs. dedicated servers and choose the one that suits you best. In this article, we will go into detail about both services, tell you what they’re most suitable for, show you their main differences, and more.
What Are VPS Servers?
VPS is an acronym that stands for Virtual Private Servers. Many web hosting providers offer VPN hosting as part of their web hosting services, and many website owners and developers use this service as their go-to web hosting solution.
With VPS hosting, multiple websites use the same server and store their data on it. However, as a VPS hosting user, you’ll get your own resources and will be able to set the limits of your own resources. For example, you can determine how much RAM and bandwidth you need.
VPS hosting plans are usually very scalable, meaning that they allow you to decrease and increase the number of resources you have based on your needs. For instance, let’s say you run a seasonal business. During the off-season, you can decrease your RAM, bandwidth, storage, etc., as you won’t get many visitors and won’t need many resources. On the other hand, when the boom season starts, you can increase your resources to handle the spikes in traffic that you’ll get.
VPS hosting plans are also much more secure than shared hosting plans, making them a better fit for online stores and sites that handle sensitive user data. It’s also much faster than shared hosting and can handle a lot more traffic.
So, to summarize, VPS hosting provides you with your own portion of a server where you can host your website and have separate resources from everyone else on the same server.
AltusHost offers KVM-based, pure SSD VPS hosting that comes with 24/7 tech support and complimentary DDoS protection.
Source: https://www.altushost.com/linux-vps/
Pros & Cons of VPS Servers
Now that you know what VPS servers are, let’s take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages you will get by using them.
Pros:
- Good value for money – VPS hosting is right in between shared and dedicated hosting, so it’s more expensive than shared but cheaper than dedicated hosting. It comes at relatively low prices compared to the features and resources it offers.
- Highly scalable – as mentioned above, VPS hosting plans allow you to scale your resources in line with your needs. You can get more or remove some whenever you want.
- Full root access – most VPS hosting plans allow you to have full root access to your hosting, meaning that you can install additional modules and plugins, software, choose your OS and access it directly, and more.
Cons:
- Weaker than dedicated servers – VPS plans are less powerful than dedicated servers and can’t take on large sites or other web-based projects that handle a lot of data and apps at the same time.
What Are Dedicated Servers?
Dedicated servers are physical machines that you can rent out and use all for yourself. By getting a dedicated hosting plan, you’ll get all the resources that a dedicated server offers and complete control over them. You’ll be able to tweak the server’s configurations, install apps and software that you want, and choose your storage capacity, bandwidth, and security level.
In other words, you’ll be able to fully customize your dedicated hosting plan to your needs, and you won’t have to share it with anyone else. Dedicated hosting is the most powerful hosting service you can get, and it offers the best privacy and security. So, this option is ideal for medium to large businesses that have lots of traffic and data.
You can use dedicated servers to do whatever you want, like host multiple websites, project management systems, employee management systems, databases, and more. So, if you need complete freedom and control over your hosting plan, dedicated servers are the right choice for you.
People usually upgrade to a dedicated server after they outgrow their VPS hosting plans. Not many go for dedicated servers right off the bat, but if you need hosting for something larger, you can go straight to dedicated servers and avoid wasting time with less-powerful plans.
AltusHost offers managed and unmanaged dedicated servers with top-notch hardware and excellent features.
Source: https://www.altushost.com/dedicated-servers/
Pros & Cons of Dedicated Servers
Dedicated servers come with a plethora of benefits you can take advantage of. However, they also come with their drawbacks. So let’s take a closer look.
Pros:
- More power – dedicated servers are the most powerful hosting service money can buy. They are powerful enough to host huge sites with large amounts of data. You can also use this hosting service to test apps, software, and virtually everything else.
- Flexibility and customization – since you’ll own the server all by yourself, you have the freedom to configure it however you want. No restrictions.
- High-end security and privacy – dedicated servers are the most secure option because they allow you to install as many security measures as you want. They’re also excellent for privacy as you won’t share them with anyone else.
Cons:
- May require technical knowledge – since you’ll be free to customize and configure your server the way you want, you’ll also have to know how to do it. In addition, you’ll have to know how to maintain your server or hire someone to do it for you. Luckily, some web hosting providers offer managed dedicated hosting where they maintain your server for you.
When Should You Use VPS vs. Dedicated Servers?
Both web hosting options have many different use cases and are suitable for various purposes. So, in order for you to better distinguish between the two and choose the most suitable option, we’ll look at some instances where you should use either VPS or dedicated servers, or both. That way, you can determine which one suits you more.
Website Hosting
Both VPS and dedicated servers are suitable for website hosting. Choosing which one you should get solely depends on your needs. Namely, it depends on the size of your website, how many visitors you expect to have, how much storage you’ll need, etc.
For example, if you want to host a large website with tens of thousands of monthly visitors, then a dedicated server is the better choice. On the other hand, if you have a medium-sized website with fewer visitors and want to grow it as fast as you can, VPS is the better option.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/JKUTrJ4vK00
Gaming
Hosting a game or a gaming platform takes up a lot of resources and requires more power. So, in this case, a dedicated server is much more suitable than a VPS one. By hosting your gaming with a dedicated hosting plan, you’ll get more resources, and you’ll offer a smooth gaming experience for players with low ping and no lags.
Also, a dedicated server is the better option if you want to design your own video game. It will give you the freedom to install whatever software you need and the power to test and improve your game.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/Mf23RF8xArY
Streaming
Live streaming is a popular way to make money online these days. Whether you are streaming your gameplay, doing react streams, or chatting with people, you need to offer high-quality entertainment.
And to do so, you’ll need a dedicated hosting plan that offers super-fast loading speeds and a lot of bandwidth. That way, your stream will be fun to watch for everyone.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/s3cSol6Y6eY
Hosting Apps
This case is similar to the one with website hosting. Namely, both VPS and dedicated servers are suitable for hosting apps, so it all depends on what kind of app you want to host, how big it is, what type of IT requirements you have for this app, etc.
So, if it’s a smaller app that doesn’t require many resources and doesn’t come with a lot of data, then VPS hosting will do the trick. However, if it’s a larger app with a lot of data and various IT requirements, a dedicated server is the way to go.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/mr4JG4SYOF8
Conclusion
After going into detail about both VPS and dedicated servers, we can conclude that both are excellent web hosting options that have a lot to offer. On the one hand, we have VPS servers, which are an ideal option for growing websites that want to attract more visitors. Also, they’re suitable for businesses that do seasonal work, as they allow you to increase and decrease your resources whenever you need them. They’re ideal for medium-sized sites and offer much better security, privacy, and more power than shared hosting plans.
On the other hand, we have dedicated servers, which allow you to do whatever you want and use as many resources as you need. They offer complete freedom and endless customization options and are ideal for large companies with many employees and data. Also, they’re suitable for developing games and apps and testing software, and they offer the best privacy and security money can buy.
Thus, choosing between the two boils down to what you need for your site or web-based project!
