I am a web developer and my business has grown considerably over time. I started with a Shared Hosting package initially and now I feel it’s time to move to a fairly advanced hosting solution like VPS. Here’s why
What is a VPS?
Virtual Private Server or VPS server is a hosting solution with its own Operating System and server resources like RAM, Bandwidth etc. A physical server is virtually partitioned and every user has its own server configurations. While some need more space and others might need better processing power, VPS covers you from top to bottom. Rather than having a Dedicated Server setup for every client, a VPS allows for dedicated resources on one server with considerably lower cost.
Shared Hosting vs VPS – What should you consider?
As you scale in your business the need for more resources might increase. If your website traffic grows and you have more customers signing up, you might find the need for more data storage and better server security. All of this is possible when you move to a VPS. Both Shared Hosting and VPS use state-of-the-art server infrastructure, but how much resource can a user consume differs with each of them. With VPS you can have it all, while resources in shared hosting are distributed amongst all users on that server making it more reliable
Let’s assume Hosting is a residential building. A VPS is a condo that is yours entirely while Shared Hosting is like a room in a condo, shared with other tenants where you have a common drawing room & kitchen. Obviously the rent for VPS would be higher than that of Shared Hosting because you have the entire space to yourself with VPS. You can do anything you want within the confines of your condo and pay a higher amount for resources like lighting and heating depending on your need, while in Shared Hosting since your space is shared your resources like rent, heating and lighting are also shared amongst the tenants. Similarly VPS hosting lets you enjoy your resources to the fullest depending on the plan you’ve chosen.
Website Performance – With VPS you are guaranteed better performance of your website because you enjoy isolation from other websites being on hosted on the same server in the case of Shared Hosting
Higher Security – With VPS you are in control of your own server space eliminating risk of attacks and hacks on other websites that are hosted on a typical Shared Hosting package which would risk everyone’s server resources on that server
More Control – With VPS, you get full root access allowing you to install any application you want on your server within the confines of the resources available to you on the selected plan. Once resources are falling short you can easily upgrade your plan to match the scale of your business
What do you get with a VPS?
- Benefits of a Dedicated Server at a much lower cost
- Full Root Access and greater control
- All resources guaranteed by your provider
- Greater flexibility to upgrade your plan when you scale
- Higher Security and lesser risk from hackers affecting your server resources directly
VPS hosting does require more technical understanding, but at the same time it gives you a lot more freedom and functionality from a server standpoint and is optimised for a scaling business.
Conclusion
VPS hosting is the optimum solution if you find yourself in a position where your business is growing and your website traffic is increasing drastically. It’s important to understand that as you scale having more control over your hosting eliminates a lot of risk associated with a typical Shared Hosting package. I would recommend checking out ResellerClub’s VPS. They provide good server infrastructure and round the clock support. Their servers operate on Kernel-based virtualization with Varnish Caching and the resource allowance is higher than most providers. ResellerClub lets you manage your package through an easy to use control panel. If you’re a Web Pro (Web Designer / Developer), you can also sell this product to your customers as they are white-labelled and primarily cater to Resellers.