There are so many choices out there, when it comes to choosing the right web host for your website. Web management is not just about web hosting; it involves many things, starting from design layout to managing text and media to web security, among other things. While all aspects of web management are almost equally necessary to keep a website up and running, web hosting is definitely on the top of the list. In short, without a web hosting service, the World Wide Web would not exist and your website wouldn’t be accessible to the world. Web hosting companies provide individuals and businesses with resources such as data centers and web servers, for hosting their data and website.

Depending on your needs for your business or individual requirements, you can choose between either of the two web hosting services: Virtual Private Server (VPS) and dedicated servers. Virtual private server, or VPS, is a great option to start with, as opposed to shared hosting. VPS is a virtual system like your own virtual world, similar to shared hosting, except it provides more power and control. In VPS, multiple websites share the resources present in a single physical server as many other virtual machines. But, if you want to have total control, you can go for a dedicated server hosting. You get your own dedicated server for an annual fee and you get full access to your content and server.

What is Virtual Private Server (VPS)?

Virtual private server, or VPS, as the name suggests, is a virtual machine and a virtualized server that allows you to store your data and files for your website on a shared server, but appears as a dedicated private server. All the resources share the same physical web space as many other virtual machines. The virtual machine is configured according to each customer’s individual needs and has the complete privacy of a dedicated server. All the resources on the server, such as memory, hard drive space, content, processor speed, and so on, are shared between all other virtual machines but they run independently, providing unlimited bandwidth and additional customization features.

What is Dedicated Server?

Dedicated server, as the name suggests, is a single server fully dedicated to a single user who has full control over the resources. Since the resources are not shared with another server, you get full control and access to your content and server. It is a type of remote server dedicated to an individual or organization only and which can handle substantially more of everything than a shared server. Dedicated server hosting is based on the shared server concept of server process pooling, except the processes are dedicated servers not shared servers. You have full rights to the resources of the machine, which allows you to configure the hosting environment however you want.

Difference between VPS and Dedicated Server

Basics

– A virtual private server is a virtual machine like a shared server where the resources are shared between different machines or websites, but the whole idea of a VPS is to mimic the look and fool of a dedicated private server. All the resources are shared between the other virtual machines that reside in the same physical server. On the contrary, dedicated servers are a single physical server dedicated for personal use only and the user has full control over the resources and the content and the resources are not shared among other machines.

Cost

– Dedicated servers are relatively more expensive, almost three to four times than virtual private servers. Shared hosting is by far the most pocket-friendly option among the web hosting services. VPS is considerably more expensive than shared hosting services, but less expensive than dedicated hosting. In VPS hosting, multiple users share the same web space, which ultimately divides the hosting cost among other users. Dedicated hosting plan costs as little as around $100 per month and can go high up to $500-$1,000 per month, depending managed and semi-managed dedicated servers.

Scalability

– Setting up a dedicated service is easier and quicker because you won’t need the host server and virtualization software, as opposed to creating virtual private servers. With a dedicated server, all the resources are limited to a single client on a single physical server, meaning the client has full access to the resources which the client can customize according to his needs, including bandwidth load, processor speed, storage, RAM, hard drive space, and so on. The client can do so many things with a dedicated server, such as website hosting, game hosting, and more.

Security

– Dedicated server hosting provides owners with complete control over their system resources and security. Plus you can create a range of different hosting packages for yourself for greater control, if you want to. As you’re the sole owner of the server, you can efficiently manage the resources according to your needs, while preventing potential security breaches. With dedicated server hosting, you can have specialized hardware, greater control, and secure access to your data and files on a dedicated server. Security risks are a little high with virtual servers as the web space is shared among many clients and the number of choices are limited, which opens up to security vulnerabilities.

VPS vs. Dedicated Server: Comparison Chart

Summary of VPS vs. Dedicated Server

Depending on your needs for your business or individual requirements, you can choose between either a virtual private server or dedicated server hosting service. While both offer increased control over your resources and hosting environment, building a dedicated server is much easier than building a virtual server, plus you get full root access and have complete control over your content and server. Virtual servers, on the other hand, are built with shared kernel technology and provide access to a virtual server, but all the resources are shared between all the websites on the machine.

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