Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting is becoming more popular as it offers the flexibility of a dedicated server but much lower priced compared to a dedicated server.
Previously, we wrote some articles on Server and Hosting, you might find them helpful too:
- What is a Server; this is written for the new users.
- WordPress hosting options : What must to look for
- Finding the right web host for WordPress
- Turning an old computer into a web server of your own
Today, we are going to discuss about Virtual Private Server (VPS) only.
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Brief introduction on Virtual Private Server (VPS)
Virtual Private Server hosting is becoming more popular to the world of blogging. This is a new option to get rid of the problems of shared web hosting. It is actually a way of dividing a server into two or more dedicated servers. It can run on different partitions on the physical server so that all work independently of each other.
The main benefit of Virtual Private Server (VPS) is that each website will have its set of custom resources taken from a common place, such as physical memory (RAM), processes, software and networking tools are independent for each site. Each Virtual Private Server users get a share of the physical server and are not interdependent on the work load of the neighboring sites. It will be the same feeling like a dedicated server.
The main advantage of Virtual Private Server hosting is to reduce the costs. Dedicated servers require a large investment. Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a great option for people looking to buy dedicated services at a moderate cost.
Understanding the Difference between a Shared Server and a Virtual Private Server
Shared Server: If your hard drive is 1000 GB, it may host 700 sites. If any of them consumes a lot of RAM, the rest will go slower. The free servers are of this type, they host hundreds of webpages that share all the resources of a single computer (server).
Virtual Private Server: The computer dividing their resources. If the physical machine has 2 GB of RAM and 4 websites hosted, each insured will have 500 MB of RAM. The hard disk is divided too. You can not share equally the microprocessor though! Problem will only arise if either the hosting company is very bad (actually hosting 200 sites and saying 4, for example) or your neighbor of Virtual Private Server is a forum. It will suck the processor’s power and actually we can not deny that a hard disk has a physical data seeking latency which increases if RAM and Processor are already overloaded.
This problem is somewhat solved by providing “maximum burstable RAM”, but frankly if you get a forum as neighbor that has 10K visitors at some moments, you will suffer.
Managed Virtual Private Server
Dedicated servers can be managed by you from the control panel. You can only install the programs you want and if you want the technicians to help you, you have to pay the hours.
Frankly, its cheap to go for unmanaged Virtual Private Server but it is convenient to use a Managed Virtual Private Server.
Rule of thumb is, if your website is new, go for unmanaged Virtual Private Server, it is cheap but you will do mistakes but you have the time to learn. But, if you are transferring a already popular running blog, always go for managed Virtual Private Server.
The hosting companies charges a huge for managed Virtual Private Server; it is OK to pay; but, the fact is, there are web hosting companies whose “support engineers” (who will manage) are worst than you can do yourself.
You can find lot of examples in the web hosting forums : we found one user, whose whole website on a Virtual Private Server was deleted “erroneously”, he requested to enable Keep Alive.
Things to look for a Virtual Private Server
- Avoid affiliate reviews, forums generally gives a better neutral opinion.
- The hosting companies usually gives 1-4 virtual IP addresses. Ask directly what is the charge for “extra IP address”. It should not be more than $ 9 / year or one.
- There is a new breed : Demi or Semi Virtual Private Server. You’ll not get the root access. Ask whether you will get the root access to your Virtual Private Server. Without the root access, the cost should be 1/2 to 1/4 that of usual Virtual Private Server.
- Monthly Data Transfer limits
- Name Server is / are charged or not
- Must look for the must have features for WordPress (if you’re going for WordPress)

Really Informative post,I also plan to go for VPN,is hostgator is best?
Thank you. Choose between : Rackspace, Media template, InMotion , Host1Plus, namecheap, Hostgator.
Compare the speeds of blogs hosted on these servers.
People are complaining about MT now. So your options are : Rackspace, InMotion , Host1Plus, namecheap.or Hostgator.
Virtual Dedicated Web Hosting is an important feature for dedicated server leasing as well as hosting websites and e-commerce pages, since it offers a cheaper solution for achieving web presence. The VDS will help you to operate on a virtual isolated server and will guarantee a sizeable share of server resources. The customer receives superuser-level accessibility to the operating system of the VPS, and you can choose to work with any compatible software.Overall it can be said that the benefits that VPS hosting offers is much more in comparison to the cost involved in the process.
Hi Abhishek,
It is really very helpful. Virtual Private Server is now a widely subscribed web hosting solution by many companies. If you choose this option, you will be responsible to ensure that your sites continues to function smoothly and for that you must have certain amount of expertise to your system.
Virtual Private Servers can really open up your website capabilities. Personally, I feel that the best thing about them is their ease of use and the ways in which you can upgrade almost immediately. If your site experiences a sharp increase in traffic, then your website might not be able to deal with all of this traffic. By using VPS servers, you can immediately upgrade to be better prepared for this and so to accommodate for new visitors.