What You Need to Know About VPS Hosting
There are several ways to host your website but one of the most
popular as of late is through a Virtual Private Server system. Virtual Private
Servers (VPSs) allow web administrators full control over their hosting
environment, providing high levels of configuration options and maximum
security. Hosting you website on a VPS rather than a traditional shared hosting
plan allows you many benefits and involves a slightly different process for
some tasks. Read on to discover everything you need to know about VPS web
hosting and determine if it’s the right kind of hosting for you.
How VPS Web Hosting Works
VPS web hosting is similar to other forms of web hosting like shared hosting
and cloud hosting in terms of how you use the service. You will be able to
install and operate Content Management Systems and other software as you would
with any other professional hosting environment on your VPS server. The
difference you’ll find most noticeable when hosting with a VPS provider,
however, is the increased level of control and server access you get with
Virtual Private Servers.
Many VPS hosts allow you root access to your virtual server through VPS
hosting packages. This means you can configure things that you wouldn’t
be able to adjust with shared and cloud hosting plans. Included in this extra
set of configuration options are PHP options, rules for time-out responses, advanced email settings, and other fine-tuning
that will help you tailor your server environment to your liking.
Virtual Private Servers are virtualized instances of complete, physical web
servers that keep your data and website content separate from other websites
and files on the larger physical server on which they all reside. This provides
more security than shared hosting servers where your data could potentially be
compromised by breaches to other websites on the server.
The Types of VPS Web Hosting
There are several types of VPS web hosting to choose from. The main two
categories of VPS web hosting include managed and unmanaged servers. With a
managed VPS server, your hosting provider will take care of software updates
and tasks as well as control some of your settings and configuration
options.
Managed servers typically cost more, often running between $60 and $200 per
month. Unmanaged servers allow you to do your own updates and maintenance as
needed. You should expect to spend around $20 per month or more on an unmanaged
server if running a medium to large-sized website.
You may also run into cloud VPS servers and green VPS web hosting. With cloud
VPS systems you will get a VPS as described above but on a cloud
infrastructure. Sometimes the billing for these mixed-types servers is on a
per-usage basis while many companies offer a flat rate for such hosting.
Green VPS servers run on energy-efficient hardware which is great for the
environment and can save you money through lower overhead and operating expenses
for the provider. Green VPS web hosting providers often maintain cutting-edge
technology to ensure speed and quality of service and use less electricity
while recycling old equipment and implementing other waste-reducing business
protocols.
The Benefits of VPS Hosting
Aside from the added level of administrator control, configuration options, and
security that VPS offers, you will notice many other benefits at most VPS
providers due to the unique nature of the hosting infrastructure.
Search Engine
Optimization (SEO) benefits are one of the best reasons to use a VPS.
Having more control over your server environment allows you to set it up in a
way that works better for your website. This can lead to faster loading times
and more efficient transmission of media.
Not having to share a server or IP address with other websites, as you would on a
shared hosting server or some cloud hosting systems allows you to bypass any
negative SEO factors that those sites may have brought to your business. This
is especially true if one of the websites on your shared server happens to get
the server’s IP block blacklisted by search engines
or other web indexers.
Another benefit of some VPS plans is that they come per-configured for specific
Content Management Systems like WordPress and Drupal. These hosting packages
are often marketed as Drupal or WordPress-optimized hosting plans and can save
you a lot of time and effort if you’re sure you’ll be using one of the CMSs for
your website.
Many web administrators like to choose the operating system that their server
runs. This can help if you’re already comfortable with a specific operating
system or if you use web applications that only run on either Linux or Windows-based servers. This is often an option with VPS
packages whereas it is rarely available with other types of hosting.
There are many compelling reasons to use VPS website hosting. It works
similarly to other types of web hosting but allows for more control over
hosting configuration, added security, and better SEO. VPS plans cost about the
same as shared and cloud hosting plans, depending on which company you choose
and how much of the server’s resources you’ll require. Determine how much room
and bandwidth your current or planned website will use and look for VPS plans
that meet your requirements, leaving a little room for growth if you’re going
to be implementing improved SEO methods.