Choosing the Right Server Management System: VPS vs. Dedicated Server

VPS Overview

A virtual private server or a VPS, is a hosting model that gives each user their own environment for server management and dedicated resources. This server is called “virtual” due to the partition layer based on virtualization technology. It allows separating users from each other and ensures that they each get their scope of resources. Speaking of, VPS does actually supply dedicated resources, unlike shared hosting that, as the name implies, forces users to share the resources of one server without any regulations related to how much each gets. VPS is based on a physical server and still involves the process of sharing its capacity.

Overall, VPS is considered a gateway between the most affordable option of shared hosting, and the most expensive — dedicated hosting. While being affordable and having a flexible payment structure, VPS offers a good performance, much better than the one in shared hosting. It also offers more security and control over server management thanks to the root access commonly included in most VPS hosting plans.

As a hosting solution, VPS is highly scalable and customizable, allowing users to gradually upgrade a resource capacity and install any software they need. VPS, however, as any other hosting management system has its pros and cons.

Pros

• Autonomy: VPS gives each user a separate hosting environment, without the activity of others affecting the performance of their projects.
• Scalability: The so-called virtual partition that the VPS has is flexible, and can be adjusted to fit more storage, and processing speed when the need for it arises.
• Root access: Some VPS plans come with built-in root access (sometimes you need to purchase it separately), which allows user to configure the software part of the server to better satisfy their needs.
• Quick provisioning: With the nature of VPS in mind, a virtual private server is provided within a short period (usually a couple of minutes) and is easy to set up.
• Affordability: VPS doesn’t require a huge payment straight away, which makes it more accessible to a wider pool of users.

Cons

• Requires some technical knowledge to manage: VPS is not that hard to manage, however, it still requires some level of “tech-savvy” (there are usually managed VPS options, but they cost more).
• Has limited upgradability: While VPS is scalable, and one can modify the amount of resources they’re getting, you can only upgrade within the constraints of the physical server.
• Associated with security concerns: A virtual partition is strong, however, it doesn’t offer strong protection from security threats.
• Might cause performance irregularities: As a virtual server, VPS cannot provide a guarantee for performance, since the latter often depends on the direct hardware power.
• Might have congestion: Some providers overextend the capabilities of VPS, selling it to more users than the server can actually support.

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Dedicated server

With a dedicated server, you get a whole physical server for yourself. Unlike VPS, dedicated server hosting doesn’t require you to share it with other users virtually. This means that all of the server power is supplied to you and no one else.

With that, you get full control not only over the server’s software but also hardware. You can choose what OS and applications you want to use in your server management and also configure the hardware your server runs on, for example, its processor.

Dedicated servers are known to offer more performance power, privacy, and security, and it is also much more customizable than a VPS. Hosting with dedicated servers is usually chosen by corporations since they require uninterrupted and solid performance for their operations. Goes without saying that dedicated servers are much more capable and fast than virtual private servers, however, they cost more.

Pros

• Robust performance: A dedicated server offers all of its resources to one user, which allows them to harness the hardware power directly.
• Vast customizability: Users get full control over the server configuration, both software and hardware parts of it, allowing them to personalize the hosting experience.
• Strong security: Dedicated servers are associated with a reduced risk of outside threats, and can be additionally protected through hardware configuration.
• Reliability: Dedicated servers are considered to be more reliable than other hosting options, and much more capable of sustaining a consistent uptime.
• Better SEO ranking: Dedicated servers always come with a dedicated IP address and the ability to obtain SSL certificates, which positively affect SEO ranking when used for web hosting.

Cons

• More expensive: Dedicated servers are more expensive than VPS, which makes them not as accessible of a hosting option.
• Requires being technically knowledgable to manage: Since dedicated servers give you full control over the environment, it might be difficult to navigate without having technical expertise.
• Slow provisioning: It is usually a lengthy process to set up a dedicated server, and its provisioning can take up to several days, so you likely won’t use it straight away.
• Poorer scalability: While dedicated servers are as scalable as VPS, the process of upgrading the resource capacity is much more complex.
• Might offer unnecessary resources: With dedicated servers, you cannot choose what you are and aren’t going to use and base the payment plan on that, nor can easily go back and forth with your resource capacity; so if some of the server’s power is not used, you’re overpaying.

Which one to choose: a dedicated server or a VPS?

The choice obviously depends on your project and how much power it requires. But we recommend to take into account the following:

• Budget;
• Power demands of your project;
• Level of technical expertise;
• Server maintenance complexity;

Both VPS and dedicated servers can be great solutions to support traffic-dense websites and applications.

However, VPS is commonly used for websites with low to medium traffic, where no sudden traffic spikes are expected. It will also do great as a gaming server or email server. Generally, if you’re new to hosting, VPS will be more than enough for you: it’s powerful, easily scalable, and affordable. If you want to launch your first website and don’t know how much traffic to anticipate, VPS is a potent solution that will ensure your site’s availability and security.

However, if you have a larger business, VPS is probably not the way to go. If you manage big amounts of data (including sensitive customer data) or have a reputation for support, and cannot afford the chance of server malfunction, look into a dedicated server. It is much more secure and powerful and can give you more peace of mind since you likely won’t have to worry about its irregular performance.