Are you struggling to determine the difference between a VPS and a dedicated server?
A VPS, or virtual private server, as well as a dedicated server, gives your website its resources in contrast to shared hosting. You’ll want to be sure you pick the best option for your needs because they achieve this in somewhat different methods and at drastically different price points.
In this article, we’ll compare VPS hosting vs dedicated hosting in-depth so you can learn about the main distinctions and choose the strategy that best suits your requirements and financial constraints.
What’s the difference between VPS and a dedicated server
Before we can compare these two types of hosting, we first need to define them…
What is a VPS?
You still share a server’s resources with other users when using a VPS. Your website still receives dedicated resources in its portion of the server, unlike shared hosting.
For instance, your VPS might only receive 1 GB of the server’s 8 GB of RAM. What’s crucial is that you will never have to share that 1 GB of RAM with anyone else; it is all yours.
A VPS hosting company employs a device called a hypervisor to divide these resources, creating virtual computers for each client on that server. You merely need to be aware that every account on the VPS is entirely separated from every other account; it is not crucial to comprehend the technology.
A hypervisor is a machine that a VPS hosting provider uses to divide these resources, building virtual machines for each customer on that server. It is not necessary to understand the technology; you simply need to be aware that every account on the VPS is completely isolated from every other account.
You are still only one condo among many; you also do not own the entire complex. For example, you can’t decorate the entire structure. Because you are still only one tenant on the server, you are unable to modify the hardware to suit your demands.
What is a dedicated server?
A dedicated server, as the name implies, means that the entire physical server is set aside for your website(s). Like with a VPS, you receive the entire server rather than just a portion of it.
The main benefit of this strategy is that you have total control over the actual physical hardware within your server and the software that is running on it, in addition to maybe gaining you extra resources.
With a dedicated server, you could, for instance, choose AMD CPUs over Intel processors if you wanted that level of control. Every single piece of software running on that actual hardware is likewise under your control.
Let’s return to the housing comparison. A dedicated server would be comparable to purchasing your own home in this circumstance. That structure belongs to you alone; it is entirely yours. Additionally, you have complete control to alter the structure however you like.
Explaining some other key terminology
To completely grasp VPS and dedicated hosting, you also need to be familiar with two other key words in addition to the distinction between VPS and dedicated servers.
Managed vs unmanaged VPS and dedicated servers
Both VPS and dedicated servers come in two forms:
All you receive with an unmanaged VPS or dedicated server is the minimal hardware. Then it’s up to you to configure everything and keep your server running. This entails installing more than just WordPress; you also need to install the supporting technologies.
You would need to install PHP and a web server (such as Apache, Nginx, or LiteSpeed) if you wanted to utilise WordPress, for instance.
Unmanaged providers are obviously far more complicated. They are best suited for technical users or developers.
The converse is true of a managed VPS or dedicated server. You continue to receive the allocated resources for your site(s) with this configuration, as we explained previously. The server will still be configured, managed, and maintained for you by your hosting company, though.
For this reason, managed servers are more expensive than unmanaged servers. To avoid becoming overwhelmed by all the technical nuances, it is worth spending the money to have a managed server unless you are an advanced technical user.
VPS hosting vs cloud VPS hosting
These days, another phrase that may confuse you is cloud hosting, often known as cloud VPS hosting. With one significant exception, cloud hosting operates on the same fundamental idea as a typical VPS:
The cloud VPS technique is now widely used by forward-thinking providers because it is a little more versatile. However, it’s completely OK to consider a VPS and a cloud VPS to be the same thing for the purposes of this piece.
What are the pros and cons of VPS vs dedicated hosting?
| VPS HOSTING |
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Pros
- It’s a lot more affordable than dedicated hosting.
- You still get dedicated resources for your site, even though you don’t have the full physical server.
- You can more easily “scale” your hosting, especially if you go with a cloud VPS. That is, you can easily upgrade your VPS by just adjusting the virtual partition.
Cons
- You don’t have full control of your server’s physical hardware.
| DEDICATED HOSTING |
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Pros
- You get full control over your server’s software and physical hardware.
- Your site is physically isolated from other accounts because it’s on its own physical server (whereas your site is only virtually isolated with a VPS).
Cons
- It can be very expensive.
- It can be tough to accurately assess what resources you need (and it’s harder to change resources than with a VPS since the resources are divided physically instead of virtually).
Should you use a VPS or dedicated server?
A VPS is typically considerably more advantageous for most users than a dedicated server, especially if you choose with a cloud VPS provider.
Many of the advantages of a dedicated server are also available with a cloud VPS, but at a lower cost and with much more flexibility. Because of this, most companies will switch from their own dedicated hosting to cloud hosting by 2023 and beyond.
A dedicated server is basically only necessary for websites with large traffic and unusual hosting requirements. A cloud VPS is a superior choice for most other websites!
Best VPS hosting providers
Here are some of the best providers to get you started if you’ve determined that VPS hosting is the best choice for your circumstances.
First off, here are some excellent options for managed VPS hosting:
- Bluehost – a popular option with VPS plans from $29.99 per month.
👉 You can also check out our collection of cheap VPS hosts for some additional options.
However, if you particularly require unmanaged VPS hosting, one of the well-known cloud VPS providers is typically your best bet:
You might manage your unmanaged VPS hosting more easily by using a solution like RunCloud or ServerPilot. Or you may set up your own VPS with cPanel or Plesk.
Best dedicated hosting providers
Here are some excellent options to get you started if a dedicated server will better suit your needs:
Final thoughts on VPS vs dedicated server
Since shared hosting is the least expensive way to create a WordPress site, shared hosting is typically where most individuals start when launching a website. As your site expands, you’ll want additional resources for it and won’t want to share them with other sites.
Both a VPS and a dedicated server help you achieve those goals.
With a VPS, the host effectively divides a server’s resources into various portions, and you receive one of those portions solely for your website. These resources may originate from a single computer (a “traditional” VPS) or from a group of interconnected computers (a cloud VPS).
On the other hand, a dedicated server gives you exclusive use of the entire physical server.
A VPS is typically a better choice unless you have a high-traffic website with special requirements.
