What is Virtual Private Server Hosting? How Does it Work?

silver macbook on white table

A virtual private server (VPS) is a configured space on a server that looks and acts like a stand-alone server. Virtual private server hosting contains its own operating system, resources, applications, and customized configurations. The VPS is contained on a physical server that usually houses several accounts.

There are three choices for hosting a website. Clients can lease a physical server from a hosting provider, which gives the client total control over the server and access to its resources. The downside to a private server is that it is cost-prohibitive for many businesses. Virtual private server hosting (VPS) is more cost-efficient without sacrificing the benefits of dedicated hosting. There is also the option of shared hosting, where numerous different websites share a server. The differences between shared hosting and VPS hosting are outlined later in the article.

There are two types of VPS hosting, with some hybrids between the two. Fully managed systems are a good option for those who lack the technical prowess or time to fully set-up VPS hosting system.  Managed VPS makes it easy to focus on the business itself instead of dedicating resources to configuring and maintaining the system. Customized solutions are ideal for getting a website up and running quickly.

Self-managed VPS hosting allows those with the time and skills to have full control over the hosting experience. Self-managed systems are usually somewhat less expensive, and a good fit for system administrators or developers. Self-managed options give full root access, allowing the system administrator to fully customize the VPS to serve the needs of the business.

Several excellent hosting companies offer VPS services, but not all of them provide both managed and unmanaged options. An example of a company that provides both would be https://www.greengeeks.com/vps-hosting. However, they are not the only option. Many companies offer both, which gives clients the ability to choose the VPS hosting type that best suits there needs.

What is VPS hosting?

To have a website, the files for a website must be on a web server. Setting up and managing a server can be expensive and technically challenging. A virtual private network makes it simpler to host a website without the challenges of setting up a server.

For non-technical minds, the easiest way to think about a VPS is fractional. A server is one physical machine.  A virtual private server is a part of that machine that is leased or rented. The VPS is walled off from the rest of the server and is called a container. Each container is a fraction of the machine (server) but functions as a dedicated server.

How does it work?

Virtual private hosting technology allows servers to be divided and allocated to different users. Though clients share a single physical server, they each have their own private virtual space that acts independently. Each client can configure their space as if the entire server belonged to them.

The server is virtual, not a physical machine, giving it easy scalability. Adding resources such as additional memory is quick and easy with most plans. Each account will be assigned a specified amount of RAM according to the specifics of the contract. The resources for each client, as spelled out in the contract, will remain with that client regardless of the needs of other clients who use the same server.

The difference between shared hosting and virtual private server hosting?

You might be wondering how VPS hosting differs from shared hosting. Shared hosting means that you are sharing a server without the benefit of a virtual private server. With a shared host, you have unlimited numbers of websites vying for the same resources on a server.  Whatever resources the server has, a single site could end up using most of its capacity, leaving the other websites to scramble for the leftovers.

With a VPS, the server is divided up in advance, and the client’s portion is protected by a contract designating how much of the server’s capacity they have available for use. The portion of the server specified by the contract will always be available regardless of the needs of other websites.  Each user has a private environment that does not interact with other users.

Server resources are shared with shared hosting options, while server resources are allocated with VPS plans. VPS allows greater customization, allowing users to decide how their portion of the resources are allocated on the website. VPS also offers more dependable web hosting services, as the actions of others do not impact the performance on the server. VPS generally provides more private disk space and a higher amount of resource availability.

VPS hosting options also provide greater security. With shared hosting, your website can be vulnerable to mistakes in security made by another user. Because virtual private servers offer another degree of protection between your website and that of other users, it is also another security layer to protect your site from intrusion.

The advantages of VPS hosting

A VPS offers a hosting experience similar to that of a dedicated server that is cheaper and easier to set up. The scalability allows users to grow their website with simple changes to a contract.

VPS hosting reduces the amount of time your website is down for maintenance. Users moving from shared hosting will notice improved performance and reliability.