If you in the market for a hosting provider you might have seen numerous hosts offering dedicated and VPS hosting. These tow solutions might seem extremely similar but don’t be fooled, there are a few differences that you should be aware of. We want you to make the right decision when choosing a hosting solution. That is why we are going to explain exactly what these divergences are and how they can make a big difference at the end of the month.
To start it is important to note that both dedicated and VPS hosting provide the same basic functionalities. The only major difference is that virtual private servers, just like the name implies, are virtual servers hosted on a physical machine. One server can host many VPS because all that is required to run a virtual server is a partition. Just like shared hosting that shares a server with other sites or customers, VPS hosting shares a physical machine with various other servers. This can be a disadvantage but the end savings normally more than compensate for this shortcoming. On the other hand a dedicated server does not share its hardware with any other customers because you lease the entire physical server. This is a clear advantage but it comes at a price. Most times this price simply does not compensate and that is why VPS hosting is becoming increasingly popular.
Dedicated servers are in general more expensive than VPS hosting and the reason for this is quite obvious. This does not in any way suggest that VPS are inferior in stability and performance. If you opt for a dedicated server on a host that only possess old hardware, obviously it isn’t the same as if your site is hosted on the latest server to hit the market. But if the hardware used to host the virtual servers is of a good standard then there shouldn’t be any difference in terms of performance. We could even suggest that virtual server hosting is an alternative that combines the benefits of both shared hosting and dedicated hosting.
Choosing the best alternative depends largely on what you require and how much money you are whiling to invest. Obviously if we look at it in an idyllic way, dedicated hosting is a better alternative, but this is largely influenced by which host you chose. You are advised to compare prices and from determine which presents the most favorable alternative.
The major problem with VPS solutions is someone on the VPS may run away with the resources and force your VPS to run slower. Dedicated managed servers are always the best way to go. No fear of someone else slowing your server/resources down. Plus VPS normally don’t offer Managed support. Some companies like Server Intellect do offer VPS Manged support, but most don’t. If you have the money get a dedicated server over a VPS.
James this is why admin’s of these VPS need to keep a close eye on anyone renting. If someone goes over the right amount of limit take them away from the plan. Thats a good idea IMO.