Most people who run websites know that VPS server hosting is the ‘mid-level’ hosting option between shared and dedicated hosting, but really don’t know too much beyond that. While it may not be strictly necessary to really get a good understanding of how this type of hosting works or why it is so good for most people, it is a good idea if you want to make sure you have the right hosting for your site. The following information will help to give you a good ‘high level’ overview of what VPS server hosting is, without getting too deep into the complicated technical aspects.
What is VPS Hosting?
VPS, which stands for Virtual Private Server, is a type of hosting environment that attempts to mimic a dedicated server, while still having multiple customers on one physical server. It uses advanced virtualization software that essentially divides up a physical server into multiple different environments, each assigned specific resources.
VPS vs Dedicated Servers
When looking at VPS hosting and dedicated servers as a customer, there is almost no visible differences. You can get full root access to your server in both cases, and you will have server resources (such as RAM, disk space, CPU and more) that are used exclusively for your website(s).
One really nice benefit of VPS hosting compared to dedicated hosting is that you can add (or remove) system resources without taking down your site. Since it is a virtual environment, you can request to have more RAM or CPU assigned to your account. If it is available on the server (which it typically is) the technical team at GoGetSpace can assign it to your account for the added power you need.
VPS vs Shared Hosting
While in reality a VPS does share a physical server with other customers, it isn’t visible to the end user. With shared hosting one server will run multiple different customer websites. All the websites will have access to the same physical resources. When done properly, this works well because when one website is slow, it isn’t using much memory or CPU, for example, which makes those resources available for the other sites on the server.
If too many sites are on one server, or all the sites happen to be busy at the same time, however, it can cause slow response times or even outages for visitors. With VPS server hosting, this is not an issue. Each customer on the physical server has exclusive usage of the assigned resources. What happens on one virtual environment will have absolutely no impact on what happens on the others. This helps to ensure a much more stable and predictable environment for all the users. To make this possible, each physical server will be home to fewer total customers than would be on a shared server.
Is VPS Hosting Right for You?
Now that you know basically how VPS hosting works in comparison to the other common hosting options, you will need to decide whether or not it is right for your site. For many people, VPS hosting provides the stability, power and control of a dedicated server without the high price. If you think that a VPS solution is the right choice for you, take some time to browse through the different VPS server configurations to find a virtual server that is perfect for your situation.
